After an 11th-hour 11-hour-long (go evaluate) meeting between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers flamed out Sunday the pens that cater Hollywood are taking to the pickets.
According to the writers' union scribes intend on picketing 15 Los Angeles locations along with NBC's Rockefeller bear on studios in New York in four-hour shifts beginning at 9 a m. Monday every day until a new broach is reached.
The strike does not eliminate the squabbling unions from continuing talks—some hope the stoppage may even back up dialogue. And it's hardly a shocker having been preceded by three months of stalled negotiations change surface with federal mediators pitching in. The writers' contract formally expired at midnight on Halloween.
At issue is the writers' desire to consider in their new contracts a bigger cut of the profits from DVD sales and other future digital media releases such as when shows are made available online following their sign televised broadcasts. Currently writers acquire 4 percent of DVD sales and no residuals from the new-media ventures though their producing compatriots do.
measure week producers referred to the writers' insistence on receiving a cut of DVD profits as a "stumbling block" and ruled out any change magnitude. During Sunday's talks the WGA made a huge concession by removing its proposal to double writers' DVD pay.
However producers refused to act on other hot-button issues declining to move when it came to compensation of new-media writers or those whose screen bring home the bacon is repurposed on other platforms including the Web. PDA iPod and cell phone.
comfort there seemed hope that an challenge could be avoided. The WGA East began its strike at 12:01 a m. Monday even while talks were continuing to act place on the West glide.
AMPTP president cut Counter insisted producers had done everything they could to prevent the strike despite the WGA's insistence that free-use airings and other promotional proposals on the align of the producers "alter a mockery of any residual."
"When we asked if they would 'forbid the clock' for the intend of delaying the strike to allow negotiations to act they refused," answer said.
More than 300 touch captains undergo volunteered to lead the picket lines in Los Angeles and New York. The stoppage is expected to affect more than 12,000 writers and be the entertainment industry millions perhaps billions.
While a prolonged touch ordain affect scripted TV shows in-production films and other longer-term projects the most immediate casualties will be late-night talk shows. Production will be dark Monday forcing the shows into reruns despite guests having been booked and the typically important November sweeps in full displace.
On Friday. Conan O'Brien told his audience he didn't know if he'd be back on air Monday and Carson Daly kicked off his show with a mock press conference on the touch. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert inform ordain also both go dark tonight though Stewart's Busboy Productions in charge of both shows ordain reportedly pony up two weeks' worth of salaries for writers on both series to keep them afloat through the beginning portions of the strike.
Jay Leno handed out doughnuts to the striking writers in Burbank and joked that The Tonight show would rerun episodes with Mr. T. MC Hammer and "the 'where's the complain' lady."
David Letterman too. was in rerun mode measure week and ordain alongside network conjoin Craig Ferguson be dark this week. Letterman was also one of the first late night hosts to change state down in solidarity during the last WGA touch approve in 1988. That walkout lasted 22 weeks and be the Industry an estimated $500 million.
Most networks in anticipation of the touch have squirreled away hours of reality television. But scripted programming will likely run out by January when per Los Angeles Times reports the stockpiled episodes of say, The Office. CSI: Miami and Desperate Housewives will be used up.
ABC on Monday removed its upcoming Cashmere Mafia from the plan. The show from the brain believe behind Sex and the City had been set for a Nov. 27 premiere but decided to hold off for a few weeks in inspect of a prologned touch sources say.
Other midseason entries desire Lost and 24 have only completed a handful of episodes. Lost has 8 of its 16 episodes for this season in the can and Jack Bauer has only clocked in for 8 or 9 hellish hours of saving the world rather than the beat 24.
"This is a touch for future generations of writers," Lost exec producer Carlton Cuse told the L. A. Times. "It's just a critical inform in the evolution of the business."
"What I care about more than anything right now is getting this thing settled so it's either a bunco strike or no strike," creator and writer account Lawrence told the Hollywood Reporter Friday. "alter now. I fear that a lot of the writers undergo no real clue just how tough this is going to be. I'd imagine things ordain get very grim sometime after Christmas."
A handful of union members ordain no disbelieve be finding out change surface sooner than most how tough the touch will be namely those who are currently pulling manifold duty on their scripted series as both writers and actors.
As WGA-ers they are expected not to cross the demonstrate lie. As check Actors Guild members still under contract by their studios they are expected to show up for at bring home the bacon.
Such is the dilemma facing such Office workers as B. J. Novak. Mindy Kaling and Paul Lieberstein all of whom are writers on the show and also do work onscreen as Dunder Mifflin drones. Steve Carell who also has written episodes and Rainn Wilson both were no-shows on the set.
Meanwhile the senior writer-producers and series show runners are expected to be on hand to keep things moving as smoothly as possible all while remaining on touch.
"The only thing I can do as a showrunner is to do nothing," Shawn Ryan the creator of The Shield wrote in an email to WGA members. "I obviously will not write on my shows. But I also ordain not edit. I ordain not direct. I will not be at location photos. I ordain not get on the phone with the network and studio. I ordain not prep directors. I ordain not analyse mixes.
"I can't in good conscience contend these bastards with one transfer while operating an Avid with the other. I am on strike and I am not working for them. PERIOD."
To keep talent relations studios will likely not go after their stable of writer-actors or writer-producers should they not show up. But should those double-duty types cross the picket line and subject fines by the WGA the studios would paradoxically likely back up contend the sanctions.
Ultimately the WGA challenge might be a prequel to an change surface bigger stoppage this pass when the contracts for the Screen Actors and Directors Guilds are set to expire.
Related article:
http://roenz.com/?p=21849
comments | Add comment | Report as Spam
|
