According to an article from CBS News yesterday, there is some optimism surrounding the writer’s strike. The Writer’s Guild and studios have resumed talks, and many are hopeful the strike will end before the Oscars roll around. If not, the industry could be facing a possible “nightmare scenario,” according to entertainment attorney Jonathan Handel, as the actor’s contract is expiring soon, and no one wants to think about the additional billions of dollars that could be lost if they strike as well.
A compromise has been reached on some issues: the writers are no longer demanding jurisdiction over reality shows and animation, and the studios have agreed to double the fees when movies or television shows are bought online, a positive sign for the writers in settling the main issue over how much they should make when their work is downloaded from the Internet.
I’ll admit I haven’t really followed this story closely throughout its lengthy process, so I don’t have a strong opinion. I’m curious to know what others think about this issue. Are the studios undervaluing their writers? Are the writers demanding too much? What, in your opinion, would be a reasonable compromise? How do you think it will affect television in the long term?
John August, a well-known screenwriter in Hollywood (“Charlie’s Angels,” “Big Fish,”) maintains a regular blog. Back in the fall he wrote an article laying out the reasons why the writers are on strike. It’s very informative and gets to the heart of the issue in layman’s terms.
I’ll have to check it out. Thanks.