Actors, Writers And Directors on Strike??

[William A Chapman Jr]

EW just wrote an artical stating that Actors, Writers and Directors unions are planing on striking if they don't get more money for DVD and merchendise. Of course the studios are saying they can't aford to give them more money. It stated that they will meet in July some time. If they end up getting more money shouldn't cinematographers and editors get more as well?

[Chris Keth]

If they end up getting more money shouldn't cinematographers and editors get more as well?

 

Well if editors and cinematographers get more, why not the whole crew? They often need it more than above the line people. Unfortunately, that's just not how things work.

[William A Chapman Jr]

Well if editors and cinematographers get more, why not the whole crew? They often need it more than above the line people. Unfortunately, that's just not how things work.

 

I agree, if they all get more money we'll have $75.00 movie tickets and $200.00 DVD's. Whats concedered "above the line" ?

[Robert Glenn]

hmm if this is true then a brief stint in LA might be a good idea to get some work as studios rush to clear the strike date

[Nate Downes]

Time to send in my resume to every studio, with the flag "not in union"... j/k

 

I do agree with the unions in how they're being handled on DVD, don't know enough about the other.

[William A Chapman Jr]

http://reclaimthemedia.org/labor_rights/ho...ockpile_sh=5233

 

i could not find the artical online but I found another that talks about the possible strike.

[Brad Grimmett]

The WGA contract is up first. The DGA and SAG contracts aren't up until next year I don't believe. But I've heard that the WGA doesn't plan on shutting anything down until after the holidays....but that's just hearsay.

[Guest]

I'll be a scab for $5000.00 a day :D

 

R,

[Matt Pacini]

I think that every film where an actor gets more than 10 million, that actor should have to split 10% of their pay with the crew after the film wraps.

Make it tax deductible if you'd like, but it would be nice to do, wouldn't it? I can't imagine them legitimately being able to complain about it. $10 mil for 3-6 months of ANY kind of work is certainly sufficient wages.

[rik carter]

But the business end of show business isn't about being fair - it's about business. When the general movie going public stops asking, "Who's in it?" and starts going to movies based on who shot it then the pay scale will change.

 

I'm a WGA member (as well as 2 IA locals) so I'm a union guy. I agree we all should get a little more of the pie, but since it's the actors (and not any of us) who get the butts in the seats then I have no problem with what ever the studio agrees to pay them.

[William A Chapman Jr]

From what I gather the writers big beef is reality Tv shows, Since its unscripted the writers are losing jobs so they want more money for the jobs they do get.

[Brad Grimmett]

I think that every film where an actor gets more than 10 million, that actor should have to split 10% of their pay with the crew after the film wraps.

Don't hold your breath. Although I did hear that Keanu Reeves shared a bunch of his back end money from The Matrix with the effects crew that worked on the movie.

[Guest]

If the movie bombs should the crew have to give back part of their wages?

 

How can you have it one way, and not the other?

 

R,

[Andy_Alderslade]

Wait a minute....... How can writers go on strike?

 

They work alone and unsupervised, calling a strike for day isn't really going to be noticed by anyone, is it?

[John Sprung]

Wait a minute....... How can writers go on strike?

 

They work alone and unsupervised, calling a strike for day isn't really going to be noticed by anyone, is it?

They can put their finished pages in a drawer at home instead of turning them in. They might not stop thinking, but they can stop delivering.

 

 

 

-- J.S.

[Josh Brokenbourgh]

But the business end of show business isn't about being fair - it's about business. When the general movie going public stops asking, "Who's in it?" and starts going to movies based on who shot it then the pay scale will change.

 

I'm a WGA member (as well as 2 IA locals) so I'm a union guy. I agree we all should get a little more of the pie, but since it's the actors (and not any of us) who get the butts in the seats then I have no problem with what ever the studio agrees to pay them.

 

I agree with you on it being business Rik. Everybody in medium/big budgets rely on names and faces for sales. I also agree w/William with the issue of inflation has always been present, and will be for a long time.

 

But on the same note the people going on strike are simply frustrated or pressured by unions then right? Many do live in L.A. where cost of living is insane but - if your making enough to survive and maybe have the means to shoot your own stuff- then other alternatives need to be explored.

 

I personally have no union experience, but if the union majority rules to strike then what? You hang out at home and do what? Are they going to stand in front of theaters? Most of the general public could care less, they just want to see movies.

 

I am willing to bet the politics on this are insane and unfair too. There are people that have waited years just to work low level studio jobs that have the talent and the knowledge to make great looking film. Do you think Joe Schmoe is going to care if "Mr. So in So" doesn't have an acronym after his name? It's not heart surgery, normal people don't know... Haha :P

 

Yes, business is business. But soon enough media will inflate too far and the big fall hard. I don't want it to - I look forward to experiencing the big if given the chance. Finally what about just doing what you love and not paying attention to all of it...

[rik carter]

Many writers aren't in the business to make enough to survive and maybe have money to shoot their own stuff. Most writers (maybe most - I'm not sure) are writers who want to earn a living writing and get a piece of the action when a movie (or TV show) they wrote does really well on DVD. We also want to be paid well and keep benefits while working on reality shows - a growing market.

