Melissa Harper is a senior majoring in biological sciences. She can be contacted at [email protected].It’s what causes contestants on “Wheel of Fortune” to go bankrupt when they should’ve just solved the puzzle. It’s what causes the folks on “Deal or No Deal” to lose the $700,000 they have already won for a chance at a million.
Greed is everywhere. Why can’t we just be happy with what we get? Everybody wants more. But when is enough enough?
Recently, the Writers Guild of America has fledged an all-out battle against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers for more royalty money.
They are unhappy with the amount of money trickling down to them from the big studios for which they write.
They are also seeking to get more money from the entertainment industries’ newest bread and butter: DVD sales, iPod downloads, Internet “webisodes” and downloads for cell phones.
Kids these days download more television shows and movies than ever, so the amount of money generated from this is a big deal – big enough for 12,000 writers to go on strike for their cut of the profits.
What does this mean to us? Simply put, it means less quality programming, such as Charlie Sheen’s “Two and a Half Men,” and more “Making Menudo” reruns. Hell is upon us either way.
What is wrong with the strike? This is America and we have the right to strike, form labor unions, adopt Malaysian babies and have abortions. What is the problem?
Some see that the problem is the lengths to which these screenwriters are willing to go in order to get what they want.
In 1988, there was a screenwriters strike that caused a loss of $500 million in Hollywood revenue. It put thousands of people out of jobs. This affected those in the industry all the way from cameramen and directors to makeup artists. All of those tiny little names rolling down the credits were out of jobs. This includes the key grip and best boy grip as well, even though nobody knows what they really do anyway.
The strike had a crippling effect on the industry. Is it worth all that plus more just so these writers can drive a nicer car or give their 16-year-old a super sweet 16 party? I am not saying they should not be given their piece of the profit pie. I just think there are better ways at going about this than striking and forcing the American public to sit through even more unscripted reality television and dancing celebrities competitions.
There are two ways to look at this. You can either be in favor of a raise, or you could tell these seemingly greedy word jockeys to back off and be happy with their Range Rovers and comfortable lifestyles. I will explore both viewpoints.
If you are against the raise, you might think that the writers should be happy with what they get and realize that people behind the scenes don’t get as much money as the people who actually sell the product, such as producers and actors.
Another example of this is the drug representatives that actually sell the drugs and make more money than those who work in the factories making the Viagra. Even though the makers work the hardest, they seem to get the shaft.
This doesn’t make it right, but it’s kind of the way things go. If they keep having strikes for more money, who is to say that the actors won’t do the same. This is a vicious cycle. Yes, striking is American, but what about good old-fashioned negotiating? I realize sometimes more radical measures have to be made to make a point, but the thought of watching a reality-based movie would make me want to renegotiate contracts faster than you can say, “I Love New York 3.”
After all, these screenwriters are the geniuses who brought us the great shows “How I Met Your Mother” and “Viva Laughlin.” I mean, these guys should be rewarded heavily for their efforts. It takes talent to come up with all the one-liners David Caruso spouts off to the bad guys in “CSI: Miami.” This may be the best writing I have seen since “The Sopranos.”
But if you are like me, you might be in favor of a more medium approach. I am against the strike, yet for some change.
The guild has said that their bottom line is that if they get paid, we get paid. That makes sense. The big executives or “The Man” should have a mutual relationship with the writers so they both benefit. If they didn’t have each other, then there would be nothing on television and nothing playing at the movies. As much as “The Man” doesn’t want to admit it, they need witty, pencil-pushing wordsmiths and by the same token, these artsy know-it-all writers need someone to back up their ideas financially.
A strike every 20 years or so is not going to make this problem go away. There needs to be a concrete change in the contract so that greed goes out the window. A percentage of the digital media sales, small or large, should go to the writers and that percentage should not change as the years go by. There should be an increase in royalties to the writers, but at the same time, the screenwriters should step up their game and quit with the mediocre sitcoms.
I smell a compromise and hope for us all.