puppetmaker | LJ Idol Week Four: Current Events and How My Life is Affected by Them

There are two current news topics in the new that affect me in very different ways but in many ways they are connected. I am putting most of this entry under a cut to save my poor friends lists from overflowing. *grin*

The first is the Writers Strike
WGA and Producers resume talks

My husband is a member of the WGA and has been for a number of years. He is probably best known for a couple episodes of Babylon 5 he wrote or for his TV series Space Cases. He has worked on a number of other projects since some that have gotten further than others and in each case he was paid according to the Guild scale for the project. And believe me, if he was not a member of the WGA he would have gotten much less (to no money) for the work he did.

Writers are the low man on the totem pole in Hollywood. They are treated as disposable and are quite often disposed of without a second thought.

Not so in just about any other form of writing.

Playwrights are revered and not a word is changed without their say so. The Dramatist Guild looks very well after the playwright's interests. Think of three playwrights. . . bet that was not too hard to do (Shakespeare is an acceptable answer).

Authors of books have a real say in what they write. An editor may help with it but the words are the authors (Ok I know there are exceptions, just go with me on this one.) They create the worlds that their characters inhabit. Even the books that are media-ties are created by authors who care about their stories and the characters they get to play with. Authors have book signing and book tours and great acclaim.

Side Note:One thing I have always found funny is when fans hear a book is optioned for a movie that the movie is going to ruin the book. The movie is going to do nothing to the text of the book. You can go back and read the book after the movie is out and I promise that gremlins haven't changed to it match the movie.

Poets are lauded and we even have an American Poet Laureate who creates poetry for America. I'm a little unsure how that happens but it must be a pretty cool job. Poetry, for some, is considered an art form.

My husband has been published in just about any form the written word has taken. He even called himself the Writer of Stuff. And writing for TV and Film is sometimes the hardest thing he has to do because he knows that at any moment he might find himself not writing for the project he has put so much energy in.

Right now the WGA is on strike for a number of reasons but the one that keeps coming up on the news casts and articles is that the writers want "a share of the profits from New Media" which included things like downloads off the iTunes and Netflix and those other pay sites. Why are they sticking so hard on this point? Because back in 1988 when part of the sticking point was VHS tape sales which the producers said that they were not sure they would be making a profit from, the WGA agreed to take a very small royalty (a penny a tape say) and the matter would be revisited later when more was known. Remember this was before DVDs even came into the picture. When revisited on the last contract, the Producers stated that it has already been negotiated and therefore would not be on the table for these talks. Yes, they went back on what they said in 1988....funny huh?

So this time the WGA is not letting this issue go with very good reason since the Producers have done nothing but negotiate in bad faith. Of course the Producers are whining that they are not making any money from the internet to the Guild BUT are telling their shareholders that they are making a lot of money from the internet.

How is this affecting me? Well my husband has been unable to work on a couple of projects he wanted to work on and markets that he normally works in are now flooded with movie and TV writers looking for a way to make ends meet while the strike is on. Competition for the work available is fierce. I have friends who are finding things that they use to count on drying up or going to other people. My family's income has been curtailed by this strike and my friends are suffering too.

No one is holding much hope for anything to resolve before next year. Which is sad for us.

The other article is about the Stage Hands Strike that is affecting Broadway.

Broadway Talks resume

I have been a card-carrying member of the Actors Equity Associating for more than 20 years now. I have been working in theater for over 25. I have been at the negotiating table for the actors contract both as a student and as a stage manager. I have served on various AEA councils over the years. I know my rulebook and keep up with the changes to the various contracts.

I currently have quite a few friends who lives are very much affected by this strike. They work in a Broadway theater that is currently dark. They are having to take other jobs to keep food on the table and heat in their small apartments. No one is holding out much hope that this will be solved before December if then. Maybe there will be a Christmas Miracle but I'm not holding my breath.

This also affects my family because we wanted to take my youngest to see Little Mermaid for her 5th birthday. Not happening now.

And I do understand the Stage Hands objections. I don't totally agree with all of them but they are so right on a majority of them. The Producers came to them and asked for them to give all kinds of concessions when things were going badly for Broadway. A number of which the union agreed to until times were better. Well attendance along with profits have been better than ever so asking for more cuts pleading poverty just doesn't quite fly with me. There is a compromise in those numbers they are throwing around and I hope they find it soon.

Both of these news items affect me personally and more so than many since I have been working in the Entertainment Industry for a long time in many different capacities. I can only hope that both situations are resolved soon so that everyone can get back to work on what they love to do.