A quick update on the WGA strike, brought about by the technology that many of us here take for granted. (Reminder: Hulu is evil.)
The late night comedy writers came back last night, with Leno and Conan O’Brien returning without WGA writers but with Letterman coming back with a fully decked out WGA staff; both Letterman and Conan have tremendous “Gangs of New York”-style beards, grown out of solidarity with the writers. Having watched Letterman, switching to Leno during the commercials, I can definitely tell he and the writers are going to use the show to smash the greedy producers. Conan seemed genuinely upset by the whole rotten deal the writers have gotten and, in lieu of any actual written material, he spun his wedding ring on his desk; went around his office with a guitar annoying people; and played along with Rock Band.
I have no idea how Leno and Conan plan to fill an hour every night without any written material, but good luck to them.
Continuing WGA Strike Coverage [Variety]
Looks like an improvement to me.
When I write code for software my company sells, I don’t get residuals everytime someone buys the software for the rest of my life even after leaving the company. This despite the fact my unique code makes up the underpinnings of said software.
Why in the hell should writers, who are being paid to write someone for a company in a work for hire situation, be paid perpetually for their services?
Greedy bastards You are paid to do a job, do it and shut up.
Well, Carl, maybe you should get paid residuals for that code – fight for that. Also, I am not a greedy bastard. I’m broke. Do you think huge corporations should make infinite amounts of money and writers who create the work should make none? Really? I doubt that. When Viacom make $1.45, do you think a writer is greedy for wanting 5 cents of that, that the director of the piece is greedy for wanting some of that money into his pension and health plan, that the actors in the piece shouldn’t want a little bit so that they can eat when they’re in between jobs? Also, writers aren’t always on for hire. Sometimes you sell work you created in a vacuum. Sometimes you create hit TV shows that even really kool code writers like you watch.
The next time you call someone a greedy bastard, why don’t you think about the vast sums of money made by huge corporations, the very small amount of money being fought for by the WGA, and the fact that you don’t know what you’re talking about – and go research it.
Good luck with that – and I mean it – you should get paid for your code. Do something about that,
The entire entertainment industry model of paying residuals is broken.
“The next time you call someone a greedy bastard, why don’t you think about the vast sums of money made by huge corporations”
Whine, whine whine. Huge corporations this, big business that. If you don’t like it, work for someone else or start your own company.
If you want to talk about greed, look at all the people that are out of work in the entertainment industry who aren’t part of the WGA that are out of work because the writers feel slighted by “huge corporations”. Because of the writers there are plenty of people that aren’t able to make a living while the writers continue to draw a paycheck from residuals from past work. Talk about unfair.
I have no sympathy for the WGA. That doesn’t necessarily make me a supporter of big huge money hungry corporations. I’m not a fan of big huge money hungry corporations either… so my solution is simple: I choose not to work for one.
It is quite easy to pick on a corporation for making tons of money. But people forget that corporations have to make investment risks that don’t pay off any where near the blockbuster profit makers – if at all. How about letting the writers shoulder some of the uncertainty of product-to-market success or failure? Too risky? Rather have a for-sure-check up front and money at the back end. Of course you do. Much easier. Stay out on strike for as long as you please writers. I ain’t missin’ ya’s.
I look forward to drawing my first residual check (read: I am not getting any). I didn’t put anyone out of work. Nick Counter and the AMPTP did. The deal on the table they refused to negotiate on is a tiny amount of money for them – they are choosing instead to fire people. I am not wealthy. I am broke. Most writers – not wealthy.
Also – Carl, seriously. Why don’t you fight to get money off people using your code. You should have empathy for the WGA – we are fighting to make sure new media doesn’t run over the people working for it. Why don’t you fight too?
And Alex – the amount of money paid to writers is a drop in the bucket of costs for the producers and studios. I am not picking on the corps for making money – I am fine with them making money off my creativity. I just want to make sure when I am in between jobs, an inevitability in this industry, if I do ever sell something which is earning money, I can eat and pay rent then. Also, no, it isn’t easier, selling your copyright and working w/ studios and networks. Like any job or livelihood it is often difficult and crappy. And the money they pay up front to writers is virtually nothing. As is the money we are negotiating for.
And you may not be missing, but I’ll bet you bought a DVD. The writer of the movie you bought appreciates the 4 cents.
Residuals are not something you “fight for.” You think of it as a reward for doing your job, but that’s what you get paid for the first time. I mean, call me crazy but you shouldn’t be continuously paid for something you did 5 years ago. Now, I work in sales, and the only kind of residuals I get is decommissioned. If one of my customers leaves within a certain period of time, I *lose* money, but I get nothing if they stay. First, I bust my tail to make sure they stick around. Second, I make plenty of money without them paying me for 15 minutes of work I did 2 years ago.
And don’t sit here and tell eveyone how broke you are like it’s anyone’s fault but your own. If you really wanted to be rich, you’d have gone and become a doctor or lawyer. I assume you chose your job because you enjoy it, right? You chose a career where there are more people than jobs, and everyone wants to “make it big.” Tough luck. You know, what most people do when they aren’t getting paid enough is change jobs.
And yes, the way corporations work is by making tons of money and paying very little to the people on the bottom (read: you). That’s capitalism, and that’s America. No amount of striking is going to change that, I hope you realize. You may want to leave the US and move to some welfare state where you get paid more for doing less if that’s what you’re going for.
I have to say I side with the writers on this one as well.