Writers Guild: Coming to a computer monitor near you
moneyrelations :: Feb.12.2008
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The writers’ strike in Hollywood is finally ending… It really didn’t have much impact on my 2 hours of weekly TV viewing - other than this past season of Heroes sucked.
Naturally, work stoppages are about money. However, I was surprised by the source of revenue generation that the writers were seeking: new media.
In other words, the web.
In an era of a sniveling (faux) Britney fan becoming a star on YouTube, it’s no wonder that professional writers think they can do it better. And if you look at how these new TV shows incorporate viral marketing on the Internet, it’s quite ingenious. Look at how Heroes offers online graphic novels to fill back stories and creates Myspace pages for its characters. It’s a lot of fun and all-media encompassing.
I won’t even pretend to understand what is fair writers’ compensation but this is the deal that cost an estimated 2 billion dollars to the local Los Angeles economy in the past in the past three months.
Under the new agreement, writers will earn a fixed residual amounting to roughly $1,300 for the early part of the contract’s three-year life (excluding a two- to three-week window of free usage for promotional purposes) and 2% of the distributor’s revenue in the deal’s final year. For new material, writers get $618 for dramatic programs produced for “new media” up to two minutes plus $309 for each additional minute; $360 for two-minute comedy videos, with $180 for each minute after. What’s more, new media writers get credits as well as health insurance.
I’m quite excited with the new frontier of video streaming entertainment. It might not get me to watch more TV, but I’ll probably be stuck to my laptop more…
Crap.
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I’m stoked its finally over. I thought it would go on for much longer than this… maybe we’ll get some good tv soon.
Hi Blargumentor,
I guess… like I mentioned, I don’t watch much TV. What got me off TV watching was that it was so formulaic and the storylines would drag on forever just to jerk your emotions around. I don’t like to be manipulated by anybody
I did like some reality tv shows as they aren’t *ahem* “scripted”. But then I got bored of those too.
That’s why I’m anxious to see what “new media” will bring us. Hopefully something innovative.
MoneyRelations - i suspect that Battlestar Galactica may appeal to you. I’m not a sci-fi fan usually, but this is an intelligent, political, philosophical series (with economics thrown in!). If you give it a try, start with the pilot. I tried jumping in and didn’t like it. A couple years later, watched the pilot, and discovered instant addiction.
Hmm, interesting, Nancy. I’m not a sci-fi fan either but I’ll give it a try. Don’t they usually have marathons on the Sci-fi station?