Hollywood

I haven’t been following this writer’s strike crap too closely. Mainly because, like most Americans, I couldn’t care less about what happens to a bunch of writers living in Hollywood while we’re all out here in the real world making a living.

You can argue that the writers (or some of them) don’t make their “fair share”, but they still live and work in an area that has no idea what the real world is like. I don’t buy the line that the majority of these writers don’t make much dough and they just want a “fair share” of the money coming in. Many of them have families and children they need to take care or, and most of them spend a lot of time in between jobs- basically unemployed waiting for the next big break.

Here’s an idea- if you’re making too little to live on and you find yourself often out of work waiting for work to pop up…maybe you should do what the rest of us do- return to the real world outside of Hollywood and get, oh you know, a REAL job like the rest of us. Is that such an amazingly crazy idea?

I mean, I know most of these people can’t be living lives like we do. Can ANY of you afford to say to heck with making any money and spend your days in a picket line? I assure you, I couldn’t afford to do that for a few days, let alone weeks and months at a time. So, that makes me think most of these writers probably aren’t hurting too badly.

I just see pictures of writers carrying their kids in a picket line with blog entries declaring “they have kids and families too!” Hello! Most of us, if we didn’t make enough money to make ends meet, we’d do what any sane person would do. We’d find a new job that pays enough. We’d cut back in our discretionary spending. We’d find new cheaper ways to do the things we usually do. We’d make it work. We wouldn’t demand more money then spend a month in a picket line in sunny California.

Do writers deserve more of the share? That’s all very subjective and it goes to the heart of the argument in my book- I have a feeling that many writers compare themselves not to the average American but to the average Hollywood actor or producer. Sure, when it’s all said and done- the writers, on average, make less than the top-name actors and big producers. Is that fair? Again- that’s very subjective. I’d say that a big name actor is more important in some cases than the writers who often times make far less. The opposite can also be said of many shows- a big name actor means nothing with a terrible script.

I think this NY Times article brings up an important point:

Under the previous contract, which expired Wednesday night, the six major studios must pay a minimum of $106,000 for an original screenplay, while networks must pay at least $20,956 for a teleplay for a prime-time comedy and $30,823 for a prime-time drama.

Many working writers earn much more. The writer of a major studio release can expect a paycheck of at least $1 million, according to union members, while “name” screenwriters might earn in the $4 million range per picture. The average working writer in Hollywood takes home about $200,000 a year, according to the studios and networks, which are represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

That is a lot of money compared with the average earnings of people in Los Angeles County and typical Americans. The average worker in Los Angeles County earned $52,572 last year, according to government statistics, while the per capita income of the overall population is about $25,000.

But everything is relative. Writers compare their paychecks with those of many actors, directors and studio executives and see a need for a major re-alignment. According to the Writers Guild, guild-covered writer earnings have risen at less than half the rate of entertainment industry profits.

So, the argument might come down to- who gets more? The writers or the executives. Well, breaking news writers, when I go to work I often wonder how on earth some of my co-workers make so much when they often do less work than I do and work fewer hours and aren’t constantly on call as I am. Do I complain about it? No. Do I demand more money? No. I realize that the world and life itself isn’t always fair. I just do what most Americans do. I make the best of the situation as it actually exists.

I do know that most of us don’t receive our fair share for the work we do on a daily basis, but most of us don’t spend a lot of time complaining and whining, let alone turning it into an international incident complete with international news coverage. We move on, we find better jobs and better opportunities, or we live with what we already have and make the best of it. Can you imagine if we all followed the lead of the writers’ guild? This country would come to a halt in a hurry, and we’d all be screwed…fortunately very few of us have the same mindset that too many in Hollywood have. Most of us live in a completely different universe. I say- strike. Strike forever if you choose…at the end of the day, in the whole scope of things- your job isn’t important anyhow. Maybe we’ll all take up bake sales and neighborhood parties again. I assure you, we’ll get along just fine without your ever-so-important work.
——————————-

This is funny:

Christmas presents are hardly a concern when “people are going to start losing their homes and their businesses,” she said.

“Gifts are almost frivolous ideas at this point. This is about survival.”

Most writers and below-the-line workers earn middle-class incomes. The average writers-guild member’s salary is $62,000 a year, according to the WGA. IATSE salaries are similar. Strike or no, employment is inconsistent for both groups, with nearly half of writers-guild members and 10 to 15 percent of IATSE members without work during the year.

“As a writer, you have to develop the instinct of squirreling money away,” Rakhe said. “You’re just used to a lot of uncertainty in the first place.”

The WGA prepared its members for the possibility of a strike a year in advance, so many writers saved money and started buying Christmas presents early.

“Wisely, I did all my holiday shopping throughout the year,” said Sally Nemeth, a writer for “Law & Order” who described herself as “truly a middle-class member of the guild.” “My shopping was very modest, but I got it done months ago.”

Welcome to the real world, guild members.

————————-

More: From the same NY Times article:

Moreover, guild writers at all levels are angry about the increasing use of nonunion labor in Hollywood. In the mid-1980s, according to the guild, about 95 percent of industry writing jobs in both television and feature films were covered by the guild. That share, the guild maintains, has dropped to about 55 percent as entertainment companies use divisions outside the guild to produce an array of animated, reality and other shows.

Wah wah. What does that fact tell you? If Hollywood’s use of union writers is down 40% in a decade or so- that means that the producers think that the non-union work is just as good as the union work. Why on earth should a producer pay the big bucks with the absurd union rules for a union writer when the quality could easily be the same with a non-union writer and without the added hassle, cost, and threats from a union?! Wake up, people. You’re fighting a losing battle if the big guys are saying bye bye to union writers and hello to non-union scribes. It makes you sound like crybabies.