As of 12:01am on May 2nd, the Writers Guild of America went on strike. To show solidarity with the striking writers, we’ve set up a simple tool to email the CEOs of Netflix, Amazon, Disney and HBO Max and support the writers’ demands! actionnetwork.org/letters/support-striking-writers-guild-members/?source=ytcomment
I see a problem. How many thousands of lifetimes of stockpiled scripts and public domain works have these networks stockpiled already? We saw some of that during the last writers' strike. That's also where the current wave of "talent shows" and reality tv was born. It feels to me like things in every artistic field are moving in the direction of the book publishing industry. Pretty soon, it will be up to the "writers" to produce the entire series themselves and then shop the finished product around to distributors.
I'm so ready for a writer's strike. Every time this happens, things get real weird. Careers, story arcs, actors, network plans and pet projects get terminated.
I'm still _fuming_ about Warner canceling _Westworld_ - arguably a flagship HBO Original, no less, and one which I really, really enjoyed... AND it was about to head into production on the 5th season, _of the long-planned, long since settled total run of... _*_*5 SEASONS!*_*_ They also decided on canning my beloved _Raised By Wolves,_ completely blindsiding the cast, crew, and fans - one moment, it's seemingly smooth sailing, with everyone involved planning their _lives_ around the job of creating _Raised._ Next thing everyone outside of the executive offices knows, it's all canceled... _and_ this **beautiful** science fiction world, that I proudly admit I was falling in love with, was entirely killed off, supposedly because not enough people watched it fast enough! That really stings, because, aware that each new season is released a year after the prior one, _I was intentionally taking my time, savoring each episode,_ BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT IT TO BE OVER TOO QUICKLY! Worst of all, after putting a wrecking ball through the hard work and dedication of talented visual storytellers, because they saw cash... After pulling the whole effing _floor_ out from below every person expecting and planning their _lives_ around going into production, and working on the next (3rd) season, and really hurting fans with such a callous disregard and _disrespect_ for all of us who loved _Raised_ - the cast includes some children who are (or were, anyway), just about to hdt puberty. There is/was a _seriously_ limited window of time available to incorporate the children's growing up into the show. The lost, squandered potential... It just eats me up inside. It's the last time for a long time that I'm going to start watching a new series, without waiting for it to successfully reach an intentional, planned conclusion. I am shocked that, for the first time I can remember, HBO isn't the sole option for anyone who wants to stream HBO's prestigious originals, such as _Oz,_ _The Wire,_ _GoT,_ big comedy specials, et cetera. HBO always kept a tenacious hold on their successful shows. (this is part 1 of 2 - part 2 is in a following comment)
. . . Now, we don't even know if we'll **ever** be able to ever watch these abortions, short of buying an eventual compilation - but we're merely **hoping,** blindly, that it becomes an option to settle for paying _even more_ to stream, download, or purchase on disc. I found recently that... Starz or something, some channel had taken possession of _Wolves;_ Now, _I can pay exorbitant prices to _*_*stream*_*_ the episodes - you know, JUST LIKE I'VE _ALREADY BEEN_ PAYING **HBO** TO DO! I'm honestly livid. I really enjoyed _Minx,_ which was not only a minor hit, and was being promoted on HBO, teasing the upcoming 2nd season... That second season? HBO had already paid for the whole production. It was so far along, principal filming for _Minx_ Season 2 was less than 5 days from completely finishing. In fact, from what I've read, it was so very close to completion, the entire _Minx_ cast & crew still showed up and finished the work, _DESPITE HAVING JUST LEARNED THAT HBO WAS PULLING THE PLUG, CANCELING _MINX_ DESPITE THE FACT THAT IT WAS ALREADY PAID FOR! THEY WOULD ESSENTIALLY TOSS OUT A FULL SEASON OF A POPULAR SHOW, **BEFORE** EVEN GIVING SUBSCRIBERS A CHANCE TO MAKE IT A HIT! At the end of the day, this greed-driven, shameful disregard, trading away the creative output _that provides the reason for the very existence of Home Box Office,_ jilting loyal fans and gifted, tireless creative employees alike, looting and wrecking what took countless people countless days of work to create. It's like taking a stolen car - an immaculate, hand-built '60s Mercedes, for an apt analogy - and letting the high-school dropout crew at the shady scrap yard just cut it up and crush it for scrap... Destroying a piece of art and of history, angering just about everyone who learns of the story... all for a quick $200. When they do this, it makes me seriously consider canceling my subscription. But now I have to wonder, is it some sort of _The Producers_ scam, where the new owners at Warner actually _want_ to drive HBO or HBO Max completely out of business?
