TV Writers strike (Lost, Heroes, Prison Break, 24...heck, everthing on hold)

[Darkflame]

Thought this deserved its thread, as its quite a big issue.

Fairly soon, most of the great tv shows at the moment will be put on indefinite hold.
Most of these shows had half a season writted, and most filmed, but due to a strike, wont be finnishing there seasons.
Lost and 24, have upto half done, but stop on a cliffhanger. They probably wont be shown at all for quite awhile.
Currently showing stuff like Prison Break and Heroes also will stop halfway.

Current information on the strike points to it going on very long indeed;
http://tv.ign.com/articles/834/834359p1.html

Effectively, this means no tv next year worth speaking about.
(unless you like watching stuff without writters....in which case, you big-brother likeing freaks can leave the thread now )

I'm not a big tv watcher, but I have enjoyed the recent upswing of heavy serielised dramas. I am completely devistated that I wont be getting my "fix" of these things next year.

The writters are strikeing over quite a simple reason too;
They arnt getting residals from any "new media", such as the internet.

Their argument is simple; Every time someone watchs a show, they pay for it in some way. (either by buying it, subscribing, or watching adverts with it).
The writers dont see why the networks are pocketing all the cash for some mediums and not giving them anything.
Writers, like authors, film makers, artists ect have their wages and jobs with these royalties factored into account.
An author in general wouldnt agree to write a book they wernt going to get a % of the money from.

Imho, I have to side completely with the writters here.
They should get a fixed % regardless of media. (so, internet stuff earns less, but they get the same % from that as tv).

Really, this strike is going to hurt everyone in the long run. A big industary has grind to a halt, and many people will lose a lot of money and probably their jobs.

The only upside I see is the networks will once again lose some power. The longer this strike goes on, the more people will turn to alternative media and distributions for entertainment. Online shows like Santuary might get more watchers (and thus more money/investiment ect).

Theres a blog from one writters here;
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fu...ogID=326518167

That somes up his viewpoint in a rather humourous way.

[elmuerte]

WGA sucks, they restrict creative freedom.
a lot of writers sucks because their stories suck, specially those that write on those everlasting miniseries.

[Zerath^]

This worries me :/ lost and heroes must go on!

[Kitarii]

This is pretty big stuff.
I'm glad I'm behind everyone on all the series, so I can still keep going for a while!

Originally Posted by Darkflame

ect.

You do know it's "etc", right? As in "etcetera".

[Jasiek]

I can's see Stargate in there anywhere?

If so, then I don't really care .

But yeah, I always wondered why the screenplay writers have, kind of a low position, while they should be as much important as the director is.

[Darkflame]

Stargate will be effected too, almost certainly.

Get your Amanda Tapping fix at Sanctuary

WGA sucks, they restrict creative freedom.

how?

Seems perfectly fair what they are asking for to me.
I've been trying to see justification for the other side, but havnt yet found a good one. Just seems a normal case of networks being greed and treating everyone like idiots.
Of course, the non-writing staff of these shows are the ones really suffering. Its not their fault, but they are getting problems because of this. Many new shows (Pushing Daisy's, Sarah Conor Chronicals) are going to have a hard time now.

Dont know much about the WGA organisation in general.
I just know a lot of scripted tv shows in the last few years have been really good, and a large walk out of writers is almost certainly going to lead to more reality tv shows.

Unless your talking about the other WGA, which does suck

[Homeless]

Originally Posted by Jasiek

I can's see Stargate in there anywhere?

http://gateworld.net/news/2007/11/wr..._istarga.shtml

But the bottom line is that Stargate Atlantis should go largely unaffected by the strike, since it is a Canadian production based in Vancouver, B.C. and its staff members belong predominantly to Canadian unions. When asked on his blog what affect a strike would have on Stargate, executive producer Joseph Mallozzi replied with a terse "None."

None at all - as Mr. Prosser would have replied.

Good times, good times. As long as I'll get my Stargate fix, I'll be happy.

[ChaosFish]

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

The strike seem completely legitimate and for the greater justice. But NO LOST NEXT YEAR?!!?!?
No. I don't believe you.

[Echomote]

Originally Posted by Kitarii

This is pretty big stuff.
I'm glad I'm behind everyone on all the series, so I can still keep going for a while!



You do know it's "etc", right? As in "etcetera".

Darkflame's spelling is always wrong, not his strong point. He even generally spells Atlantis wrong


I'm gonna miss Atlantis while it's gone

[Darkflame]

Originally Posted by ChaosFish

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

The strike seem completely legitimate and for the greater justice. But NO LOST NEXT YEAR?!!?!?
No. I don't believe you.

unfortuntly its either that, or much shorter.

Btw, theres a few mini-lost webisodes if you didnt know already.

[ChaosFish]

Originally Posted by Darkflame

Btw, theres a few mini-lost webisodes if you didnt know already.

