At 11/25/07 09:29 PM, donthaveaname wrote:
At 11/25/07 07:26 PM, Komadori1975 wrote:
It would be interesting to see if this strike has a creative side effect to it. A writer not writing is like an artist not painting/sculpting/etc. Eventually, they will succumb to their muse-- perhaps returning to more traditional forms of literature. Ought to be interesting.
No, "artists" are generally in it for the art and not for the money. The fact that these people are picketing for more money makes them not artists in my mind. Plus, have you watched any TV recently? You could not possibly call these people "artists."
I beg to differ. Sure, some tv writing stinks, I'll give you that... but comedy writing takes talent. Not everyone can deliver wit -day after day- in the case of late night shows or political satire shows. But a good many of the writers who are there ARE there because they can crank out their work to the high demands of a Hollywood timeframe. Also, there are some rare gems, like Heroes, out there.
I'm sure some would say the same if there was a creative team strike at Marvel or D.C. I think the word 'strike' has become equated to 'greed' and in this case, it's just not so. The actors, I believe, DO get their royalties from internet sales, and they make gobs more money than the writers do. Do you really think that is fair?
After taking a creative writing course, I have a greater appreciation for writers. Writers do not become writers to make gobs of money. If that was their goal, they'd be sports athletes. :P
Think about it. For the parent who wants their child to succeed in a career, and make enough money to take care of them in their old age, hearing that the child wants to be, oh, an artist or a writer (throw in acting, too; it has about as much of a gulf between the majority at a low income and the few at the top), it worries the parents. Doctors, lawyers, athletes... oh, wait, add programmers in, too, now-- that's what most parents who are hopeful for specific careers for their children are looking for!
If that doesn't make you stop and think, please read this (and keep in mind the COL in California, because it does factor in...):
While some might spout that Hollywood writers complaining about pay is a high-class problem, the strike's impact extends far beyond the red carpet. For starters, most screenwriters are middle-class; they are not the A-List, superstar lot of content creators like Rhimes; Dick Wolf, of the Law & Order franchise; David E. Kelly, creator of Boston Legal, The Practice; or J.J. Abrams, creator of Lost. Minority writers, in particular, have a tough time getting employment at all and are underrepresented in the best of times. And when they do get work, they are paid less than white writers. According to a 2007 WGA study conducted by UCLA professor of sociology, Darnell Hunt, the average income for minority screenwriters in 2005 was $66,666 compared to $77,577 for whites. Further, it is not uncommon for writers to go years without working for long periods of time. They often live on the residuals from past work, teaching jobs, temping, mom and dad-you name it. This makes their fight for their fair piece of the residual pie that much more urgent and convincing.
- http://www.blackenterprise.com/cms/exclu sivesopen.aspx?id=3774 :
These aren't people with wads of bills pouring out their backsides. ._.