Networks like Netflix, Disney +, HBO wouldn't be where they are without these talented people. The writers need to strike again and fight for their rights. The writers have the power in this situation, not the corporate heads.
@@BeachCity Then there needs to be a plan to fundamentally update the national economic system so that everyone working at those studios can still have food on their tables once the studios die.
I would agree,.but you how capitalism works, right? Basically, the executives on top make decisions for everyone under them, a tiny percentage of people make 10000 x more than the average worker. This is a larger. Issue than just writers. Americans need to wake up and democratize the work place..but, that's socialism? That means it sucks equally for everyone and everyone gets paid the same? No, it means everyone has a vote, and pay gaps aren't as insane as with capitalism. Doesn't mean that the CEO will get the same salary as the cleaners. That's just non sense propaganda from America. It means the CEO might get 7 x more than the cleaner, instead of 10000x or whatever it is. Instead of worshipping writers, how about we democratize the work place??
Support exemplary, independent creators. "Reflect upon the Past. Embrace your Present. Orchestrate our Futures." --Artemis 🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨ "Before I start, I must see my end. Destination known, my mind’s journey now begins. Upon my chariot, heart and soul’s fate revealed. In time, all points converge, hope’s strength re-steeled. But to earn final peace at the universe’s endless refrain, We must see all in nothingness... before we start again." 🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨ --Diamond Dragons (series)
@Dr. Pyssinshytz Paintings are a tool of the establishment. A painting will still show its subject even if you aren't looking at it. No imagination or participation is required to consume a painting. Books are a tool of the establishment. They encourage us to go off individually and read by ourselves. There is no human connection, social intelligence, audience participation, etc. required, unlike the oral storytelling tradition. Music is a tool of the establishment. Games are a tool of the establishment. All art and culture is a tool of the establishment!!!! Like, come on man. Obviously media can be used in a way that is manipulative, propagandistic, etc. And we, as enjoyers of media, can enjoy media mindlessly or mindfully. But the idea that an artform is inherently turning people into sheeple or whatever goes a long way to ignore more important questions about how media is produced, who produces it, etc. And, frankly, at no point has media ever been solely about deep engagement. I don't want to live in your analytical utopia where nobody ever has fun because we're too busy doing media analysis.
@Dr. Pyssinshytz The last time there was a writers strike, they replaced the shows with reality shows. We got "The Apprentice" out of that and the rest is bad history.
@@dangelo1369 The only Writers' Guild of America strike I have any conscious memory of ran from November of '007 through February of '008, and was satirized in Episode #1204, Canada On Strike. I had to look up when The Celebrity Apprentice aired because I thought it was from the '980s or '990s. There must be some way to reconcile screenwriters' need to make a living with the decline in network television.
@@Dr-Pyssin-Shytz I'm disappointed in you. You come in here barging in on how everything TV related is useless and propaganda, then you got a good logical argument against your point, and all you say is "Ok." and "nah sorry still only propaganda" Yes, propaganda does exist but it's not hard to avoid it if you know what you're watching. Same thing for books as well. As long as media has existed throughout humanity, propaganda has existed within it. So saying that TV is susceptible to propaganda as well isn't a good argument. Just make sure the news you're consuming is as unbiased as possible and make sure the TV shows you're watching have good morals instilled in them. It's not that hard.
Anyone else remember how genuinely awful late night and the daily show got during the last strike? It was pretty eye opening for me personally, every single one of those shows became literally unwatchable over night
Support independent, exemplary creators. "Reflect upon the Past. Embrace your Present. Orchestrate our Futures." --Artemis 🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨ "Before I start, I must see my end. Destination known, my mind’s journey now begins. Upon my chariot, heart and soul’s fate revealed. In time, all points converge, hope’s strength re-steeled. But to earn final peace at the universe’s endless refrain, We must see all in nothingness... before we start again." 🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨ --Diamond Dragons (series)
@soon Lmao not at all; I meant 80s ass Don Johnson in the mint green suit smoking unfiltered Lucky Strikes Miami Vice. Edward James Olmos plays Lt. Costello. He's got a whole character arc where his past as a DEA agent in the Golden Triangle catches up with him. You always know when the show goes to South America because generic pan flute music starts playing. They put all of MV on Hulu when I was around 9, if you're wondering how this ends up happening.
