Hollywood Writers Strike

Well although you may or may not know about the writers strike I'm posting this to get opinions.

Article: Hollywood Writers Strike

An overview of what's going on for those who don't wanna read:

About 75 writer-producers, known as "show runners," marched Wednesday, pledging they would withhold their editing and administrative services in hopes of shutting down their own shows.

All that for more money for online shows and DVD sales.

I personally think that the writers are being stupid. Just ask for a raise or more of a price cut. They might have done this before so now they may be on strike but I think that they should just hire them back to please viewers.

So I want your opinion, do you think this entire thing is unreasonable and/or that the shows should just hire them for the enjoyment of all the viewers?

According to Brian K. Vaughan, a comic book writer and one of the writers and producers of Lost, it's because screen-writers at this time make $.04 for every DVD sold of a show or movie that they wrote for. They want to raise the amount to $.08, but the corporations wouldn't agree to the contract, so the writers have gone on strike.

I'm all for it, personally. Maybe now there will be less dreck on TV and in theaters, and I read comics anyway, so I likely won't even realize that much.

I am completely 100% behind the Writer's in this one. They are honestly not asking for that much, and are only trying to be sure that their interests are being looked after in this age where it looks like new technologies are replacing old ones. There isn't always work for writers, so relying on residuals is essentially how they keep food on the table for themselves and their families. The way the current system is set up, it's only going to get harder to get residuals.

The writer's essentially want 8 cents instead of 4 cents for each DVD sold, and they want residuals when the products of their labour are sold or shown in the new online format, through download from a service like iTunes or streamed on the networks sites. It is in no way unreasonable, and the fact that it's being denied is what I find ridiculous.

This site gives more info on the writer's position, and this video explains their demands far better than I ever could. As Ogmios said, Brian K. Vaughan does a pretty good job at explaining the writer's position as well.

This really isn't going to impact film all that much. There's a backlog of scripts that can be made easily, and probably sustain the industry long enough to weather the strike. It's Television that's going to suffer. With talk shows and variety shows like SNL already off the air, and show's shutting down production left and right in support of the writer's (The Office, Desperate Housewives, etc), there's only going to be a couple more weeks of new shows before the well runs dry. If the studios still refuse to give ground, then we're going to have lots of new reality TV to watch, I guess.

and now the networks are digging up all the shows that got made, but were too crappy to air. now they have no choice but to air them because they don't want to play re runs and reality tv 24-7.

I don't think they have a backlog of shows to just randomly air. Most shows that get greenlit shoot a pilot, and then the pilot gets picked up or not. If it gets picked up, then they go on to shoot more episodes, if the network passes, then the pilot is put away and nothing is heard from it again.

Networks are going to have to rely on reruns and reality tv. I doubt there's a backlog of shows they can air, it's just not how things work. There's really no other options, if they chose not to give into the demands of the writers and the strike continues.

I'm really mad that its effecting Heroes.

my boyfriend said he wants to be a scab and write for SNL

I am all for it.

In the grand scheme of things, giving them that raise will please the writers. Happy writers means great story's and stuff for our favorite shows. The more we like the shows, the more we will be encouraged to buy the DVDs and any other fan stuff. Which makes them more money.

But then I really have no idea how this all works, but still.

I'm all for the writers on this.

I remember awhile back when Battlestar Galactica did a few special online episodes the network flat out told the writers, cast and crew that they were not going to get paid for it becauce it is classified as promotional material becuase it's viewed online and because of this the network was not under any obligation to pay anyone involved in making the online episodes.

This is one of the things this strike is trying to prevent from happening anymore.