Official WGA Writers Strike thread.

[KneeCo]

Written by Dale Alexander, a key grip on NBC's "The Office":
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102 people fired from The Office
Our show was shut down and we were all laid off this week. I've been watching the news since the WGA strike was announced and I have yet to see any coverage dedicated to the effect that this strike will have on the below the line employees.


I respect the WGA's position. They probably do deserve a larger percentage of profit participation, but a lengthy strike will affect more than just the writers and studios. On my show we had 14 writers. There were also 2 cameramen, 2 camera assistants, 4 hair stylists, 4 makeup artists, 7 wardrobe people, 4 grips, 4 electricians, 2 craft service, 4 props people, 6 construction, 1 medic, 3 art department, 5 set dressers, 3 sound men, 3 stand-ins, 2 set PAs, 4 assistant directors, 1 DGA trainee, 1 unit manager, 6 production office personnel, 3 casting people, 4 writers assistants, 1 script supervisor, 2 editors, 2 editors assistants, 3 post production personnel, 1 facilities manager, 8 drivers, 2 location managers, 3 accountants, 4 caterers and a producer who's not a writer. All 102 of us are now out of work.


I have been in the motion picture business for 33 years and have survived three major strikes. None of which have been by any of the below the line unions. During the 1988 WGA strike many of my friends lost their homes, cars and even spouses. Many actors are publicly backing the writers, some have even said that they would find a way to help pay bills for the striking writers. When the networks run out of new shows and they air repeats the writers will be paid residuals. The lowest paid writer in television makes roughly twice the salary than the below the line crewmember makes. Everyone should be paid their fair share, but does it have to be at the expense of the other 90% of the crewmembers. Nobody ever recoups from a strike, lost wages are just that, lost.


"We all know that the strike will be resolved. Eventually both sides will return to the bargaining table and make a deal. The only uncertainty is how many of our houses, livelihoods, college educations and retirement funds will pay for it."

--Maria Elena Fernandez

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[Thug Bubbles]

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Very stupid reason to disqualify somebody's opinion about writing.

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i disagree. it is a very stupid reason to disqualify someone's opinion on most topics. but i have yet to meet a good writer that regularly makes those mistakes. now obviously that doesn't mean it's impossible for someone to exist that is both a good writer and makes those errors, but in the absence of other evidence suggesting he is in fact a good writer, i take the information that i have.
(i do know smart math/science types who regularly make these mistakes, but no smart humantities types who do)

(edit, responding to his edit) i agree that it shouldn't matter much, in theory, but in reality i doubt you know any good writers who make these kinds of mistakes)

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I know several. There is a reason we have Editors. I'm sure Charlie could go off on gaggles of writers who suck as spelling, grammar and punctuation.

[Thug Bubbles]

Sucks, but [censored] happens when groups of people fight for change. i'm curious what they propose as a 'proper' solution. Continuing to work, while the producers and studios string you along for another few decades?

[Nicholasp27]

lots of people are also laid off when a company downsizes or goes through other layoffs

doesn't change the fact that writers are asking to be compensated for giving up their ownership of the scripts...giving the studio all author rights to the script/show/characters/etc etc...and not being compensated for money made online makes no sense

they have been presented with a new contract to sign by the studios...they have decided they do not wish to sign a contract with the current terms...so they have decided to not sign and wait for a better deal...that is their right...they aren't duty-bound to accept lame deals because otherwise the people on the set will lose their jobs...

[CharlieDontSurf]

The studios have essentially drawn a line in the sand because they know that within the next 1-5 years the $$$ coming in from the internet downloads and streaming is going to be HUGE. The DVD market is already in decline. They simply do not want to give the writer anything, and it is not so much pure greed just strategy.

They believe they can outlast the writers/WGA and that the writers will eventually go broke and start to fight amongst each other. The studios will then offer a [censored] deal with maybe one or two meaningless improvements which the WGA will grudgingly accept. They also want to send a message to the DGA and SAG that they shouldn't expect much. The studios don't give a [censored] about firing people, layoffs, or cutting producing writing deals...saves them money.

The only problem is I don't think they realize how set in the minds in the WGA are given the lesson of the home video/DVD screwup of years past has been seared in the writers memeory. The WGA trusted the "take this rate, we'll do a 3 year study and then renegotiate the rate afterwards" b.s. that the studios gave them and they got massively burned for it.

I think the writers essentially know that that they are striking till late spring/June barring a miracle or some other force pushing the studios to make a fair deal.