If you think about it, what lesson do they need to learn? They always run in the end. Ever since our US Supreme Court voted to give corporations the same rights as people, publicly traded Goliath streaming corporations’ 1st responsibility is in increasing shareholder profits. For any private corporations, well they’ve learned from the giants, & they do the same if they want to compete. Like the late 19th & early 20th centuries, during the time of the Robber Barons, we now live in an era of legally sanctioned thievery, where huge powerful corporations & oligarchs are the ones who run everything, including all 3 branches of our federal government apparently, & many of our elected state officials too. They squeeze everybody who is not them eventually. This is one more symptom of the bigger issue.
In an ideal world, the creative people would be running those industries like their own bosses. I find it absurd that people with no creative talent at all get to be Hollywood or Disney execs or get to be on the board of directors. Glorified middle men is all they really are.
Several shows I really enjoyed were axed during the last writers' strike. It's frustrating as hell that NO industry just does the right thing without being forced.
Just got notified. 97% voted to strike if no deal is reached. Let's go. For the public, sit in solidarity and break out the books, comics, and video games.
@@BeachCity What point are you even trying to make here? AI taking over jobs or not, literally either way it doesn't matter. The working class was already being mistreated even before AI was an excuse, it just gets worse over time no AI needed. The bottom line remains that people need to strike, everywhere in every industry. You reminding them what AI can do is irrelevant.
I stood on a picket line the last time, 2007, when the Writers Guild of America went on strike. Its' probably time for it to happen again, and I wish the best for those who stand up against the corporate greed that is causing this ever diminishing rate of returns for creatives who make the shows possible.
As an actress I can say with certainty that the most import part of storytelling is the WRITING. If the writing isn’t good, it doesn’t matter how amazing the acting or directing is. A good story starts with the writers.
The last time this happened we had the onslaught of *reality* TV. Please, for the love of all that's holy, GIVE THE WRITERS THEIR DUE! STOP BEING GREEDY!
History channels-reality tv Discovery channel-reality tv Tlc-reality tv E!-reality tv Cheaper ,easy to make , makes great background noise and rage bait
It is unconciable that these studios are making that much money, and at the same time are nickel and diming writers on fair compensation that would barely touch those billions. I don't care if my favorite shows shut down for a time because writers are on strike. If you have to strike, do it.
How much does it cost to produce a single hour long episode, let alone a season? I understand the writers want compensation! But I’m not blind to simply vomiting out the word “greed” and moving on simply from that from the perspective of capital.
@@acbower4468 Profits are higher than ever, so however much it is, there's plenty left over to increase wages. There's also the fact that profits are higher explicitly because wages and residuals have been cut.
Gone are the days of script writers, comedy writers, and quality programming especially "family" shows like Everybody loves Raymond, King of Queens, Seinfeld, Frazier, Cheers, Taxi, Who's the Boss, The Facts of Life, Family Ties, and many more; those days are long gone. They know this generation has the attention span of a gnat. If they strike, I don't think it will make a difference to the Industry. they can put anything on and stupid people will be entertained by it. Greed wins again.
@@theoneonly259- That's where the realities of life as a scriptwriter come in. A writer may show up with a couple of stories already plotted out in their heads, ready to pitch. But the person in charge is a dunce, the writer needs to pay the rent, and so the writer throws out the next couple of ideas, and the next, and the next, until the dunce finally likes one. Now the scriptwriter has to write _that_ idea, the one vomited out in a moment of desperation. (Harlan Ellison described this process, once, and I'm working off memory.) With the rise of the Internet, face-to-face meetings may not even occur. If the writer does sell a script, they lose control over it. As you said, 'dime a dozen.' Everybody from the dunce in charge to the janitor can suggest changes. Actors count lines, or insist that they can't say certain lines (not 'My character wouldn't say that' but 'I can't say that'). Something happens at the last minute. Standards and Practices sends over a memo. What viewers see may bear little resemblance to the script the writer sold. And these writers have to do this over and over.
I abandoned network TV more than a decade ago. I’m not happy shelling out money for every streaming service that has the quality shows I enjoy, but some of that subscription money should go to the writers. Not to a greedy CEO that packs writers into a script-producing meatgrinder and pays those writers internship wages. I support a strike. A LONG strike.
‘You don’t work at the same job for 10 years and make less money than you did when you first started doing it.” Welcome to capitalism. Every year that inflation is higher than the cost of living raises given by corporate, this is exactly what happened. I doubled my salary over the last 16 years but was still making 4k less per year in disposable income on my last day than I was on my first day 16 years earlier.
this is not about paying the writers to save the "quality of our content." it's about supporting a livable wage for people like you and me. successful strikes spill over to other industries and will inevitably help you earn a fairer wage. this is a time for the working class to come together and get a win against the 1%. i'm pumped about this
I love how the payment is called residuals. It feels like throwing food scraps at some stray dogs. It makes me want to spiral down further into madness.
