So, yeah, we’re on strike. I’ll tell you all about it. But first, let me give you a quick idea of what’s at stake:

Yes, that amazing project from 1962 may now never get made. Talk shows and wormholes are both very complicated things, but trust me, I had high hopes of getting this little project on its feet in the coming months. And, of course, 45 years ago. It’s complicated.

What’s not nearly as complicated is the strike. Here is a quick primer to What’s Going On.

What’s Going On?

In the 30’s screenwriters gave up “copyright,” which means exactly what it sounds like - ownership of their material. The right to copy, a right still enjoyed by novelists, songwriters, playwrights, and… well… other people who write. But not us.

It was the agreement that helped build the industry. In return, writers got a fancy new thing called “residuals.” A share of the profits.

Yeah, but what’s going on?

Bear with me. In 1988, during the last strike, the Writers Guild made a terrible mistake. They assumed that home video sales would never amount to much. So in order to get everyone back to work, they agreed to a deal that gave the studios 80% of the revenues from home video before calculating the writers li’l 1 or 2 percent.

What!?

Yes, that’s right. The assumption was that it would take the studios that 80% to recoup production, packaging and advertising costs. So the writers’ tiny percentage came from the remaining 20% of revenues.

But… but…

I know. Nobody saw how cheap and profitable the production of DVDs was going to be. Billions of dollars are being made, and writers see less than half a percent of it.

So that’s what the writers are fighting for. A bigger cut of DVD residuals.

Sort of. But as of Sunday’s negotiating session, the writers were even willing to let that stand.

What!? But - but - but…

Believe it or not, right now the writers are more worried about not letting this happen again with all the new methods of distribution and revenue, like the internet.

But with the studios enjoying record profitability and the amazing sweetheart deal they got on DVDs and the fact that the “production costs” for electronic media are so obviously LESS than making and shipping discs and cardboard boxes, shouldn’t this be an easy thing to resolve?

Yes.
…

I know.

But the producers say that you writers are rich and greedy. That you average, for instance about $200,000 a year.

Uh huh. There’s a lot of those bullshit numbers out there right now, and they’re coming directly from Bullshit Central. That particular number, for instance, is an average taken from the approximately 1/3 of the Guild that is employed at any given time, pretending that the non-working members don’t exist. AND that number includes the top-tier multi-millionaires.

The truth is that at any given moment, the vast majority of Hollywood’s writers aren’t employed. That’s okay. That’s how the system is designed, unfortunately. That’s why we need residuals, so that when our work makes money, we make money.

Well, maybe I’m just a rhetorical device that you’ve set up to make your point… but I’m convinced! How can I help?

The usual. Spread the word. Make some noise. Link to this post. And for godsakes, if you’re in Hollywood or New York and you’re driving by a strike location, honk. After one day, I can guarantee you that it helps.