Official WGA Writers Strike thread.

[Khaos4k]

Just thought I should point out that this clip is actually pretty funny. Writers from the Daily Show putting on a super low budget production explaining the strike.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzRHlpEmr0w

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[Fabian]

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Just thought I should point out that this clip is actually pretty funny. Writers from the Daily Show putting on a super low budget production explaining the strike.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzRHlpEmr0w

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More links like these please.

[DeuceKicker]

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Thanks, I had a feeling there had to be some organized system. So generally are you saying that when a show calls up to ask permission to use a company's name, no money changes hands?

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[CharlieDontSurf]

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I do think that it is a good point that of everyone, the behind the scenes assistants and set people are getting most screwed by this.

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That the nature of the beast. Don't work out here if you can't handle it.

[Nicholasp27]

when corporations merge, many times some workers get screwed by it in the 'downsizing'

when there is a drought in Atlanta right now, many landscapers and other employees get screwed by it

etc etc

[XXXNoahXXX]

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I do think that it is a good point that of everyone, the behind the scenes assistants and set people are getting most screwed by this.

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That the nature of the beast. Don't work out here if you can't handle it.

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Agreed. I don't think its reason to hold off on a strike, still sucks.

Also,

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzRHlpEmr0w

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This clip, the same one quoted above, is hilarious.

[KneeCo]

The parties have agreed to meet after the holiday weekend, though its a step in the right direction it might not mean all that much,
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When they meet the Monday after Thanksgiving, the two sides may be able to build on progress that was made in the talks that ended Nov. 4, the first day of serious negotiations. Writers had agreed to drop their demand for doubling DVD pay, while studios had for the first time offered a proposal for paying writers for the streaming of shows online, though they sharply disagreed on terms.

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Also, the strike is starting to hit the wallet of a lot of actors as well:
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At least one studio, Universal Media Studios, has already informed regular cast members on several of its series, including "The Office", that it's suspending their contracts. Other studios are likely to follow suit in the next few days, the showbiz trade papers report.

The media companies are within their rights to cut off deals with actors, citing a "force majeure" provision in the Screen Actors Guild contract [The WGA stike falls qualifies]. Under force majeure, a party can free itself from the obligations of a contract if something outside either side's control disrupts business.

Triggering the force majeure clause gives the studios three options under contracts with SAG and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, the other actors' union. The media companies can either put regulars on hold, continuing to pay their full salaries; suspend them for up to five weeks at half-pay; or terminate them.

Universal has chosen the suspension option, meaning the likes of Michelle Ryan, Steve Carell and Alec Baldwin will receive half their salaries for the next five weeks. At the end of that time, both the studio and the actors have the option to end their deals or continue at their regular pay.

If other studios choose to terminate their deals with actors, the performers would be free to pursue other projects. The actors' jobs are guaranteed for whenever production resumes, but any new work that comes along during the downtime would be the top priority.

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[JaredL]

How do the actors' contracts work?

When they are reported it seems to always be in $x per episode terms. I guess they are just under contract for a year and they expect it to go 20 episodes or whatever so they can report it that way.

This way seems risky to the studios but I guess the 5 week suspension option is a way for the actors and studios to share the risk of episodes not going to air.

[diamonddawg]

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[snip}At the end of that time, both the studio and the actors have the option to end their deals or continue at their regular pay.

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"End their deals" = no paychecks
And this is how the WGA has solved the problem, for the Producers, of the actors potential strike in the fall. After not having income for months, all the actors who were accustomed to getting a regular check will agree to just about anything come autumn.

[KneeCo]

The SNL crew did a live low-budget stage version of their show Saturday night according to the NY Times (free reg or bugmenot req.). A mix of old material and stuff that's been written but deemed to raunchy for TV, and proceeds went to the out of work crew. Sounds really cool.

Some excerpts
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But this NBC show was not live from Studio 8H in Rockefeller Center. Nor were there any television cameras. The continuing writers’ strike meant there could be no new broadcasts. Instead the cast, writers and a few key production staff members had gathered in a subterranean comedy theater in Chelsea to perform the show live on stage for an audience of less than 200, including a Who’s Who of downtown comedy. The TV audience got a rerun of a Nov. 3 show, but at the Upright Citizens Brigade theater there was a rare event born of hammy necessity, unexpected availability and good vibes.
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Via text message Ms. Poehler had invited Mr. Cera, who had starred with her husband, Will Arnett, on the Fox series “Arrested Development,” less than a week before. He had never been on the show, so his opening bit blended the monologues of past hosts: Donald Trump (“There’s nobody bigger than me!”), Paris Hilton (“That’s hot”), Snoop Dogg (“I see the word shizzle,” Mr. Cera said).
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Proceeds from the tickets were to go to SNL’s production staff, most of whom had had been recently laid off; some were in the audience. But the performance was less about money than community. (A sold-out live version of “30 Rock,” the Tina Fey comedy, is scheduled for 8 p.m. Monday at the theater.)
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One sticking point is residual payments for online content, particularly relevant for this show, which has spawned several Internet triumphs. After flashing a card that read, “An SNL Digital Short,” Andy Samberg and Mr. Armisen performed one, a gay-oriented rap by Mr. Samberg starring Mr. Armisen as the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. (Ms. Jones and the hairy rear cameoed.)
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At 4 a.m. Mr. Samberg was onstage, in the middle of a circle, doing a complicated and not altogether legitimate dance move. If the strike did not conclude, what would he do next Saturday night?
“Probably just watch a video of this,” he said, “and call everyone and be like: ‘Remember last Saturday? We so did not get paid for that.’”

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