We are living in a golden age of TV entertainment. Streaming services have been funding some of the most compelling content ever to hit the small screen. I remember the writers' strike of the mid-2000s that led to the advent of godawful reality TV. Let's hope this contract gets worked out. The merger that neutered HBO is already a tragedy (Where's my _Doom Patrol_ ?). Without the writers this could get much, much worse, and it could happen quickly. I support the writers in their efforts to receive fair pay. I don't want to see ChatGTP written stories.
Are we? Beloved shows are getting axed before they can even hit their stride, quantity is clearly being prioritized over quality, Disney owns fucking everything, and Warner Discovery is in free fall with a right-wing nut in charge. I think media eras are now shorter lived than ever, and you’re referring to something that was maybe true 10-15 years ago, but breathed its last gasp already.
Actually I DO want to see ChatGPT written stories-because I want to watch them fail and see it proven that humans are irreplaceable when it comes to creativity. We may need the dark before the dawn.
$20k to $30k a script can be some bougie living in a lot of places (if you're writing and selling 6 to 10 scripts a year) , but to have that go down to $700 or $23 is absolutely brutal.
It was not for a script, but per episode re-airing. So if your show with 10 episodes re-airs, he would get 200.000 normally as a residual. Might be a little less since typically writers focus on certain episodes and don't write the whole show.
Hope these writer strikes work out better than the ones in the 2000s where it just lead to the reality tv boom. Solidarity with all strikers. Screw these ceos just hoarding wealth
Well, it’s not just that. The production cost of producing a bad show is astronomical now. Add that to diminishing returns on individual shows in regards to the streaming service as a whole and I can see where production is trying to go…I’m not saying I like it or support it, but it is what it is. The writers will get what they want after this, but the long term might not be what they had in mind.
And the dynamics have changed. Content used to drive revenue…I first got an HBO subscription to watch “The Sopranos” 25 years ago. I think producers are seeing that’s not the case anymore…people will have streaming services or cable regardless of what’s being produced. So the dynamic of what drives capital is very weird now. I think we all see a “quantity over quality” trend happening, especially on streaming services. From my own personal view, my TV has sports on and my phone has TH-cam on. The want or need to watch shows isn’t what it used to be, especially being a northerner in Spring! Why in the hell would I want to be inside with a TV, lol
This concept of the mini-rooms makes a lot of sense in looking at how disjointed so many shows have felt over the last 3 years too. They no longer have a large team working on a cohesive project.
I hate to say this, but if another writers' strike happens, you can be GUARANTEED Hollywood will start to use AI to write scripts more and more frequently than before and do away with writers COMPLETELY. It's scary, sad, and infurating but that's the new directions this is all leading to. This is not to say they should not strike, they totally should, but I think something else HAS TO happen besides a strike to really make a point. Maybe the general public going out in support of the writers? Boycotting productions? I don't know...
Why should we care about script writers? You people in the comments are some pretty weird communists thats for sure. And are you suggesting terrorism? In the name of script writer compensation? HAA!!!!!
This is already a guarantee. Striking now when the technology is new and unintegrated makes more sense than waiting until the corps are "ready" and just lay everyone off.
The crew stands in solidarity with our writers. The director and actor union contracts are also due for re-negotiation this summer. The producers are already tightening the screws to us, the crew. There has been little to no work since the holidays! Everything is "on hold." We're still here. We're not going anywhere and we will tighten our belts and stand, once again ✊🏿
"You don't work the same job for ten years and make less money than you did when you first started doing it" Yes you do. That is exactly what the MBAs have been doing to every working sector for decades. An ever-growing share of all revenues in every industry are going to an ever-shrinking number of people in the executive/owner class. Workers in nearly every field from farms to construction to teachers to mechanics to grocers to warehouse and distribution to software and support. If you are making the same money than someone who did your job ten years (or longer) ago, you're doing better than most.
This same kind of devaluation and diminishment of talent is happening across the board with all workers in every industry. The corporatization and privatization of our institutions, our services, our staples, our military, our government, and our entire economic systems serves one purpose…enrich the elite few by oppressing the masses. Just like the systems of slavery and feudalism, capitalism in all its forms is intrinsically inequitable. As long as a few make the decisions and run the show, emphasizing profits over people and planet, we All suffer.