What? Where? When? etc? What's webisodes?

[Homeless]

Originally Posted by Echomote

I'm gonna miss Atlantis while it's gone

As I've said already, Stargate Atlantis will not be affected by this.

[Lightwing]

Fortunately I do not watch TV and I loathe most hollywood films.

[Darkflame]

"most" are rubbish, but this effects all.
Theres always a few great films.
Heck, this year even a few of the sequals were great. (Bourne Ultimatum was a fantasic piece of cinema, for instance).

Personaly I am devistated, as the quality of TV was for me at an all time high.
(by which I mean the 0.1% I watch was at a all time high, the rest was probably at an all time low )

If nothing else, you should be upset as this will also probably effect the Farscape webby stuff

Originally Posted by ChaosFish

What? Where? When? etc? What's webisodes?

Very short pieces connected to the Lost universe.
Havnt seen any myself, they were original intended for some mobile-phone distribution deal, but it was delayed and delayed ect.

Youd have to google for more info, I just know they will be here soon, if not already.

[SebZ]

Lantis is all scripted then all filmed and then finally edited (iirc)... That's why there was a leaked copy of ep. 4 on the iTunes store instead of it being ep. 1.
That was a funny day!

[Battler]

So you say there will no TV worth talking about? Well, I think there will be. Just take a look at all the Japanese shows, and the Italian ones as well, and let's not even mention the British shows, which are among the best ever. Actually, I think this will do some good to all the non-U.S. TV stations, since this will force them to actually air some non-U.S. stuff. But that's just my opinion.

[Bomba!]

ABC decided to air lost 8 episodes as planned (december) whilst promising that the end of the 8th episode is a huge cliffhanger.
this season will have 16 episodes, so we get half now and half later.

[Darkflame]

Predictable, but the first headlines are coming in...

Strike Could Bring Big Brother Back Early

http://tv.ign.com/articles/834/834428p1.html

-sigh-

========

This is a nice quote from a Lost writer;

Turning back to his own show, Cuse noted "Lost is a great example of how new media has changed. Lost is a show which is a top ten show, but it doesn't repeat on network television. There are no network reruns. People watch it on DVDs, they watch it on their DVRs, they watch it streaming on ABC.com or they download it from iTunes. And none of those formats pay traditional residuals."

- http://tv.ign.com/articles/833/833445p1.html

Sum's it up well really.

British shows, which are among the best ever

Not for the last decade
Well, save a few comadys.

Theres no replacement for serial drama's anyway. 6-eppisodes standard season and very little story arcs dosnt make british shows great for that stuf.
America produces a lot of rubbish, but recently this is one genra they have probably become best in the world at.
Thinking about it mind, its a bit polarised, as I cant think of another genra they are good at

[Homeless]

Originally Posted by SebZ

Lantis is all scripted then all filmed and then finally edited (iirc)... That's why there was a leaked copy of ep. 4 on the iTunes store instead of it being ep. 1.
That was a funny day!

Could you please tell me what isn't produced in that order? I can't for the life of me remember having heard of a series which have actually been edited before being filmed, or scripted after being filmed.

That's why what, exactly? If i understood correctly, you are claiming that the fact that Atlantis have a normal production cycle is the reason for this "leak".

The real reason for this unfortunate event were a simple misunderstanding between MGM and Apple, or something in that order. It was caused by the fact that the fourth episode had the production number 401. Meaning it was the first episode to be filmed. It was also the first episode to be edited/visual-effectilized, i.e. first episode to be finished - completely.

This has happened to quite a few other shows in the past. Fortunately enough, Doppelganger was really more of a 'filler', 'disaster of the week'-sort of thing.. or a label as such.

[AE_Zeitreise]

OBrasilo, you are right. In fact, non-American Television shows will start airing alot in 2008 because of this Strike. The Strike will end in 2009 with the Television Industry split in two with one Half remaining Mainstream while the other half will be more free.

[Darkflame]

? I can't for the life of me remember having heard of a series which have actually been edited before being filmed

This is only me being pedantic, but quite a few shows have "template" editing, where the edits are done on placeholders, and the latter shots put in.
They even reuse the templates from weeks to weeks to maintain a consistant feel.

Of course, however, this is mostly done with non-scripted documentarys and news casts ect. (where the times for each segment are more strictly known)

[Darkflame]

OBrasilo, you are right. In fact, non-American Television shows will start airing alot in 2008 because of this Strike. The Strike will end in 2009 with the Television Industry split in two with one Half remaining Mainstream while the other half will be more free.

What *really* needs to happen to make an impact is for a large number of americans to cancel their network/cable subscriptions for the next 6-months to a year.

As soon as all the major shows wind down, I wouldnt be at all supprised to see that happening.

====================

Babylon 5's creator JMS posted the following on the B5 newsgroup. JMS wrote:

Let me jump in here for a second to try and turn the discussion a bit,
in that the situation as it affects writers is vastly different than
in any other union.