 

Yes. If the union votes to strike then even those who voted against it go out.

 

No. We won't strike the theaters. The conflict isn't with the theater owners. We will walk the studios. The strike isn't to get the general public to understand what we do, it will be to force the signatory studios to give us what we want. A strike is no fun and it doesn't do either side any good.

Finally what about just doing what you love and not paying attention to all of it...

This only goes so far. You still need to earn a living. You can do what you love and not pay any attention to all of it as long as you are earning a living doing something else.

[Brad Grimmett]

Wait a minute....... How can writers go on strike?

 

They work alone and unsupervised, calling a strike for day isn't really going to be noticed by anyone, is it?

They do? Then what are all those writers doing in the "writer's room" of all of the TV shows that are on the air? And why are all of those writers working in offices on studio lots while the film they're writing is in pre-production?

It seems to me there is a bit of a misunderstanding of writers (and how they work) out there.

[Brad Grimmett]

PS: The irony of a writers strike is that it may lead to more reality programming and not less.

True, but that's not really a bad thing for the writers. Nobody makes any money in syndication from reality shows, including studios, so the studios don't want to have to deal with that as much as the writers don't. I personally don't think there will be a strike. I think they'll work something out pretty quickly once they go into negotiations. But what the hell do I know? I'm just a below the line monkey.

[Andy_Alderslade]

They do? Then what are all those writers doing in the "writer's room" of all of the TV shows that are on the air? And why are all of those writers working in offices on studio lots while the film they're writing is in pre-production?

It seems to me there is a bit of a misunderstanding of writers (and how they work) out there.

 

Writers rooms, studio lots, what are these strange words... I'd like to check with someone a bit odler than me but these things don't really exist here in the UK.

 

Unfortunatly a great deal of UK films and tv writing is produced by a very small pocket of people - who tend to be at least 60+.

 

Of course having the surname Davies tends to help.

[Josh Brokenbourgh]

Regarding doing what you love:

 

This only goes so far. You still need to earn a living. You can do what you love and not pay any attention to all of it as long as you are earning a living doing something else.

 

Sounds like a great story.

[David Fitch]

From what I've read, the WGA contract with the AMPTP expires on October 31, 2007. The DGA and SAG contracts don't expire until June 2008, so the thinking is that WGA would reserve a strike until June 2008 so that all three unions would go on strike simultaneously.

 

Evidently, the major gripe among the three unions is the handling of royalties from "new media" distribution, such as the Internet and DVD. Consider this a "for what it's worth..." argument from a non-union guy, but are these grounds really justified, let alone enough justification for a strike? If union pay scales deliver a fair wage for services rendered...and that has been a major selling point for unions in the entertainment industry...then what's the gripe? I tend to look at it this way. Does a plumber get a royalty every time someone uses a fixture which he installed? Does an auto worker get a royalty every time someone uses a car which he built? Of course not. As has been mentioned previously in this thread, business is business, and like it or not, someone or some business is always going to get a bigger slice of the pie than everyone else -- that's Capitalism 101. Maybe I'm comparing apples to oranges here, but in my opinion, the unions are the greedy ones in this scenario.

[David Mullen ASC]

At least for the actors, many of whom do not make much money unless they are at the top, residuals can be the only source of income for the many months (or years) or low employment or unemployment.

 

Most people in the industry work freelance, so what seems like a hefty salary can be deceiving because of long periods of unemployment that can happen between jobs.

 

So the notion that these freelance people who are struggling in general to maintain a middleclass lifestyle are the "greedy" ones compared to mega corporations like Sony, Fox, Time-Warner... Well, excuse me for not being worried about whether Rupurt Murdoch can afford to buy another TV station or another yacht.

[Brad Grimmett]

Maybe I'm comparing apples to oranges here, but in my opinion, the unions are the greedy ones in this scenario.

You're right, the unions want their members to be paid fairly for their work, which is a very small percentage of profits, and the studios want every single cent of profit from anything they're ever involved in....those damn greedy unions!

 

Whether there is a strike or not it's becoming apparent that the business is going to slow next year no matter what. Many TV shows are shooting multiple episodes at once right now and production is being pushed ahead quickly on many projects to beat the strike. This means that even without a strike things are going to be slow at the beginning of next year at the very least. So, strike or not, we're all probably going to feel the effects.

[Guest]

Did any one else see the CBS News story tonight on movies being shot in China?

 

The cost for labour and sets are a 1/10th of what they cost in North America. And guess what, no teamster boss standing around with a stop watch. Could very much be a sign of thigs to come.

 

I wonder what it costs to rent a camera and light package in China? Probably a lot less than Toronto or LA. Imagine how little extras cost for giant crowd scenes?

 

Now that the Canadian dollar is the most valuable currency in all of North and South America, even Canadian productions are packing up for China! The movie featured in the CBS news piece was a Canadian movie, even though they kept refering to it as "American."

 

Heck I'm going to look into shooting my next movie there.

 

The only advantage to the collapse of the US dollar here in Canada is that Panavision Canada charges in US dollars, well they must be kicking themselves now.

 

R,