Writers and artists are the heart and soul of our world. I would be happy if they were the only ones making millions and to treat them like this is abhorrent. And yet, these large companies would rather shoot themselves in the foot and have their streaming companies crash in 20 years than to pay them for content that everyone loves and enjoys.
Dont turn up for work and you are fired. How about that? These people are a dime a dozen. Let them take illegal strike action and see how it turns out for them.
THANK YOU for explaining what issues you are facing. It certainly helps to have this information rather than a "supposed" idea of what challenges you are facing. Wishing all the best as you proceed forward. And thanks again for the clarity!
In 1997 I made a living as a magazine writer, freelancer. I made upwards of 1-2 bucks a word for a 3000 word article. Today they pay almost nothing if they exist at all. It is all a "foot in the door" to... having a lot more people look at you for the same zero sum.
@@wqsuuhhdrvjj I didnt' say i made bank, i only made "a living" rent/bills. Writer's with stock portfolios are not something I've run across. I bounced over to being a marketing writer/copywriter and now Creative Director. I had to it was the only way to continue writing (if you could call it that...) and paying bills. And now AI is shutting even that down. I've aged out of marketing agency work in person at least anyway i can't brag about the olden days or else i don't get called back!
@@wqsuuhhdrvjj Thank you and i agree. The web has created a new level of apathy that, to cut through it, goes beyond what an AI bot can do. In fact let me coin a whole new phrase to describe it: "Only a real writer can think outside the BOT..."
Seo destroyed the internet, but that what people want, entertainment is the lowest priority for most people, so they like it cheap and that we’re ads comes in but everybody complain about ads, also most shows suck , article are one line or a bunch of paragraph repeating the same thing, TH-cam nowadays is the same they extend the video because longer videos pay more , that why everyone is creating a podcast. Unfortunately in this world is always about the money, everything you find weird or strange in a industry the answer is always money.
@@wqsuuhhdrvjj seo leads to traffic, more traffic mean more ad revenue, with you example of cooking ever go recipes website they are awful. You just need some keywords and your page will rank higher even if the information sucks, google search nowadays is worst than before.
Hollywood is only destroying itself. I mean you have an industry full of top people that will lecture everyone else about “paying their fair share” while simultaneously, those same people will pack up and film in Toronto or Georgia or anywhere else where they can snag a tax credit… And as production becomes more and more expensive it’s only going to get worse and worse.
@@BeachCity what is this mind vomit? It's like you asked chat GTP to give a stereotypical right wing troll commemt about Hollywood. There's something sort of resembling an overarching theme, but that's it.
Should have happened 13 years ago. Any labor movement for worker rights has my attention and support. Hollywood is why I have media burnout and disinterest in what they are throwing up to be consumed.
OMG, I thought this was what was happening on Hulu (content just disappears). It makes total sense. I hope the creators don't have to strike, but I think everyone will understand if they do.
Hey they can always sell it to Tubi if nobody wants to watch it. Or pay for it anyway. There is a market for content like that you know. People like me that refuse to pay for modern entertainment watch Tubi from time to time. People that pay for streaming services make me sick. What the hell are you watching anyway? Stranger Things? What is wrong with you people?
That was informative. Unfortunately, it's like every industry now. Even university lectures are majority freelance, and are now expected to create in person as well as online materials for students. I have to create exams and hope that student attend. If the don't show up, I'm not paid for my time or the creation of that exam. And this in Europe, where workers actually have more rights. The world is changing so fast it's just terrifying. I am afraid we're all screwed, except for those lucky few at the top. Yay.
@@DLCS-2 Germany. I don't think it is so different to anywhere else in this regard. This wouldn't be so bad, but there are rules to limit the number of class hours that can be given to a lecturer at each university (ie: 10 hours), which just means that lecturers need to work for multiple universities to ear a living wage, or land a full-time employment contract. There is a push everywhere to have more adjunct lecturers who are either paid by the lesson, or a lump sum for the semester. This of course changes with actual 'employment.' It's all a load of crap, of course. Many moons ago, I worked at a bookstore in New York (/the/ bookstore, at the flagship location). I was never scheduled for more than... 37.5? (I can't remember the exact number) hours, because any more than that and they would have to give me benefits. That was in the early 2000s. I highly doubt anything has changed for the better anywhere. ... I hope I am wrong.
