Mal ,'War Stories'
[NAFDA] "There will be an occasional happy, so that it might be crushed under the boot of the writer." From Zorro to Angel (including Wonderfalls, The Inside and Drive), this is where Buffistas come to anoint themselves in the bloodbath.
Hollywood Producers Drop a Key Demand
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 16 — Trying to break a three-month impasse in contract negotiations with Hollywood’s screenwriters, producers withdrew a contentious proposal on Tuesday that would have retooled the entertainment industry’s decades-old practice of paying so-called residuals for the reuse of movies and television programs on DVD and elsewhere.
So they've decided not to decrease the DVD residuals, but they've also said they won't increase them, if I read that right.
Writers not being paid for new media stuff is shit. That's why the BSG webisodes got killed, from memory.
Writers not being paid for new media stuff is shit.
If I understand correctly, the writers get paid for what they write; they just don't get residuals. Which is a big "just", but I wanted to clarify.
As I understand it -- and I could well be wrong -- there's been situations where companies have claimed new media stuff comes under promotion, so the payment differs (or doesn't appear at all).
So they drop a demand that was ludicrous in the first place. Seems like game tactics to me.
The WGAw is also being a little bit crazed. Warren Ellis got this whacked out letter from the WGAw that he talked about in one of his posts.
Basically, the WGAw doesn't want its members to work in the new media during the strike, so to keep an united front. A stretch, but somewhat reasonable in some cases. For instance, getting writers to do BSG webisodes would take the sting out of the strike for BSG itself. But it is slightly wonky, since the WGA work agreements currently doesn't cover those areas.
Here is the thing. If anyone works in any new media or animation, they will be blacklisted. So let's say I, for whatever reason, am given an opportunity to work in animation, an area that the WGA doesn't cover and is not under contention in the contracts. If I take the job, I will be blacklisted from ever working with any WGAw signatory, which is virtually every LA production company that isn't a hole in the wall.
I'm about 1/2 hour early per board time but it's late where I am so I'll go ahead and say
Happy Birthday, Tim!
Oh my! It's been a year?
I wonder what Tim got for his birthday this year. Happy birthday!