Hollywood strike immediately affects shows
 

I wrote an article at Screen Rant, so check it out.

heath

The last time the Writers Guild went on strike we ended up with reality tv.. god help us this time :)

Last strike was in 1988.

heath

...urgh...

This Youtube video is must-viewing for anyone interested in finding out what the strike is all about:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJ55Ir2jCxk

Based on that YouTube video and Heath's article, I support this. Take as long as is needed, writers! Good for you nipping it in the bud now.. albeit, a little late already!

Here's who is hurting the worst, not the writers, not the studios: the below-the-line guys and gals who are suddenly out of work. I have a LOT of friends in LA who just want them to settle on a deal so they can get back to work.

Otherwise, as happy as I'll be to see some friends I hardly see anymore, it'll be sad to see them come home after all the work they've done in LA, fighting the fight to become, at best, a grip (to start). They're climbing the Hollywood ladder, and this is very damaging.

http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.co...e-this-strike/

The studios know this TV season stinks, so this is a great opportunity for them to take a long look at the future, so why negotiate? Writers want money from the Internet (which is STILL really making money with online entertainment, for the most part, so that's a toughie). Oh, boy...

heath

One thing that the producers can and are taking advantage of in this period is the opportunity to clean house; cancel contracts, development deals and salaried positions that have been set up over the years as part of larger deals. This is reportedly already happening all over town. The hope is that once they have cleared the brush and rediverted those expenditures back in their pockets, they will be willing to go back to the table and work out this little writer's thing...!

I've still got work through the end of the month but a number of my colleagues are on shows that have gone or are about to go dark. We're all battening down the hatches in case this thing stretches on.

Note to those thinking about launching an indie shoot in LA: wait a month or so and you will have an embarrassment of crew and services available to you, hungry for scraps!

Charles,

Thanks for the perspective and news; I figured the studios and producers were going to do something like that. I feel really bad for the crews who are out of work, and going out of work, too.

Heath

From IMDb's news section:

'WGA Strike Striking Other Workers
Anticipating a lengthy strike by the Writers Guild of America, all of the major studios in Hollywood except Sony are beginning to send suspension notices to scores of production companies, which could put hundreds of their employees out of work, the Los Angeles Times reported today (Wednesday). Companies that currently don't have shows in production are being hit first. Commenting on the situation, the Times observed: "Now, in addition to having writers going without pay, many other entertainment industry employees will have to worry about their car payments and rent. That is likely to have a broad impact beyond Tinseltown, rippling across the Los Angeles region's entire economy." And in its lede on the strike, the Hollywood Reporter commented today: "A sickening sense is spreading through Hollywood that the Writers Guild of America strike could drag on for some time, if only because the union and the studios have become so polarized."'

heath

I don't work in television, but I am a full, active member of the WGAw.

I'm spending almost all my time in Dallas these days so I'm not as plugged in as those in the thick of it in L.A., but my impression from talking to other Guild members and whatnot is also that this strike will last a long time, very possibly longer than the 22 weeks the 1988 strike lasted.

But hopefully not.

Thought I was 12 at the time, I remember when Letterman went back on the air without the writers. SHUDDER. And I think it's lame that these guys and gals rely on writers vs. their own skills.

Then again, they're likely all WGA members anyway...

Heath

Interesting article, Heath, and good responses. Nice youtube film, explains it very clear. I support the writers on this. It's only fair that they get a percent.

Thanks for the compliment. More news (showrunners' contracts are severed--Charles was right):

http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.co...ge-solidarity/

heath

I've been picketing
 

You're right about the below-the-line guys. I'm a sitcom writer, and I voted for the strike (along with 90% of the WGA) because anyone can see the future of entertainment is the Internet. I think it was the right choice for the writers, and for the industry as a whole. But the people who are going to feel it, with the holidays looming, are the grips and hair-and-makeup and first AC's, followed very quickly by the caterers, set design, ... I'm getting depressed listing them all.
The thing that worries me is that we all love what we do, even if we work on shows we might not even watch otherwise, but the studios aren't in it for love, they are in it for money, and if it goes on for months they aren't going to care about all the people who are getting hurt, they are going to be seeing big dollar signs.