The Writer’s Strike Explained
Without writers there would be no movies or TV shows. Hence, nothing is being made right now. All shows have stopped.
Writers are consistently mistreated and underpaid by Hollywood. What the writers want in this strike is not unreasonable. Yet the studios are fighting giving up one thin dime.
I doubt of this strike will change things all that much, other than getting a few more pesos in the writers deals, but the whole system over there needs an overhaul. It is grossly unfair. Why should producers get paid millions, often for just having their name on a film, when the film wouldn’t even exist of a writer or writers hadn’t dreamed it up? Why should actors get the money they do when their acting would be worthless without a good script? If a star can get $20 million a picture, the writers shold at least get a million for the same picture. At least!
Yeah, people are joking about the writer’s strike, but the one that could go on for decades with nobody noticing would be a strike by the Executive Producers. And the one that would bring Hollywood to a grinding halt in hours would by one by the assistant directors.
Posted by on 11/09 at 12:25 PMHud -
When it comes to movies, yes - writers do get large amounts of money for scripts. What the strike is about is residuals, or what other businesses call royalties.
Every time a book is reprinted, the author gets royalties. Every time a CD is sold, the artist gets royalties (the songwriter gets them if it’s played on the radio). The writers are asking for something similar.
But the screwing the writers are getting goes on in the other entertainment businesses, too. If a CD is sold, the artist is lucky to get two cents per disc. That’s not a typo - TWO cents. The companies and producers want to keep as much of the money as they can for themselves.
Mark Evanier has many many posts regarding the strike on his blog. I highly recommend them.
Posted by Dave Marron on 11/10 at 11:08 AMYes, I know its about royalties. I am a writer, you know.
My point is, the amount paid to writers for scripts should be more since those scripts make the movie possible. Actors are a dime a dozen. Good ideas aren’t.
Posted by on 11/10 at 12:39 PMWriters have been getting screwed since time began. It’s about time they fought back.
Just because musicians are letting themselves be screwed by music companies is no reason to think that writers should put up with the same treatment.
And TV can always run reality shows, but movie theaters can’t. What happens when the scripts stop altogether?
Posted by Joy on 11/10 at 01:19 PMyou’re a terrible writer dude.
Posted by on 11/10 at 06:34 PMLike you would know. You can’t even spell cocaine, dude.
Posted by on 11/10 at 07:02 PMI’m with cokane. Yer writing sucks.
Posted by Dude on 11/10 at 08:32 PMThe problem with insults is, the other person has to care what you think.
You’re wasting your time here.
Posted by on 11/11 at 08:01 AM“Yes, I know its about royalties. I am a writer, you know.”
With a sentence like “Yet the studios are fighting giving up one thin dime.”, you could have fooled me. Or you couldn’t. Just a minute, let me ask my wife.
Posted by on 11/11 at 03:52 PMI see the wackos are in force on the blog lately.
Too bad they have to hijack a thread about basic human decency and fairness by ganging up one one person and acting like typical Internet gangsta thugs.
Real mature and bravo, children.
You demonstrate the depths of your own ideological voodoo.
Grow spines and try doing to this to people in real life without hiding behind fake names, kids!
Posted by on 11/11 at 04:48 PM
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