The Truth about the Writers Strike

When I think about the facts of this situation I get a little afraid. I want this to be resolved quickly just like everyone else, I want to keep working. A job I have lined up in January may be postponed. It’s a feature though and the script is already complete so I am keeping my hopes up. But I was talking to a friend and we came to the conclusion the situation may be dire…

The awful truth about the strike:

• Today the studios are in a better position to weather a protracted strike than they were in 1988. Today the major studios are bigger, more diversified, and less reliant on scripted material than ever. And if they want scripted material, or rewrites they can use writers OUTSIDE the US and thus outside the WGA’s jurisdiction. The British writer debate is quietly festering and no clear answer exists. There is little the WGA can do to stop foreigners from writing for the studios. Some out side the US are seeing this as a amazing chance to get noticed by the studios, and get a project made.

• Scripted TV shows are very costly to produce and most are money losers. The studio’s can use a strike as a chance to get out of costly development deals, and to ‘clean house’ of writers they don’t want, or who are not profitable. Many of these notices have gone out already, much to the anger and resentment of the writing community. By their own estimates the studio’s -- sorry ‘Conglomerates’ can hold out for at least a year before needing writers again. Feature film scripts, can be (are?) stock piled, and reused; so the studios can survive a long strike on that front as well.

• Fox relies mostly on reality TV as it is – American Idol anyone? And CBS also has found great success with its reality shows. Reality shows are cheap, easy and writer free. However the ones that aren’t trashy or a talent competition are pretty lame, am I right? Who writes that stuff? Oh, right. No one.

• Jay Leno, John Stewart and the other writer dependent daily shows produce pocket change compared to what is at stake here for the studios. Ironically they don’t have a platform to voice there concerns during the strike!

• The studios/conglomerates wanted this strike. This is just the opportunity they have been looking for to dramatically cut their costs. The know very well what they are doing and what is at stake. They pay people far to much money to run the numbers and tell them what they can and cannot afford to do. They can afford this strike a whole lot more than most writers.

• Your average Joe, has no idea the strike is happening and won’t notice at all if the studios get their way… the kids are busy downloading clips on YouTube anyway.



The upside:

The Agencies, SAG and the DGA are interested in ending the strike ASAP too. Agencies get 75% their revenue from film at TV that relies on writers. SAG and the DGA can’t work without scripts. They will quickly join the fight if they have not already.

So what us the little people do? We can’t boycott the media. We can’t not watch TV, or not go see movies. That would punish writers right?

So how can we pressure the studios to be fair? How can we make our voices heard? How can we tell the people that control the media that they need to be fair and they need to come back to the table and make a fair deal for the benefit of all?

We write!

Write to everyone you can think of. Email the producers and the companies involved and tell them how you feel. Tell them that you love what they make and you want to see more of it. Tell them you will not just have reality TV shoved down your throat! You want quality programming and that takes writers!