Pics of Joss, Marti and Drew on the picket lines.
Also tentative details about a Buffy day where former Mutant Enemy staffers will gather at one picket line.
Cheers to dreamlogic for the pics and the news.
November 08 2007
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About membership.
cymerin | November 08, 02:38 CET
And, here's a big question: do we want to get a friendly reporter or 3 in on the action? Eric G from IGN (who posts here) loves the 'Verse, as does Entertainment Weekly, Kristin from E!, Michael Ausiello from TV Guide, AICN folks, etc. Should we get them to come along to our care package drop to report in their columns "Fans are backing their favorite writers" or something like that? I dunno, I'm guessing the ME people have already thought of all that, but maybe we fans should work with some of our contacts as well. *ahem, Gossi et al.*
And...should we see if a restaurant wants to donate any food? I doubt it, since the strike is going to kill them (just read a story from Variety that it looks like it could last into 2008), but it's a thought.
edited to heap more praises on Dreamlogic
[ edited by swanland on 2007-11-07 23:49 ]
swanland | November 08, 02:40 CET
Lioness | November 08, 02:41 CET
Really cool pics, even without scarves. Cheers for that, Dreamlogic. :)
RockManic | November 08, 02:50 CET
Variety completely assumes that AMPTP will have everything their own way, but I disagree. Twenty years ago it did take 5 months, and then the writers won, but with the help of the fans we can bring this to a successful conclusion much sooner! We have to make sure the cable companies and advertisers see that they have to bring everyone back into negotiations.
The writers I love have to picket 4 hours every day, I figure I can put in an hour or two a day working online and writing postcards.
embers | November 08, 02:50 CET
C. A. Bridges | November 08, 03:02 CET
I'd so go & take pictures and do interviews of the writers, and report back here & to the Bronze:Beta (And elsewhere.) if I had the means.
I'll get in touch with my one 'verse contact tonight - she lives & works in the area, and I'm sure she's aware of it, but she might pitch in if there's some kind of organized 'verse day.
Trying to think of other ways I can help...
ShadowQuest | November 08, 03:02 CET
Joss' sign says "Dollhouse (Not coming soon)" - from Derf's link on the other thread.
cypher | November 08, 03:03 CET
UnpluggedCrazy | November 08, 03:11 CET
Caroline | November 08, 03:15 CET
Kat Jetson | November 08, 03:19 CET
Maybe we will now, if I can find my cockles.
theonetruebix | November 08, 03:20 CET
UnpluggedCrazy | November 08, 03:22 CET
gossi | November 08, 03:29 CET
Simon | November 08, 03:41 CET
I'm getting all teary...
deird | November 08, 03:43 CET
zz9 | November 08, 03:53 CET
gossi | November 08, 03:56 CET
Storyteller | November 08, 04:02 CET
Kat Jetson | November 08, 04:12 CET
MySerenity | November 08, 04:15 CET
RavenU | November 08, 04:19 CET
Kat Jetson | November 08, 01:12 CET"
Just a guess, but I would think that any money should go to the WGA relief fund to help writers affected by the strike.
"Isn't that the hat that Joss wore when he was shooting Serenity? Is it a lucky hat?
Simon | November 08, 00:41 CET
Simon, you need a nerd badge for spotting that.
gossi | November 08, 00:56 CET"
A nerd badge for that, really? Gee, when I saw the picture I remember thinking, "Oh, Joss is wearing the same hat he was wearing when filming Serenity. That makes sense. It looks like a good hat for being out in weather of most kinds."
(Sits down to rethink whether I might be qualified for membership in general nerddom after all.)
newcj | November 08, 04:33 CET
The First Weevil | November 08, 04:41 CET
gossi | November 08, 04:49 CET
electricspacegirl | November 08, 05:00 CET
Oh, wait, I see Storyteller noticed it first.
Anyway, he could be ...Wesleyan Whedon and the Hidden Treasure of the New Media
[ edited by impalergeneral on 2007-11-08 02:02 ]
impalergeneral | November 08, 05:01 CET
That's a good idea, zz9. I thought we could use it at all the deliveries, but we could get another one.
dreamlogic | November 08, 05:01 CET
In fact, the plan being worked on as an outgrowth of the WHEDONesque pizza delivery will (1) send provisions to the strike lines and coordinate fan visits; (2) take out an ad somewhere; (3) contribute to the strike funds if the strike is prolonged; and (4) donate to the Writers Guild Foundation if any funds are left over when the strike ends.
theonetruebix | November 08, 05:03 CET
I bid ten bucks. Twenty if it's delivered by Eliza.
Okay, thirty.
Look, just take my house and my car. Please.
zz9 | November 08, 05:13 CET
kishi | November 08, 05:37 CET
purplehazel | November 08, 05:51 CET
Allyson | November 08, 05:51 CET
embers | November 08, 05:55 CET
electricspacegirl | November 08, 06:01 CET
theonetruebix | November 08, 06:52 CET
It does seem that way. When they say they had informal word that if they dropped the DVD rate increase they'd get the new media deal only to have the studios throw it back in their face you have to come to the same conclusion that Joss has.
