TVSquad

I'm so glad, then, that Stargate Atlantis and The Wire are all filmed already. And I can only hope the strike won't affect Nickelodeon's Avatar (at least not for this season).

Still even if all those shows were not to air, or other beloved shows (Battlestar, The Office), it's a small price to pay, I think, for the cause. The writers should get a better deal.

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Ken Levine wrote in his blog earlier tonight that all anonymous comments will be deleted, as he's tired of all the criticism from AMPTP supporters leaving sharp criticisms in his blog.

As he puts it, "[If] you want to argue on their behalf, fine. You can write two pages. But leave a legitimate name. Otherwise, you're gone."

I'd probably do the same in his position. I'd write more, but the Best Buy Rap just screwed me completely.

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Any idea what a writer makes? I have no idea. I am curious as to what The Office writers get, Scrubs, Two and a Half Men, etc. Highs, lows, averages. Anyone have that data, or know where I could find it? I haven't made up my mind on this issue yet, and I need more facts. I don't doubt that the networks are greedy pigs, but for all I know, the writers of Carpoolers get paid more than me, and I went to law school, and they are clearly stealing.

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The problem is that some people go "Well the writers make $1000,000+", and while that is true, it's not the whole truth.

SOME writers get paid a lot, but there are side writers that get paid very little. Plus the studios are making billions of dollars off the very popular shows, and the writers aren't seeing most of it.

I do not believe this strike will end before June or July unless the advertising people get pissed off, but I doubt even then the studios will care. So this strike will most likely continue until the actors go on strike in June, maybe then the studios will start to listen.

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Well TV is going to be hell for the next couple of months. But what does this mean for the Animation community. this has to be huge. With no scripted shows for the foreseeable future they have to fill time with something besides reality television..CARTOONS ARE GOING TO MAKE A COME BACK!!

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Its similar to the actors and the SAG strike that occured a few years back. When the headline reads "Actors On Stirke!" They aren't so much talking about your Brad Pitts and your Anglinea Jolies. They are talking about actors who do commercial work, and extra work. Those people get a flat fee for thier 2-3 day filming work it takes on doing one scene on a movie or tv show, or to film a commerical. Then that commerical or show airs for years and the actors feel entitled to what are called residuals. If they film a commerical and that commerical airs for 2 years or more, they should get residual money. Similiar case here. Writers want money if the networks are going to post say an episode of "Heroes" online, that NBC then puts up on thier website indefinately, or the money the studios make off of DVDs sells. Which will always sell, even years after its been released.

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The AMPTP will not back down. They won't budge. They're winning.

I have a feeling that they intended to negotiate with the DGA in the spring, set the precident, and in return, the writers get the bad deal and end up being the losers.

Sucks that TV is in shambles.

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all I can say is I've upgrade to HD (both formats) so I'm set. There's lots of 1080p goodness to chew through while the networks run through their stable of reality shows.

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If I'm supposed to feel sympathy or even empathy for a side, it's not working.

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First I don't necessarily see myself as a AMPTP supporter. In fact I would call it a fair deal no matter what the final result would be.

Some people are upset that studios make a lot of money from popular shows, but you have to remember that they also produce a lot of not so popular shows, and sink money into pilots that never gets picked up. If it is true that shows doesn't really pay off until they get into syndication, then it is a big gamble for the studios, and the money from syndication helps finance new shows, some of which that will be a loss for thee studio. Are they greedy, most likely, but that doesn't really change anything. The studio puts in a lot of money into shows, writers and actors and other personnal puts in their time and expertice. When you put in your time, you normally gets paid (relatively) right away, but someone that puts in money could never recouperate and can go bust.

Which leads me to this fascination with residuals. What is so horrible with getting a fixed wage for the work done. That's the normal procedure for most people with normal jobs. Why should the writers get residuals, but not set decoraters, make-up people, costume, sund technicians etc.? What makes writers special? If you have uneven flow of money coming in, then the normal thing would be to save money in good time to use in bad times, or some sort of insurance, or alternative jobs (which many in Hollywood already seems to have) or loans. Wouldn't residuals also mostly benefit already successful writers (and actors etc.)? Not that it is necessarily anything wrong with that.