I would imagine that SAG, esp. given their pres., is fully hoping for the writers strike to last till June so once they strike along with the WGA it will cripple the industry and bring the studios to their knees essentially.


and yeah your right...countless screenwriters send gibberish , sometimes in their scripts too which makes them look really bad, but this is a internet message board, not work or career stuff. I don't have great grammar and am terrible at typing but I put way more effort into any writing I do for work/screenwriting/etc compared to here or elsewhere on the interwebs. I should probably put a bit more effort but I'm lazy and doing other stuff at work so I don't. Screenwriters don't have editors do their dirty work though...they have their assistants do it instead.

[suzzer99]

I have a semi-unrelated question for CDS or anyone who knows. Obviously there is some product placement on The Office - Second Life, Staples, etc. But also it has to fit into the story. How does that work? Does The Office approach Staples and Office Max, and say "Hey we have a bunch of lines about a big competitor, it can be you, or the other guy", then they bid on it?

Or what about in Family Guy, when they're going to Olive Garden and Lois says "Me likey breadsticks! Me likey breadsticks!". Is that paid for? If Family Guy wants to do the joke do they have to ask permission from Olive Garden? If so, do they go ahead and ask for some money at the same time?

Seems like a lot of negotiation would have to happen if you come up with the joke on Tues and film on Thurs. or something. Then again with Family Guy you could just stick the joke into any episode. But let's say it's a similar situation with Friends and Pottery Barn. But it will only fit in that episode. Do they do some quick negotiation?

And finally, does any of the product placement money go to the writers? If not do the studio heads come down and say "you have to fit Target into this episode". Can the writers say no? Or do the studio heads say "Extra $1k for everyone any time you fit any of these companies into any episode."?

[suzzer99]

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I would imagine that SAG, esp. given their pres., is fully hoping for the writers strike to last till June so once they strike along with the WGA it will cripple the industry and bring the studios to their knees essentially.


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How do the studios decide who sits on their side of the table? Do they get proportional votes based on volume or something?

[JuntMonkey]

What is there to stop WGA writers from breaking rank, other than not wanting to break rank? Are the studios "allowed" to look elsewhere for writers? Does the U.S. government have laws in place that forbid them from doing this?

[CharlieDontSurf]

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I have a semi-unrelated question for CDS or anyone who knows. Obviously there is some product placement on The Office - Second Life, Staples, etc. But also it has to fit into the story. How does that work? Does The Office approach Staples and Office Max, and say "Hey we have a bunch of lines about a big competitor, it can be you, or the other guy", then they bid on it?

Or what about in Family Guy, when they're going to Olive Garden and Lois says "Me likey breadsticks! Me likey breadsticks!". Is that paid for? If Family Guy wants to do the joke do they have to ask permission from Olive Garden? If so, do they go ahead and ask for some money at the same time?

Seems like a lot of negotiation would have to happen if you come up with the joke on Tues and film on Thurs. or something. Then again with Family Guy you could just stick the joke into any episode. But let's say it's a similar situation with Friends and Pottery Barn. But it will only fit in that episode. Do they do some quick negotiation?

And finally, does any of the product placement money go to the writers? If not do the studio heads come down and say "you have to fit Target into this episode". Can the writers say no? Or do the studio heads say "Extra $1k for everyone any time you fit any of these companies into any episode."?

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Can't say with 100% certainty cuz this isn't really my area but product placement is a major part of TV/Film so I would assume they have a specific dept that deals with in in terms of a given show or their whole slate of shows. It is probably a mix of both...the stuidos contacting companies and companies contacting studios. I imagine that Office Depot/Staples etc all want to be featured on a given show so it probably goes to the highest bidder unless the studio already has a deal set up with a given company. It is probably somewhat random.

not everything is paid for the...some is just free advertising. I would assume Family Guy is more likely to be free given that joke could have been created at 2AM and shot that same week. Where as with The Office given it is about a paper company...it is likely that rivals paper companies will constantly be involved so they could likely get a company to pony up some cash.

no...writers/actors/directors don't get any of the $$ as far as I'm aware of unless they somehow had it written into their deal...which I doubt they would have the clout to do.
Could be wrong though.

[CharlieDontSurf]

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What is there to stop WGA writers from breaking rank, other than not wanting to break rank? Are the studios "allowed" to look elsewhere for writers? Does the U.S. government have laws in place that forbid them from doing this?

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If they are busted it is a possibility that they will never be allowed into the WGA or will be kicked out. Its a big deal given the benefits of being in SAG/WGA/DGA etc are pretty huge esp if yr a newb.