Please they bring endless copies and "reboots" of other writers work putting their own spin which adds nothing of value. Incidentally that is the special talent of Artificial intelligence in ingesting 50 episodes and producing a bespoke "updated" reboot for a fraction of the cost. Smart writers should seek out those startups right now
We (union members) went through the same issue when cable first got started. It took SAG-AFTRA decades to catch up to paying people what they had been paid on network for a cable program. Eventually, Hollywood ran to Vancouver for a lot of their production, because in Canada, apparently, the American unions have no sway. The industry will win, and performers and writers will lose. If we fight them hard enough, they'll just abandon California for British Columbia.
Won't BC start taxing them then for establishing permanent bases? I don't think the Canadians will want to set a precedent for a foreign business entity evading taxes.
Well that Great PurpleRobe is not entirely accurate. Here in BC ( British Columbia) We do in fact have a union that is indeed connected to the USA unions. We are one and the same. Where things differ would be our labor laws and levels of compensation. But our dues are in part paid to the union in NYC. So yes they have sway.
@@SlapstickGenius23 Well first slapstick Genius, we DONT have states!! We have provinces, and we ARE NOT TIRED of Hollywood companies filming here. We welcome it and we give tax credit for it...
I'm all for a "Viewer's Strike". Turn off our TVs, cancel our subscriptions until these prics start realizing nobody gets paid if we stop watching. Give these writers what they earn.
I heard that a writer's strike is what brought about the reality tv pandemic. If they strike, we will all suffer, but if it's what they end up needing to do then so be it
I was upset when they did the writers strike in 2007. I fully support the writers, and the stunt doubles, and the crew, and the VFX artists striking in 2023. Don't come back until Hollywood begs you to take more money to keep them alive.
I love my shows and would rather lose them for a while if it means the people actually doing the writing are being fairly compensated than keep getting shittier and shittier shows because nobody can churn out quality content under these conditions.
There’s never been a worse time for writers to go on strike to get public support lol the MCU, DC, Star Wars, Star Trek and many other massive franchises have fallen from grace due to terrible writing.
Writing on spec, not getting paid, or getting paid a pittance for a really hard mental job-----and a lot of replacement with pathetic twisted AI. We're letting creativity get totally buried and wiping out an aspect of storytelling and replacing it with more garbage solely developed to make money.
You may not realize it but any entertainment that you consume is a form of propaganda and the point of it is not at all to make money. These corporations do not need your money. Thats what you idiots fail to understand. Stepping on the writers isnt about the money. Anyway - what are you even talking about? These worthless writers havent produced anything of value in the last two decades. Why shouldnt so-called AI replace these people? All they really do is cut and paste anyway? Formulas already exist. Templates that make their propaganda very easy to produce. Chatbot could do it easily and probably a lot better too. Its the same when it comes to journalism. Its all very simple. What great art have you been watching anyway? I dare you to name something. You cant can you. Not without feeling embarrassed and knowing that you are being stupid. What? Stranger Things? Walking Dead? Game of Thrones? What have you been watching? What did I miss?
The last Writer's strike gave us Dr Horrible's Sing Along Blog but also tanked Heroes' second season quite badly (and it never really recovered). It was a very interesting time to be a TV content consumer back then, honestly I look back on it fondly. I hope it paid off for the Writers too, and thus my vote is go strike! Y'all deserve to be paid properly, you creative people you!
Writers deserve more respect. Without them, many of the projects wouldn't happen. But a lot of writers need to respect the source material that they write for cause a lot of the movie and tv in the last few years has been bad.
Well this sheds some light on the absolute garbage being pumped out these days. Disney and almost all their Star Wars shows have abysmal writing, despite their immensely deep pockets, which you’d think would be able to buy proper quality. Just goes to show that once something turns into an industry, it is ruined. Look at video games on top of this, constant microtransactions, battlepasses, higher prices for games and DLCs. There was even a leaked Bungie corporate presentation which showed their business model of deliberately drip feeding content for DLCs, stating that if they go above and beyond, it just increases the odds players will compare progress/content from a prior DLC to the new one, they might be disappointed in the new DLC if the quality/quantity of content doesn’t match the old. So each season and DLC can only have an X amount of content max, aiming for mundane consistency instead of impressive innovation.
@@BeachCity None of that is true but I'm not going to waste time trying to educate a willfully ignorant stranger. If you wanted to know better you would.