DVD (and Blu-Ray/HD-DVD still has a lot of life, and profit, left. I say go for 12c!)
zz9 | November 08, 07:14 CET
C. A. Bridges | November 08, 07:22 CET
ETA: Familiar... was all I thought when I saw the hat.
[ edited by April on 2007-11-08 04:32 ]
April | November 08, 07:30 CET
Harmalicious | November 08, 08:09 CET
I'm hoping more info goes up soon on how to keep feeding the writers through paypal. I could picket, but doing it here in Toronto somehow seems to lose the meaning.
redeem147 | November 08, 09:12 CET
ETA: ooops wrong email
fans4writers@gmail.com and it will be allocated for future food drops.
[ edited by kurya on 2007-11-08 16:27 ]
kurya | November 08, 09:20 CET
Currently trying to get that part of the new website up. I'm working on copy.
theonetruebix | November 08, 09:21 CET
I also think the 4 cents per DVD that writers get only happens when a DVD shows a profit. Don't know if the 4 cents is for DVDs sold already or only after profit. How many DVDs never show a profit on the books?
I don't think the public knows about the 4 cents yet. They are just hearing Writers on strike and you are not going to get your shows.
Is online streaming is only self promotion why are there ads on those sites. I remember American Express all over the Lost section of abc.com when I was checking out Nathan's "I Do" Episode.
If online streaming is only self promotion, there should not be any advertiser sponsorship or ad revenue. If there is advertiser sponsorship or ad revenue, then some of that should go to the writers/actors etc.
I wonder if itunes and amazon unbox and advertisers on the online streaming websites know that nothing of the money they are paying is going to the writers/directors/actors etc.
Just my 4 cents worth.
Anonymous1 | November 08, 09:26 CET
Granted, I do live in LA where all the writers are currently as accessible as writing down the street...
Yeah, I guess rain on your wedding day is more ironic than that. But still.
bobw1o | November 08, 09:37 CET
So have your parents seen SLiTHER yet?
Anonymous1 | November 08, 09:41 CET
theonetruebix | November 08, 09:43 CET
kishi | November 08, 09:46 CET
Ooops, totally not trying to paint a picture of hopelessness, just pointing out how big this can get.
I work at a rental house for motion picture cameras, I know they're ready to hold out before letting anyone go, but I might just pop down to target and see if they're hiring...
Oh, and Anonymous1, I don't believe my parents have seen Slither, interest probably isn't there. But I might could convince my brother to visit them from across town if it means he gets to see a real live movie director!
bobw1o | November 08, 10:06 CET
embers | November 08, 11:07 CET
cymerin | November 08, 11:19 CET
RaisedByMongrels | November 08, 11:56 CET
As for Pirates 4, so long as there isn't a script already! I've heard talk of a Shrek 4 as well.
bobw1o | November 08, 12:21 CET
Sometimes I wonder if the networks aren't the ones shooting themselves in the foot -- or rather cutting off their noses to spite their faces. The strike comes at a time when the networks are losing viewers to cable, premium channels and the internet, etc. I know that when the strike clears the TV schedule, I'll just stop watching live TV and switch to DVDs. Other people are totally going to do the same, which is only going to accelerate the networks' problems. If the strike lasts long enough, I have to wonder if the networks think that viewers are going to come back to live TV. I know that as it is, with a Netflix subscription, it's more comfortable for me to follow a TV season on DVD than it is live. Maybe millions of other Americans will decide the same thing.
dottikin | November 08, 13:00 CET
Kung-Fu Monkey talks about how the networks lost 10% of their viewers during the last strike, most of whom never really came back. Guess people realised they didn't actually need to watch as much telly as they thought they did ;).
So either multi-billion dollar studios are run by very stupid people OR losing another 10% of the viewership still works out to less money than they think they'd be giving up with the new-media residuals. But of course, according to them, they don't know how much money they'd be giving up which is why they can't commit to a deal with the writers, so i'm sure it's not that (*cough* ;).
If I knew what cockles were.
Cockles are small shellfish, a bit like mussels or whelks, very tasty and medically useful. In Victorian era Britain, before immunosuppressant drugs were available and pig valves became more common, surgeons would replace faulty heart-valves with cockles, hence "cockles of my heart".
It's all completely true (about there being a Victorian era).
Saje | November 08, 14:16 CET
Of course, if we want to make our ambitious and probably lengthy plans happen, to support the difficult, and probably lengthy WGA strike, there will need to be more. Ain't that always the way?
[ edited by dreamlogic on 2007-11-08 12:00 ]
dreamlogic | November 08, 14:53 CET
toast | November 08, 14:59 CET
dreamlogic | November 08, 15:04 CET
billz | November 08, 15:11 CET
I also just put one of the strike-support avi's up on my myspace page (not that anyone but family ever looks at it, but hey).
And a HUGE thanks to those of you on the ground doing all the work for this. I'm with you in spirit!
