Writer's strike, & consequences Options

[TetraGrammaton C...]

So, most people are aware of the writer's strike going on.

http://www.eonline.com/news/article/index....amp;entry=index

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/...e-entertainment

well the last wga strike was in 1988, which was about the same time that gang violence began rising in L.A.
some of the theories i have heard suggest that the writer's strike lead to this violence. the general chain of events is described as something like lower incomes >> lower drug purchasing >> less gang revenue >> gangs seek alternative means of profit >> gang warfare/robberies/riots etc.

i doubt that this strike will be as severe. in 1988 the wga was on strike for around 5 months.
however, this may explain why it is getting so much political attention.

what kinds of consequences could something like this have in a digital age?
with cites like super-deluxe and funny-or-die, will the general public remain entertained?
considering the myriad of available entertainment and its resulting complacency in watching reruns, do you think that the average uninformed american will even notice the difference?

do we even need writers in a society that so highly emphasizes collaborative creations (wikipedia, etc.)?


Considerations of strike related losses:
http://postproduction.digitalmedianet.com/...e.jsp?id=222488

[TetraGrammaton C...]

http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/TV/11/07/h...r.ap/index.html

new developments including steve carell's refusal to cross the picket line
i wonder how many new episodes of the office they have already recorded?

nevermind, i just read jenna fischer's blog.
she explains the complications and specificities of the strike.
she also states that they only have two forthcoming episodes finished.

From the blog of Jenna Fischer. actress -- Pam -- The Office

Understanding the Strike

By now you may have heard that The Office has shut down production. This is true. They cleaned out my trailer and just delivered me 3 boxes of my stuff. It is pretty surreal. We cannot produce new episodes of The Office until the Writer's Guild strike is over.

You might be confused about the issues of the strike and I'm hoping that this blog can make it a bit clearer. (I should probably tell you that I support my head writer/producer Greg Daniels and the writing staff of The Office in their decision to strike.)

The big issue in this negotiation involves the internet. If you go to NBC.com right now, you can watch an episode The Office for free. The network runs advertisements while you're watching it, which gives them an extra source of revenue. The actors, writers, producers and director, the people who created the content you are watching, are not compensated in any way for this.

The Writer's Guild has taken the position that the writers should receive residuals if the show re-airs on the internet just like they receive residuals if it re-airs on television since in both cases the studios are making money. The issue is a huge deal, because the internet is clearly where the future of entertainment lies.

Right now, a number of successful shows (like Lost for one) have stopped showing repeat episodes on TV at all, and have replaced them with ad-supported streaming video on their websites. If you're a Lost writer, or actor, or director, or a teamster that's no residuals at all for that show, and that's a big pay cut. We all count on the extra income that residuals provide as it can help us through a slump in our career when we aren't working as regularly. It is our safety net. In 10 years I may need those residual checks to cover my electric bill. You never know. Hollywood is a fickle town. If in 10 years, everything is rerun on the internet, the current union contracts say the studios don't have to pay us a dime. And, I'll be sitting in the dark.

Here is a video of our awesome writers on the picket line. They are funny even on strike:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=b6hqP0c0_gw

And you can also read James Gunn's blog on the subject which I thought was really great:

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseacti...E03CBFA22555321


Oh...there are only 2 unaired original episodes of The Office left. And, I'm sad to say the one we were getting ready to shoot was going to be the funniest of the year. I'm sure of it. They've been pitching this particular story idea for over 2 years…it involves Pam and Jim being in Michael's home but that's all I'll say. I hope we get to shoot it soon. Let's all stay strong and hope that the strike can end soon.

This post has been edited by TetraGrammaton Cleric: Nov 7 2007, 07:11 PM