Tuesday, December 25th, 2007

Will the writer’s strike change Hollywood?

by

That’s the contention of the Globe and Mail’s Matthew Ingram, who says the Hollywood writer’s strike might actually be an indication of the start of a migration tot he Web, upending the traditional content creation business. I’d be perfectly happy to see that happen, as it raises the bar for what we’ll see online. Having said that, Silicon Valley technologists (the perceived saviors of the content business) often tend to see the world through a very tech-centric lens and assume the Internet is the answer to everything, so we’ll have to see how this situation plays out over the next decade.

Warren Frey is a journalist, freelance writer, podcaster, video producer, and all-around media consultant currently based in Vancouver, Canada. His written work has appeared in such publications as Metro Vancouver, the Westender, Mac | Life and the Japan Times.

5 Responses to “ Will the writer’s strike change Hollywood? ”

craig says:

I believe that the web will become the new television: hundreds of channels and most of it crap. Traditional television stations will become web-based and the content creation structure will therefore remain relatively intact. Sure, the web will continue to give a voice to the under-funded and under-talented, but the question is: will people listen? I think traditionally produced, future incarnations of lowest-common-denominator, high-budget shows like ‘Lost’ and ‘Survivor’ will continue to take the largest share of the audience on the web with everything else getting the audience equivalent of public access television from the 80s.

Except the East Van Podcast, it ROCKS OUT and everyone will watch it. In twenty years, when the producers have moved on to other things, the East Van Podcast will become like the Holy Grail of the web: “Hey man, I just found East Van Podcast number 37 from 2012! Here’s the link, check it out!”

jabberwocky says:

My guess on whether or not there will be real change in Hollywood, I would have to say No.

John Brisson says:

Looks like they may be getting the wrong end of the stick even worse with this little bit I was glossing over this morning:

QUOTE:
DGA contract could undercut writers

LOS ANGELES (UPI) — Experts say negotiations between U.S. film studios and the directors union could result in a deal that undercuts demands made by the striking writers.

A new contract between the studios and the Directors Guild of America could weaken the position of the Writer’s Guide of America, which is in the eighth week of striking, as well as the Screen Actors Guild, which holds a contract that runs out in June, the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday.

The DGA and WGA share many concerns, most prominently compensation for work distributed over the Internet, but the chief negotiator for the director’s union, Gilbert Cates, is considered friendlier to studios than the negotiators employed by the writers, the Times said.

“We all want a piece of the Internet. The difference is not in what we want but in the tactics we use to get it,” Cates said.

A DGA deal could mean bad news for the writers, as Hollywood often operates on “pattern bargaining,” where a deal struck with a talent union becomes the model for deals with the other unions.

Copyright 2007 by United Press International

So, everyone wants a piece of the internet pie and as it shows above, the writters may get royal screwed if this deal pushes through and with SAG coming too the table in the summer it could put off alot of shows season finallies until the fall when the next season of shows is normally expected to get started again. DAMN THE NET!!!! 😛

John Brisson says:

Looks like the DGA may cause fun for the Writters and SAG all in their attempt to get a peice of the internet pie too.

DGA contract could undercut writers

LOS ANGELES (UPI) — Experts say negotiations between U.S. film studios and the directors union could result in a deal that undercuts demands made by the striking writers.

A new contract between the studios and the Directors Guild of America could weaken the position of the Writer’s Guide of America, which is in the eighth week of striking, as well as the Screen Actors Guild, which holds a contract that runs out in June, the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday.

The DGA and WGA share many concerns, most prominently compensation for work distributed over the Internet, but the chief negotiator for the director’s union, Gilbert Cates, is considered friendlier to studios than the negotiators employed by the writers, the Times said.

“We all want a piece of the Internet. The difference is not in what we want but in the tactics we use to get it,” Cates said.

A DGA deal could mean bad news for the writers, as Hollywood often operates on “pattern bargaining,” where a deal struck with a talent union becomes the model for deals with the other unions.

Copyright 2007 by United Press International

John Brisson says:

I was reading an article this morning that has the Director’s Guild cutting themselves a sweet deal for a nice piece of the internet pie that could sink the Writter’s negotiation plans to get more money and SAG as well.

Looks like the DGA may cause fun for the Writters and SAG all in their attempt to get a peice of the internet pie too.

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