I want more Whedon on my TV soonest, but only after the people making it for me get a fair deal. I'll just wear out my Buffy/Angel/Firefly/Serenity discs until then.
*mad honking from Sarasota*
beck | November 08, 15:26 CET
dreamlogic | November 08, 15:36 CET
billz | November 08, 15:42 CET
RavenU | November 08, 17:27 CET
Such a sad case. I think it was a Papal edict, something to do with molluscs and Leviticus and poor auld Molly, being a good Catholic girl, had to obey.
BTW, billz, I had those too, there's a very reasonably priced cream you can buy over the counter, sort 'em right out ;).
And you wonder, Saje, why people don't know when you're kidding, and get all (I believe the British term is) arsed about it.
Dunno what you mean, the Victorian era is quite well documented, most historians accept it as fact ;).
(and it's "arsey" BTW dl. People "can't be arsed" - as in, can't be bothered to do something - but they "get arsey" - as in shirty, stroppy, moody, annoyed, argumentative. Very rarely with little ol' me though ;-)
Saje | November 08, 18:00 CET
Sherrie | November 08, 18:06 CET
cymerin | November 08, 21:23 CET
TamaraC | November 08, 21:32 CET
Now, I know that makes no sense, but it's hard to convince them when I don't have anything going for me more than what I think I heard or read somewhere. I've seen stuff arguing the income, but don't recall where, and I don't even know where to look to find defensible reasons they deserve residuals, that usually just becomes a subjective conversation.
(IMO if writers don't get residuals, why should anyone else? The point my opponents make is the average Joe gets paid and that's that, why are writers so special? But if that's the case, why these same people argue directors should get residuals is beyond me, cause what makes them so special, the average Joe doesn't get residuals.)
I usually come out on top when I point out that sure, okay, writers shouldn't get residuals, they should get much larger paychecks to begin with. In the long run a lot of them won't make as much, though some will likely make more. But darn, they do get residuals, and sheesh is it really so much for someone to ask for a raise?
But I never really convince them so much as they concede that that is not the problem at hand. So, while the point of whether or not writers should receive residuals is not the true argument, because writers do receive residuals, and that's not changing, I'd like to find an article or blog or someone here who has it downs to explains in simple terms why it makes sense.
Thanks!
bobw1o | November 08, 21:39 CET
On the site some of us are putting together, there will be a Strike FAQ. In fact, it's the main project for today, after which it's likely the site will be far along enough to start pimping out to people.
theonetruebix | November 08, 22:08 CET
[ edited by kurya on 2007-11-08 20:15 ]
kurya | November 08, 23:10 CET
None! If the light-bulb's out, we're all out!!
Up the workers!
Mild Mike | November 08, 23:25 CET
Sunfire | November 08, 23:35 CET
What's happening here is that the studios have found a way to broadcast the shows in a different medium, effectively syndicating them online, and they don't want to pay the writers their tiny cut. Instead they claim the entire, unedited, filled-with-advertising-or-sold-through-iTunes episodes streaming online are "promotional" so they don't have to pay the writers anything, neener neener neener.
Oddly, many people consider this unfair.
C. A. Bridges | November 09, 01:51 CET
So you all are doing a site? I'm actually relieved. I mean, if I had thought of it and you hadn't yet.... hell just got a little chilly-er.
Love the pictures. Love the sign that was sent. Sweet. Hate that greed once again screws up life.
NYPinTA | November 09, 02:08 CET
beck | November 09, 02:35 CET
Technically it exists already, but the hard launch is scheduled for tonight when we'll all be a little more satisfied with what we've gotten into place.
theonetruebix | November 09, 02:48 CET
They're paid commission as an incentive and they accept a lower basic on the understanding they will earn commission.
zz9 | November 09, 03:15 CET
Sirk | November 09, 04:41 CET
Sunfire | November 09, 07:25 CET
I get that writers have residuals already in their contracts, and that is how they get paid and that's the way it is, and when I point that out, the people I argue against concede that is the way it is.
But their argument is that the writers should not receive residuals, that they should just be paid to do the job and that's it, no more money. This is a meaningless argument to be sure, because again, it is the way it is. But it stops me from being able to convince them the writers need more, cause they refuse to believe the writers should get any.
To them it's not so much about how much a writer is paid, as they recognize the writer would get a bunch more up front if not for residuals. They make the pointless argument (even assuming I agreed with them) that a writer should get a flat amount for each job, like say a camera operator.
These same people are cool with novelists and directors (and others) getting residuals, because it's different (haven't figured out why yet) but that writers should be paid like any other work for hire person. After all, writers have nothing to do with shaping a story, nothing at all.
Again, the argument is royally absurd, and I'm generally able to get around it when I point out that arguing that point doesn't help support either side of things.
bobw1o | November 09, 09:33 CET
As with anything else, it makes sense to ask "cui bono ?" i.e. who benefits ? When episodes are shown in syndication or on DVD, the studio benefits because we pay for the privilege - why shouldn't the writer also benefit for their part in creating the episode ?
Saje | November 09, 11:13 CET
IMForeman | November 11, 23:12 CET