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Topic:
WGA writers' strike and the Star Wars TV series
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The2ndQuest
Title: :
-Games
-LACWAC
-Lit Mod of Death
Registered:
Jan '00
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Date Posted:
11/17/07 3:24pm
Subject:
RE: WGA writers' strike and the Star Wars TV series
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But they weren't always, and it's not just them in this- you just see/hear about them since they are more prominent than the others. The majority of writers affected here are the ones only selling a script or two a year- I recall reading somewhere that, due to how things work with scripts, pilots, production, etc, about 50% of the WGA is unemployed at any one time while between projects, which is where the residuals help keep them afloat.
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K'Kruhk, 140 ABY: "Why haven't I come forth earlier to share my Jedi knowledge with Skywalker?
Well, it's kinda a long story, see, I had this freaking sweet hat..."
"If I don't die, I don't feel like I'm getting my money's worth." - Drew_Atreides
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Robimus
Registered:
Jul '07
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Date Posted:
11/18/07 5:03am
Subject:
RE: WGA writers' strike and the Star Wars TV series
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The2ndQuest posted:
backdeskproductions posted:
About the strike... ontop of the enormous salaries for the writers which are about as much as doctors
Your assessment is in error- the majority of writers do not receive enormous salaries. They might sell one or two scripts a year at most, and the money from those sales is likely just enough to get by on in those cities.
Their Salaries are available on the WGA website. Most of them probably aren't doing that poorly from the salary breakdown. They do deserve credit/payment for all the work they do including things done exclusivly for the internet but unless they are the owners of a property I don't believe they should get a cut everytime a DVD is sold -unless they negotiate that in a contract ahead of time.
These people are kind of living a dream as far as I'm concerned, and if they aren't talented enough to make a living off writing they may need to go out and get a real job. They are hoping to win the lottery by selling a script, and thats fine. The talented writers will make a living just like the talented actors will. This strike reminds me of a pro-sports strike. Watching millionaires walking around with signs. If they do gain benefits from this strike I think most of that money will be going into the pockets of those writers who are already established, not the starving guy just barely eeking out a living.
Good luck to the WGA members.
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I am forever seeking the damutek of Hooley Krekk
Oh, woe! Oh, misery! Oh, unhappiness. Hooley Krekk where are you?
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The2ndQuest
Title: :
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Registered:
Jan '00
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Date Posted:
11/18/07 8:28am
Subject:
RE: WGA writers' strike and the Star Wars TV series
- Date Edited:
11/18/07 4:49pm (2 edits total)
Edited By:
The2ndQuest
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Robimus posted:
...but unless they are the owners of a property I don't believe they should get a cut everytime a DVD is sold -unless they negotiate that in a contract ahead of time.
These people are kind of living a dream as far as I'm concerned, and if they aren't talented enough to make a living off writing they may need to go out and get a real job. They are hoping to win the lottery by selling a script, and thats fine. The talented writers will make a living just like the talented actors will.
Residuals are what generally makes being a writer/actor/whatever viable (again, outside the big stars of a particular field), otherwise they probably wouldn't be able to do what they do at all (it can take weeks or even months to finish a good screenplay)- and even the big timers had to survive the small time for the most part at some point. Talent doesn't equate to big or steady paychecks, since so many other people and factors contribute to a project's success or not. The bottomline is that this is how many artistic fields like this work, or you risk eliminating a good number of talented artists and their creations to the wayside.
And as for "negotiate that in a contract ahead of time", that's what they're trying to do now- the last contract they signed was before the home video market was truely established (and in fact, I believe they cut back their requests due to that back then, with the understanding that it would be revised in the future, which it never was), let alone the explosion of DVD changing that market completely.
Also, I believe the writer's DO own the scripts they write (they have separated rights to resell a script in other mediums if the studio chooses not to). So for example, the script from a film can be resold by the writer to another studio for use on TV after a period of time, or he can resell the script in book format.
-----signature-----
K'Kruhk, 140 ABY: "Why haven't I come forth earlier to share my Jedi knowledge with Skywalker?
Well, it's kinda a long story, see, I had this freaking sweet hat..."
"If I don't die, I don't feel like I'm getting my money's worth." - Drew_Atreides
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backdeskproductions
Registered:
Aug '07
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Date Posted:
11/18/07 2:25pm
Subject:
RE: WGA writers' strike and the Star Wars TV series
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Robimus posted:
The2ndQuest posted:
backdeskproductions posted:
About the strike... ontop of the enormous salaries for the writers which are about as much as doctors
Your assessment is in error- the majority of writers do not receive enormous salaries. They might sell one or two scripts a year at most, and the money from those sales is likely just enough to get by on in those cities.
Their Salaries are available on the WGA website. Most of them probably aren't doing that poorly from the salary breakdown. They do deserve credit/payment for all the work they do including things done exclusivly for the internet but unless they are the owners of a property I don't believe they should get a cut everytime a DVD is sold -unless they negotiate that in a contract ahead of time.
These people are kind of living a dream as far as I'm concerned, and if they aren't talented enough to make a living off writing they may need to go out and get a real job. They are hoping to win the lottery by selling a script, and thats fine. The talented writers will make a living just like the talented actors will. This strike reminds me of a pro-sports strike. Watching millionaires walking around with signs. If they do gain benefits from this strike I think most of that money will be going into the pockets of those writers who are already established, not the starving guy just barely eeking out a living.
Good luck to the WGA members.