Art was always reliant on someone musicians were beggars, painter need patrons, footballers were poor, so everything is reliant on selling advertising musicians in music video and lyrics, tv ( series,films,tvShows) on product placement and ads in intervals, that why streaming is not profitable, if a 30s ad on Super Bowl costs 7 millions dollars , to make money they need to charge like 50$ a month before a tv show could be on a 1000 channel now only on 5 (if streaming wins).
Gotta say that I absolutely love this model of residuals and would welcome this in any other creative industry. The way I know it is that you get hired as an agency or contractor and a company buys the rights to your work for a flat fee per month. The residual model gives you ownership over your work
The same problem exists in EVERY industry now where people are making LESS while their employers make more. Its called exploitation, its called capitalism. I feel for these writers, but for sure its not unique to their industry and its a common theme in america now
Our economic system tends towards power consolidation, the bigger fish gobble up the smaller fish. It's happened all throughout history & we're currently living thru it again.
Why wouldn't you stand up for them? They didn't make a whole lot of money before all this. It paid the bills, and for those who also wrote print fiction, it allowed them time to write their own stuff (rather than wait tables or whatever).
@@julietfischer5056 I should've said that "Hollywood writers" had never been on my radar. I believe EVERY worker, no matter the job, should earn a livable salary commiserate with the money their employer rakes in. Not that long ago CEO pay was 12x the average employee salary. It's now ballooned to 300-400+ times! Things have to change. Things will change. The question is whether or not the change will be "peaceful".
@@BeachCity ChatGPT is only the newest invasion of AI into our lives. Imagine a world where the AI is fused with sex bots, robotic police "dogs" (for now), and possibly taking over our "human" jobs nearly entirely. Many knowledgable scientists have warned about this "takeover" for years. Unfortunately, the warnings seem to fall on deaf ears.
@@x5775- And whether that change will be from a massive economic collapse that will drag down the world, or from a revolution that will also affect the world. We're far too interconnected for the economic woes of one nation to not influence others.
You used to be able to raise a family writing for tv. Not anymore. With mini rooms and even 20 week rooms, writers need to look for a new job every 4 1/2 months. That’s batshit crazy.
Chris Prat being Mario is bad yet the movie is gonna hit 1billion soon. He can’t be that bad.outside of that comment, I like the information you guys gave here.
WGA news just broke. I'm stand with the writers. For too long they been disrespected and their cries have gone unheard. We need to do a mass boycott of these streaming services. This is bad. An influx of reality shows will soon flood the platforms.
The Rings of Power was so bad. I would bet someone good money I could write a better Lord of the Rings show that actually respected Tolkien's legacy and ideas.
@@BeachCity I want my own holodeck too, but I live in the real world. All economic models from socialism to capitalism fail for the same reason. They don't factor in human greed.
@@BeachCity That future you're describing is socialism with automation, or perhaps even communism. There will never be a world where everything is virtually free under capitalism, even if almost all work is automated because business owners will still want to maximize profits. We'll just get paid less and have a larger percentage of unemployed people. The executive class isn't suddenly going to grow a heart then. If somehow what you describe does end up being the case under capitalism, it will only be a local affair, propped up by the continued exploitation of workers in the global south. Something like the current Nordic countries' models.
To anyone yelling "But what about my favorite shows they're gonna get cancelled-" You are valuing your favorite shows over human lives who need to get paid to live. Sit down.
It is so sad that writers have to fight so hard to get what they so much deserve. If they need to strike to be heard and be compensated for what they deserve, STRIKE!!!
People need to start supporting INDEPENDENT, exemplary creators. "Reflect upon the Past. Embrace your Present. Orchestrate our Futures." --Artemis 🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨ "Before I start, I must see my end. Destination known, my mind’s journey now begins. Upon my chariot, heart and soul’s fate revealed. In time, all points converge, hope’s strength re-steeled. But to earn final peace at the universe’s endless refrain, We must see all in nothingness... before we start again." 🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨ --Diamond Dragons (series)
TV has gone downhill over the past ten years. I cancelled cable, cancelled Netflix and watch less than a quarter of the content I used to before the streaming services started pushing their own in-house content....which usually sucks. You should strike.
@@theoneonly259 Regular people. I, for one, am envious that these writers have a union and can go on strike. In the industry I work in, we have no unions and no power at all. More power to the strikers!
Because they are whining about more money and that’s it so what it’s there fault for making most crap nowadays and all you can’t get more money when the economy is in ruins and who’s fault is that people?
Seems like you could aggregate a comparison between how much reruns were watched vs how often people stream an episode, then use that figure to weight streaming and come up with a direct comparison, seems like this should've been remedied with something like that years ago.
