Time for more of these, starting with this message from Ed Coyote…
On basic principles, based on the YouTube video, I have no problems supporting the strike, or the writers' goals for fair compensation. That being said, I'm left with the impression that it was a strike at some point in the past that led to the residual payment plan in the first place, and with that having been established, the genie was let out of the bottle so to speak. If that first deal hadn't been cut, do you think some other compensation system would have been worked out? Or would the issue always come back to that, meaning more strikes along the way?
Beyond that, maybe you can help me with the math in the video. The original deal was for 2 1/2 cents on the dollar. Then there was the 80% reduction, which took it down to 1/2 cent on the dollar. Which means that the residual on a $19.99 CD works out to .09995 cents, which is damn close to a dime. I know it's not the only issue, but the math says you're doing better than the 8 cents you're looking for. Did I err? I mean, I must have, but I'm not seeing where based on the video.
Anyway, thanks for your time. I'm glad you're blog isn't covered by the WGA.
If it were, maybe I'd make a buck on it once in a while.
To your first question: I think that if the WGA hadn't established the principle of residuals when it did, it would have happened later, either because we fought for it then or another labor organization had set the precedent.
To your second: I think the math has been over-simplified a bit here for public consumption, and it omits a very important aspect of all this, which is that the way in which the DVD money is paid lends itself to what some people call Hollywood Accounting.
In its raw form, Hollywood Accounting is when you write the top-grossing movie of the year and your deal calls for you to receive 5% of the profits…only the studio forever claims that there are no profits. The film cost $50 million to make. It's taken in $500 million so far but around the same time, the studio decided they needed to spend a billion dollars to put up a couple of new office buildings…and of course, since people who'll work in those buildings work on the marketing of your film, that means the new buildings are an expense of your film and must be deducted before they get around the calculating profits, which means there aren't any.
Our DVD formula not only stinks but it's configured to allow for loopholes and number-juggling. The Producers can deduct some expenses before they pay you your teensy percentage. I don't know if it's still part of the WGA demands but at some point, one was going to be to clean up some of the language that lends itself to that kind of chicanery. Saying that we get four cents per DVD and want it upped to eight cents is not precise but it's close. The main stonewall in this area is that we think the number needs to be improved and the Producers are resisting the whole idea of ever raising it for any reason. They like how poorly all the unions (not just us) are paid and want to hold onto that for as long as possible.
Next, we have this from Janet Harriett…
Reports keep coming out of this show or that show "shutting down production." Does this mean the shows are effectively being cancelled, or will shows that have shut down come back with new episodes once the strike is over? I'm guessing some shows are fairly safe — Comedy Central isn't going to permanently boot The Daily Show — but could the strike jeopardize shows that were new this season, so they don't necessarily have a long track record with ratings or a lot of episodes to take them through an extended period of reruns?
Most shows will come back with new episodes whenever it seems possible to make them. "Shutting down" generally means they just can't film or tape them at the moment. However, networks would be cancelling some of these shows even if there was no WGA strike, so those shows probably won't come back. And I suppose the following is possible: A show is limping along with feeble ratings and the network is thinking of getting rid of it. If it shuts down because of the strike, that might seem like a good time to pull the trigger on it. They're certainly starting some new shows because of the strike. (A revival of American Gladiators hosted by Hulk Hogan? Wouldn't you have loved to have been in the meeting where they came up with that? I'll bet that meeting was more interesting that the show will be.)
And this last one is from Christopher Jones…
I watched the "Writers Strike: Why We Fight" video on your website, which ends with a statement urging the viewing to "Support the WGA."
OK, I'm sold (I was already). I'm thoroughly convinced that the WGA is fighting on the side of the angels. So what can I do to "support
the WGA." I live in a suburb of Minneapolis, not Hollywood, so I can't come out and join the picket lines. What else could I do? Is there a fund to help support striking writers? Would writing letters actually help apply pressure to the producers in any meaningful way? Where would these letters need to be sent?
I don't know about any fund. I would think the two main things would be to help send out the right message and to bitch mightily about the reruns and the hardships and your favorite scripted entertainment being replaced by a revival of American Gladiators hosted by Hulk Hogan. If you hear your friends moaning about those overpaid, stuck-up Hollywood Writers who don't know how good they have it, set them straight. More important, you have an Internet. Use it to voice your support of our cause and your rejection of all that Management Spin.
If your favorite show is in reruns, don't watch 'em. Call or write to your local station or to the network and tell them you're going away and may not be coming back. It's the same way you'd protest if they cancelled your favorite show, the same numbers and address. You ought to be able to get it off the network's website.
Really though, there's not much you can do except to help us remind everyone who the Good Guys are in this battle. The Producers control a lot of the media and it's tough to fight them in that arena. Right now, we're doing great but if this strike goes on for a time, the stories won't be about Julia Louis-Dreyfuss coming out to join the pickets. Some members will get scared and the stories will be about them and their fears and problems. In '88, we got hammered by a lot of inaccurate press coverage and there is the hope that with the Internet now in the equation, some of that can be countered. So it would be nice if you all helped keep the faith on the web.
That's all for now but I did want to repeat my disclaimer: I'm not an official of the Guild, just a longtime member. Anything I post on this site is just my opinion…which is worth about as much as anyone's. Or maybe a little less.