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CNBC reported the average pay of a working WGA writer is $204k a year and apparently the latest offer ups that to $230k.

The WGA have stated how its misleading though as it only takes into account the WGA members who worked in a year and apparently half the members dont work in a year which makes the median pay $5k. Although I think personally this is misleading personally as I dont think including people who dont work in a year is really fair.

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There's plenty of alternatives to TV, like video podcasts, video games, Blu-ray Discs, and even going outside!

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The point isn't how much the writers make it is about how they are paid in the changing distribution environment. They are the creative people who outline the look of a show that determines what the costume, set design etc. and actors do and say. If a musician writes a song they get paid if it is on itunes, a cd or the radio along with the music producers. That is because they are the creative talent behind the song. The same should be true for the writers. The distribution of their material is in a great deal of flux right now. This is the time that they should stand and fight for the revenue being generated by DVDs, streaming internet from the networks and other outlets. They ARE the shows that we watch. It is their witty quips, emotional scenes, shocking reveals, creative twists etc. that hook us. What would Lost be if we just watched a group of people walking around on an island?

They should share in the newly developed revenue streams with the networks.

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"Which leads me to this fascination with residuals. What is so horrible with getting a fixed wage for the work done. That's the normal procedure for most people with normal jobs."

Writing isn't a normal job. Most normal jobs don't require you to work for months or even years with no pay before getting someone to pay for your work. Very few people would suggest that Stephen King should be paid a fixed salary for his work, or that songwriters should not get royalties for the songs they write.

"Why should the writers get residuals, but not set decoraters, make-up people, costume, sund technicians etc.?"

Crews do get residuals, at least if they are union crews. Granted it's probably less, since there often are more of them splitting up their share of the residuals, but they do get them.

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I love TVSquad.com
I love love DeadlineHollywoodDaily.com
and
I love love love seeing a graphic I created a month ago show up on both sites --

http://cuppacafe.com/wp-content/themes/cuppacafe/images/cuppa154header.jpg
-- but seeing the graphic with attribution to someone else WILL make me comment... it's more clipart than original, 'cuz I uh, borrowed, the original Hollywood sign image to make it.

And I hope that the writers win this.

@#12 Heinlein:
The concept of giving residuals (or royalties in the case of other creative formats such as books) to the CREATOR of the actual content is key in the creative arts. Work For Hire will always be a preferred stance by those who are producing the effort. It's easy and cheap. In the early days of filmmaking everyone was Work For Hire. Edward Jay Epstein wrong a nice book recently, including stories such as that of writers who were fired the day before a holiday and hired after.

Writers write. Good ones don't have to write strictly for movies/TV. A good script can make the studios money, and poor scripts often are a recipe for financial disaster.

Offering a piece of the film's potential ensured that quality writers would accept the job and produce quality work. This was eventually codified, but with this new media, the potential for a changing profit picture changes the request for payment.

Say you could wave your hand and eliminate the of the guilds(unions) (all existing contracts/obligations) and hire everyone piecemeal. It would all be Work For Hire. As the head of the studio, you'd want the best actors, technicians and creative staff. No problem, you'd get your studio off the ground just fine. People show up, get their pay, do their work, and go home. Then, out of the 30 TV projects you've made, five do poorly. You close those projects, and fire that staff. And 5 projects do extremely well, and you get an order for more. You've asked for more money for these extra episodes, and you've got it. But your staff has heard of this extra money, and they've all threatened to quit unless you pay them more. Do you fire everyone who asks for more money and replace them with someone else? Wait, you've just fired the folks on the shows that failed, they need jobs, what about them? No, you want to keep what works and still make some money, so you give everyone raises and away you go.

Well, with movies and TV going to DVD, the profits from those internet/DVD sales are like the increase in money that the studio sees but the staff doesn't. And they want a raise. Thanks to the power of collective bargaining, they all have the opportunity to strike.

Disclaimer: I'm clueless as to the actual structure and ramification of the creative guilds, but I am married to creative genius who does get paid by royalty check. And if you're interested in Hollywood, Epstein's book (ISBN:0812973828) is a very good place to start.

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