TV will turn into a warzone, and fast.

[eternity]

ABC is bringing back Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, and all the networks are going to have to start doing a lot more reality shows, since in the next two months, many shows will run out of scripts for new episodes, and be sent into repeats. Leno, Conan, Stewart, Colbert and others are starting repeats immediately, and TV will be in shambles as early as Monday. If the strike goes on long enough, Heroes is going to have it's finale in December, and many shows will kick the bucket in the next few months, since once the strike is over, their ratings will be abysmally low.

[MadMan]

Stupid writers. I bet they're a bunch of dirty commies. Or not really. Bah. Don't they realize they'll be harming the viewer? Don't they care about us getting good TV?

[eternity]

They care more about money than they do about us. It does my heart good though that some of the highest rated (and shittiest) shows could turn a complete 180, and some god but unwatched shows that happened to write a lot of scripts beforehand may find a very large audience.

[Kurosawa Fan]

The writers care more about money than they do about us? You're joking right? They don't see any royalties from DVD sales. You think that's okay? That the creators of these episodes you love so much should receive nothing in return for their creations? I don't like this strike, nor what it's going to do to television, any more than anyone else, but to post a flippant comment like that is ridiculous. They deserve to be paid, just like the actors/directors/producers of these shows. They are just as important.

[Ezee E]

The writers care more about money than they do about us? You're joking right? They don't see any royalties from DVD sales. You think that's okay? That the creators of these episodes you love so much should receive nothing in return for their creations? I don't like this strike, nor what it's going to do to television, any more than anyone else, but to post a flippant comment like that is ridiculous. They deserve to be paid, just like the actors/directors/producers of these shows. They are just as important.

I was assuming that eternity was joking. If not... Um...

[Kurosawa Fan]

I was assuming that eternity was joking. If not... Um...

It didn't seem like it. If he was, my sincere apologies. It didn't come across as a joke, even if I reread what he posted thinking it's a joke.

[eternity]

I was being sasrcastic. But meanwhile, there's an obvious truth to that. They deserve more money, and they are going to get it by force. Though in the long run, the viewer is the one who suffers.

[Kurosawa Fan]

I was being sasrcastic. But meanwhile, there's an obvious truth to that. They deserve more money, and they are going to get it by force. Though in the long run, the viewer is the one who suffers.

Again, my apologies. It didn't read like sarcasm, but that's one of the problems with message boards.

Anyway, I agree that the viewer will suffer, but I'm not sure they'll suffer more than the writers. And I'm not talking about the big names, but the small writers who don't get work for most of the year. They are the ones who have been suffering by getting stiffed this whole time. You and I are going to suffer through reruns. That's small fry compared to not getting paid 9 out of 12 months of the year. They aren't all millionaires.

[rocus]

And don't just assume there will be a huge influx of reality shows. I hate to break it to you, but they are scripted much more than you would think.

[MadMan]

Okay I'll admit my comment was overly harsh and unfair to writers as well. I know they often get screwed too, but it almost seems like they're screwing the viewer as well while also getting screwed. There seems to be a lot of screwing going around these days.

[eternity]

And don't just assume there will be a huge influx of reality shows. I hate to break it to you, but they are scripted much more than you would think.

They're basically just scripted shows, but you don't actually read writers to write it.

They're basically written by the recurring stars of Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?

[Mysterious Dude]

Whatever job you have, ask yourself if you care about helping your customers more than the money you make.

[megladon8]

I hate that Canadian writers are pulling a "sympathy strike".

That means that there's lots of work out there for me, with great pay, but it's all basically mercenary work.

If I got a job to write 2 episodes of a cartoon, let's say, once that job was done, I'd probably never get a job again in the US OR Canada, because the unions hate "scabs" so much.

This is such a stupid situation.

[Ezee E]

If the writers get their way, we'll win in the long run, because writers will be more committed to sticking with a project, instead of leaving early. It'll suck for a year or so, maybe longer if things aren't quickly resolved.

[Sycophant]

Let's just hope this is resolved quickly. The studios would be silly to protract this much longer.

They're kinda trying to figure out how things are going to work with future DGA and SAG negotiations (next year), right?

[number8]

Yeah. The Teamsters are backing them, too. Can you imagine if the DGA and SAG strike was simultaneous with this?

My screenwriting teacher talked about the strike at length recently and gave me an insider's viewpoint. He mentioned something I hadn't thought of before. Los Angeles will be fucking dead in the next year. This isn't just writers stopping work. Productions are getting shut down, and that means thousands of people are out of jobs. Cooks, caterers, painters, carpenters, electricians, seamstresses... All of them will be unemployed.

Oh, and meg, I don't know how it works in Canada, but here, you do not want to mess with the WGA, especially if you're a new writer. Anyone who tries to come in and do the jobs while the writers are on strike will be basically committing career suicide.

[Mysterious Dude]

I don't think the long-term ramifications will be catastrophic. There was a writers' strike in 1988, and Hollywood seemed to recover pretty well.

[Mysterious Dude]

Although that strike lasted five months. I'm not sure I can go that long without The Daily Show.

[megladon8]

Yeah. The Teamsters are backing them, too. Can you imagine if the DGA and SAG strike was simultaneous with this?

My screenwriting teacher talked about the strike at length recently and gave me an insider's viewpoint. He mentioned something I hadn't thought of before. Los Angeles will be fucking dead in the next year. This isn't just writers stopping work. Productions are getting shut down, and that means thousands of people are out of jobs. Cooks, caterers, painters, carpenters, electricians, seamstresses... All of them will be unemployed.

Oh, and meg, I don't know how it works in Canada, but here, you do not want to mess with the WGA, especially if you're a new writer. Anyone who tries to come in and do the jobs while the writers are on strike will be basically committing career suicide.

Yes, that's what my teacher was saying.

I think I'll just stick with being unemployed in the field for a while longer.

[eternity]

This really sucks for the aspiring writers though, if any of them get work, their careers are screwed, and yet if they don't, then when the strike is over, they're screwed anyway.

[Ezee E]

Yeah, you definitely can't try and do television, studio projects. But I think if you come out with a great indie project, you have a chance. But I don't know. The line between indie and studio seems to have disappeared now.

[DSNT]

Hopefully the studios will realize they are in the wrong and concede before this gets out of hand (not holding my breath).

If this is a long-lasting strike, I think we could see a wave of foreign film imports and indies getting more play in mainstream theaters. That would be the only good thing that comes out of this.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Hopefully the studios will realize they are in the wrong and concede before this gets out of hand (not holding my breath).

If this is a long-lasting strike, I think we could see a wave of foreign film imports and indies getting more play in mainstream theaters. That would be the only good thing that comes out of this.

That would be a nice change for me, since I very rarely see those films come to my area.

[lovejuice]

Whatever job you have, ask yourself if you care about helping your customers more than the money you make.

i'm not sure i agree with you wholeheartedly. i always think the difference between professionals and amateurs are hobbyists perfectize their craft, while profesionals do whatever it takes to get them paid. no more. no less. i have equal admiration for both, to be honest.

[number8]

I think you have it backwards. Or at least, they're interchangeable.

A lot of paid professionals enjoy enough from their last movie's income that they can take the time to write something good for the next year, while mostly it's the aspiring writers that will write anything to get paid.