The Minearverse 5: Closer to the Earth, Further from the Ax
[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.
A nice letter, but completely toothless:
[link]
If there is any way you can facilitate this process, we would be eternally grateful.
Oy. I would have gone a different direction.
Dear AMPTP:
We 127 pilot writers cannot afford to wait until you get your heads out of your asses and negotiate a fair deal. So we have decided to give you an ultimatum. Unless you return to the negotiating table immediately, we are going to shop around our products for new media distribution. We have already lined up interested investors and venture capitalists looking to take internet distribution mainstream. We are willing to gamble on intelligent viewers following the creators of all their favorite shows to the internet, if that is the only source of quality content for the 2008-2009 pilot season. And since we aren't getting paid anyway, we have NOTHING TO LOSE.
You have five days to return to the negotiating table or you can all go fuck yourselves.
Happy holidays,
The 2008-09 Pilot Scribes
Wouldn't it be interesting if Apple decided with Hulu and all, it might be in their best interests to start producing their own content for iTunes, and actually giving the writers a decent deal? Does Apple have the tons of dollars to do that?
Apple doesn't care about anything except selling hardware. That is where their core competencies are and all of their revenue.
Content is pass through for them (they don't make any money off it) in order to drive sales of iPods and the like.
Well, they could increase the sales of iPods and Apple TV by delivering content exclusively to iTunes. Apple have complete control of the platform, so they could really benefit.
However, I really do think the studios have a firm grip on the industry and TV writers aren't going anywhere else any time soon. If Apple started to go after development deals and talent, the studios would take everything off iTunes. That would hurt Apple way too much, so they won't do it.
The only player who isn't owned by, or financially responsible to, any media corporation currently is Google. They have a lot of money and a lot of resources. But instead all they've delivered is 14 year olds skating on Youtube so far.
Apple isn't interested in doing content because the profit margin isn't there.
Apple isn't interested in doing content because the profit margin isn't there.
As you say, but it doesn't mean there won't be other people who won't be mad and brilliant enough to develop and distribute dramatic content over the Web, and find ways to get top talent out of the TV/cinema worlds on board. In fact, I'd say it's an inevitability.
Hell, I'd say it's the history of art: institutions freeze in the face of changing times, so someone starts a whole new game. It'll be underfunded, and it won't generate anywhere near the revenue being generated by other media at first, but there's going to be someone -- probably several someones -- who are going to make it work.
...and then big corps will buy those people up as soon as they show promise, and they'll become part of the same problem.
(Fetches razor blades).
I definitely think more things will move online and that will cause a big fight for groups represented by the AMPTP, but I think it's years away (50% of the US is still dial up) and those corps will do everything they can to get that distribution channel. It's gonna be an interesting ten years.
my friends at "for your information" are some of those trying to make high quality web content.
Wouldn't it be interesting if Apple decided with Hulu and all, it might be in their best interests to start producing their own content for iTunes, and actually giving the writers a decent deal? Does Apple have the tons of dollars to do that?
Even if Apple or Google or whomever decided to get into the content creation business, which I'm not convinced they ever will, I doubt they'd be WGA signatories. I can't see any of these tech companies willingly getting into bed with a union.
I think the pilot writers' letter was...silly.
In happier news, I had a lovely Christmas. I drove around in my convertible with the top down. I had a latte. Allyson and I went to see Sweeney Todd (awesome!) and she gave me the coolest lunchbox ever.
I hope everyone else had a lovely and relaxing holiday.
I think the pilot writers' letter was...silly.
Why? It didn't seem unreasonable. The reaction to it was. And transparent.
