My Tivo is getting dangerously low on new TV shows (luckily, there will be enough X-Files and Simpsons to go around for a very very long time), which leads me to contemplate this Hollywood writers strike.
I'll admit that I don't really know much about the terms and/or demands, but I really don't understand how a strike is a viable option for people whose jobs a) don't require any training at all and b) are in very high demand. Who wouldn't want to be a Hollywood writer?!? Many of the perks of being "hollywood" while still maintaining your privacy. Not to mention that there are THOUSANDS upon THOUSANDS of people in the world who not only could do a good job, but would jump out of their shoes at the chance to do it. Add in the popularity of reality TV (unfortunate in my book, but undeniable) and I can't understand how the writers can get much out of it. I guess they convince the actors to go in with them, right?
Isn't that kind of like the guys that design the car company logos threatening to go on strike and then trying to drag the...well, the analogy is too difficult, it seems, but the methodology seems all wrong.
Anyone have a better summary of what's up?
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Although it doesn't seem like one needs to "training" to be a writer, a number of them strong academic credentials, particularly in comedy (many Simpsons and Conan O Brien writers for example, went to Harvard University ).
That being said, my understanding of the strike has to do with the fact that the expired agreement did a poor job of compensating writers when it came to DVD revenues. (The deal had been struck right around when DVDs were first making it on the scene.) Now with digital distribution on the horizon, the writers (perhaps rightly) feel that they need to make a stand for the rest of the industry. The agreement for actors/actresses expires not too long for now, so the resolution here, will likely apply for them as well. It's really getting a bigger piece of the pie they never really had a taste of.
To give you a sports related analogy, let's say your football offensive and defensive coordinators went on strike, taking the play books along with them. You could arguably still get by with talented players trying to recreate things that they have done/seen before, but gradually at the highest levels you would see the quality suffer.
[I know it's strange to use the word quality, when there is usually a significant amount of bad TV that makes it on the air. But I always felt that was a function of TV executives not wanting to take risks on quality writing. Everwood was canceled in favor of 7th Heaven...7th Heaven?!? Sorry 7th Heaven fans!]
I really hope it doesn't come to this.
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