I agree with you. If you're selling a script and making a success, you really shouldn't throw a fit. They are living a dream.
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I now have surround sound capabilities!
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-Jon C. Maxwell
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G-FETT
Registered:
Aug '01
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Date Posted:
11/26/07 11:40am
Subject:
RE: WGA writers' strike and the Star Wars TV series
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Is there any way of finding out which shows are being effected by the strike? It'd be interesting to know whether the SW Series are being held up in this or not? LFL don't seem to want to say anything?
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I felt a great disturbance in the force. As if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror. Then were suddenly silenced.
The Saga returns; August 15th 2008.
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The2ndQuest
Title: :
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Registered:
Jan '00
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Date Posted:
11/27/07 2:12pm
Subject:
RE: WGA writers' strike and the Star Wars TV series
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I don't believe they are affected, especially since they're courting many overseas writers who wouldn't be WGA members. Likewise, I believe animated show writers are excluded as well.
Pretty much every scripted drama or comedy is affected in terms of incomplete seasons, though there are a couple exceptions like Stargate Atlantis whose production is Canadian and thus their writers are under Canadian writer unions.
-----signature-----
K'Kruhk, 140 ABY: "Why haven't I come forth earlier to share my Jedi knowledge with Skywalker?
Well, it's kinda a long story, see, I had this freaking sweet hat..."
"If I don't die, I don't feel like I'm getting my money's worth." - Drew_Atreides
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LawgSkrak
Registered:
Apr '99
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Date Posted:
12/16/07 7:23am
Subject:
RE: WGA writers' strike and the Star Wars TV series
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^^ Smallville is filmed in Vancouver and it's been affected by the strike.
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Lieutenant Colonal LawgSkrak
formerly Black 4 of the original Black Squadron
EUDF Reserve Member
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The2ndQuest
Title: :
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Registered:
Jan '00
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Date Posted:
12/16/07 9:11am
Subject:
RE: WGA writers' strike and the Star Wars TV series
- Date Edited:
12/16/07 9:12am (1 edits total)
Edited By:
The2ndQuest
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However, it's an American production just being filmed there.
-----signature-----
K'Kruhk, 140 ABY: "Why haven't I come forth earlier to share my Jedi knowledge with Skywalker?
Well, it's kinda a long story, see, I had this freaking sweet hat..."
"If I don't die, I don't feel like I'm getting my money's worth." - Drew_Atreides
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G-FETT
Registered:
Aug '01
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Date Posted:
12/18/07 2:59pm
Subject:
RE: WGA writers' strike and the Star Wars TV series
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Is the strike still going on? Why can't they come to an agreement?
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I felt a great disturbance in the force. As if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror. Then were suddenly silenced.
The Saga returns; August 15th 2008.
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The2ndQuest
Title: :
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Registered:
Jan '00
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Date Posted:
12/18/07 5:05pm
Subject:
RE: WGA writers' strike and the Star Wars TV series
- Date Edited:
12/18/07 5:06pm (1 edits total)
Edited By:
The2ndQuest
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Because the studios won't budge, keep walking away from talks after trying to deliver ultimatums, etc. They want to try to fracture the guild like they did during the last strike but it's not working, plus the DGA and SAG are backing the WGA and some studios want to deal with all three contracts at once. Ironically, it seems the WGA might be able to fracture the studio alliance due to studio competitive reasons (see below) and the WGA's ability to negotiate with studios on an individual basis if the studio elects to do so (however, none of the big wigs want to be the one kicked out of the boys club, so to speak).
Some studios want the strike to continue because it puts them at an advantage over their "allies". WB, for example, want it to go on because CBS is harmed by their heavy amount of scripted content, which puts WB in a better position to buy out CBS if and when the CW network fails. Other studios are more film-focused so they can last out the strike, and others are owned by diversified parent companies that can take the financial loss. Some, like MGM, would probably like to settle but are outweighed by the bigger entities.
But basicly, the studios want to recreate the situation that happened 20 years ago with the home video market- by giving the writers a bad deal on the then-emerging home video market, they eventually reaped massive benefits from the DVD market 10 years later. They want to do the same thing now with new media.
-----signature-----
K'Kruhk, 140 ABY: "Why haven't I come forth earlier to share my Jedi knowledge with Skywalker?
Well, it's kinda a long story, see, I had this freaking sweet hat..."
"If I don't die, I don't feel like I'm getting my money's worth." - Drew_Atreides
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Blackfryar
Registered:
Aug '07
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Date Posted:
12/19/07 12:16am
Subject:
RE: WGA writers' strike and the Star Wars TV series
- Date Edited:
12/19/07 8:30am (1 edits total)
Edited By:
The2ndQuest
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apparently the academy awards is already pretty much frelled up. it has no writer and many invited actors threaten to watch it on TV.
ommiting a letter doesn't make it ok
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The2ndQuest
Title: :
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Registered:
Jan '00
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Date Posted:
12/19/07 8:31am
Subject:
RE: WGA writers' strike and the Star Wars TV series
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Well the Golden Globes will be affected first since the WGA declined their request for a waiver. Supposedly winners who don't wish to cross the picket line will be allowed to accept their awards outside on the street.
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K'Kruhk, 140 ABY: "Why haven't I come forth earlier to share my Jedi knowledge with Skywalker?
Well, it's kinda a long story, see, I had this freaking sweet hat..."
"If I don't die, I don't feel like I'm getting my money's worth." - Drew_Atreides
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