First, to the non- or anti-union folks, a question: when you go into a
book store to buy a copy of a novel by your favorite author, do you
mind that roughly twelve percent of the price of that book goes to the
author? Or do you feel that he's entitled to that royalty?

Most folks, I would suggest, are totally okay with that idea. They
wrote the book, the publisher published the book, they're both
entitled to get something back from the publishing of it. That seems
only fair.

The situation with the WGA is really no different. It's a way of
ensuring that artists -- who live in a very different world than the
9-5 universe everybody else lives in -- receive some regular form of
compensation to keep them alive and solvent during the often very long
periods of time required to create the next thing.

Leaving off such catastrophic events as being laid off or fired...most
people go to work every day in expectation of a paycheck that will
come regularly. Writers don't. They get paid when they a) write, b)
finish what they write, and c) someone decides to *pay* for what
they've written.

It's not uncommon for writers to go a year, two years, even longer
without working in their chosen field. Doesn't matter who you are.
After William Goldman won his first Oscar, he didn't work again for
almost five years.

The royalties formula in books, and the residuals formula in tv/film,
is all that allows writers to keep doing what they're in the period
when they're *writing* and not *selling*. Take that away, and many of
the works of literature and film that we've come to enjoy would not
exist because the writers involved would not have been able to create
them, they would've been forced to go out and seek employment
elsewhere.

Prose writers have the authors' guild or SFWA or other organizations
that watchdog publishers and provide assistance and information on
royalties, contracts, health insurance and the like.

TV/film writers have the WGA, which is a much more complex
organization because the permutations and ways in which monies can be
hidden, and by which revenue streams are delivered, are all massively
more complex.

There was a time, back in the 30s and 40s, when writers got nothing
more than a script fee for their work, even though it might take a
year or more to write that script. And a lot of talented writers fell
by the wayside. The creation of the WGA changed that and brought into
par with the prose writers whose royalties you would seem to feel are
right and proper.

And those can't be negotiated person-by-person because the studios see
us as individually replaceable. Only collectively can there be any
impact.

I've had my problems with the WGA over the years, some of them have
become nearly legendary with the WGA. But if the WGA did not exist,
there would be no way for most writers to survive doing what they love
to do.

As to this coming labor action, when you go into the store next and
buy a DVD and a book, look at the two of them and know that the author
of the book gets a full twelve to fifteen percent of the price...and
the author of the DVD gets, *at most* four cents per DVD, and most of
the time literally and absolutely *nothing* for it...and ask yourself,
"Why the difference?"

That's the question at hand at the WGA as well.

jms

[SebZ]

Originally Posted by Homeless

Could you please tell me what isn't produced in that order? I can't for the life of me remember having heard of a series which have actually been edited before being filmed, or scripted after being filmed.

That's why what, exactly? If i understood correctly, you are claiming that the fact that Atlantis have a normal production cycle is the reason for this "leak".

The real reason for this unfortunate event were a simple misunderstanding between MGM and Apple, or something in that order. It was caused by the fact that the fourth episode had the production number 401. Meaning it was the first episode to be filmed. It was also the first episode to be edited/visual-effectilized, i.e. first episode to be finished - completely.

This has happened to quite a few other shows in the past. Fortunately enough, Doppelganger was really more of a 'filler', 'disaster of the week'-sort of thing.. or a label as such.

Well for example, Heros.
Write -> Filmed -> Edited -> Aired.
Write -> Filmed -> Edited -> Aired.
Write -> Filmed -> Edited -> Aired.
Write -> Filmed -> Edited -> Aired.
Write -> Filmed -> Edited -> Aired.

They start the writing fairly early but towards the end, the production catches up.

Atlantis on the other hand.
Write -> Write -> Write -> Write -> Write -> Write...
Filmed -> Edited | Filmed -> Edited | Filmed -> Edited | Filmed -> Edited...
They already finished the last script as the first one was being filmed.

[AE_Zeitreise]

Darkflame, that will happen in the Next year, as one of the Results of the Strike, for the exact Reasons you wrote.

SebZ, I noticed you called Yourself an unfortunate XP-User in your Signature. I can tell You that You can call Yourself very fortunate because Windows Vista will fail when the first Updates (Hotfixes) to Service Pack 1 are released, and it will fail worse than Windows Millennium Edition failed in the Year 2001.

[Darkflame]

Darkflame, that will happen in the Next year, as one of the Results of the Strike, for the exact Reasons you wrote.

Fantastic.

SebZ, I noticed you called Yourself an unfortunate XP-User in your Signature. I can tell You that You can call Yourself very fortunate because Windows Vista will fail when the first Updates (Hotfixes) to Service Pack 1 are released, and it will fail worse than Windows Millennium Edition failed in the Year 2001.

oh please, anyone can predict that