Reruns were imposed on you by networks, streaming you open the app and nothing is playing you choose what you want to watch, also most tv shows made money with ads streaming there’s no ads (I know Netflix is trying an ad model)
"You don't work the same job for 10 years and make less money than you did when you started it" I mean...yeah, that's exactly what a huge majority of jobs do.
I mean I get it, it sucks... but theres so many solutions out there that replace a writer. I can now get an production ready script for a fraction of the price and just hire a producer to make it picture ready, and the content providers are buying it cause its cheaper. I think if theres an expectation for studios to adjust their practices, then writers should also be diversifying their skill set to stay competitive. The fact that you expect things to be the same like 10 years ago, is unrealistic. The entire industry is changing. If you want to keep up, you gotta change or you'll be left behind. Ill be honest, I dont think much positivity is going to come if they strike.
Treamster from Canada. I hope the writers get what they need and deserve I remember an interview where an actor was asked a question ( ruffly if i remember ) why they were going from motion pictures to tv…. Their answer was. The better writers have gone to tv..
Please, someone 🙏 please, tell me the narrators name. I remember her old show, well the short scripts she used to read on another program, vur I forgot her name (and the name of her former show). It is driving me crazy!!
The last writers strike was the catalyst for the creation of 'reality TV' ( which I abhor with a passion) SO maybe if they do strike again the Networks or Hollywood in general will get AI to write shows. They'll do anything as long as it's cheaper. The viewer will once again have to swallow the lower standards of entertainment. We depend on good writers - pay them what they are worth.
The gentleman who said the problem is the consolidation of power... Nailed it. Raise taxes, do UBI. High income earners aren't wealthy because they're somehow innately better, they're just greedier.
Hollywood is a marketing machine so when you cut marketing (ADS), there’s no money to be made , people aren’t going to pay a fair price for media, they always complain about the price increase from Netflix. I watch quite a lot of shows and most are mediocre,euphoria every one rages about is skins in esteroids, just a show is expensive doesn’t mean is “good”, strange things to be honest is not my cut of tea, network television don’t talk about they only know to do medical dramas,firefighters shows,lawyers shows ( that suck they don’t know how to make good ones),police shows that I like the rookie, Vera,the Brookenwood mysteries ect. They make shows always around the same themes, sitcoms 95% are not funny. Films are always remakes and old ip , I liked the spider man into the spiderverse from sony
I do wonder that every time a show disappears from streaming because a company doesn't want to pay residuals, how many people suddenly think, "hmm...maybe I should learn more about piracy".
I certainly hope they make a deal that is in favor of the writers before May 1st, if not... strike away people, we have decades of entertainment we can watch while we wait for new well written material to come along after you get what you need, and deserve! :)
As of 12:01am on May 2nd, the Writers Guild of America went on strike. To show solidarity with the striking writers, we’ve set up a simple tool to email the CEOs of Netflix, Amazon, Disney and HBO Max and support the writers’ demands! actionnetwork.org/letters/support-striking-writers-guild-members/?source=ytcomment
Do it, strike! No working people in any industry should tolerate this behavior. We're with you!
I see a problem. How many thousands of lifetimes of stockpiled scripts and public domain works have these networks stockpiled already?
We saw some of that during the last writers' strike. That's also where the current wave of "talent shows" and reality tv was born.
It feels to me like things in every artistic field are moving in the direction of the book publishing industry. Pretty soon, it will be up to the "writers" to produce the entire series themselves and then shop the finished product around to distributors.
Good! Nobody cares or watches this garbage
Yeah! Let's all go to Paris and set fire to some rubbish in the streets!
私もこのストライキには賛成です。
労働者の権利を大切にしたいです。
@@-O-bv7fb That's easy for you to say.
I'm so ready for a writer's strike. Every time this happens, things get real weird. Careers, story arcs, actors, network plans and pet projects get terminated.
There's no shows like Lost of Heroes on right now so LETS GO WRITERS STRIKE! They deserve to be paid what they're worth like everyone else. :)
Last writer's strike was amazing. TBH I'd love to see it last long enough to cut some of these companies down to size
Unfortunately, there will probably will never be one. Most writers will be replaced by AI
I'm still _fuming_ about Warner canceling _Westworld_ - arguably a flagship HBO Original, no less, and one which I really, really enjoyed... AND it was about to head into production on the 5th season, _of the long-planned, long since settled total run of... _*_*5 SEASONS!*_*_ They also decided on canning my beloved _Raised By Wolves,_ completely blindsiding the cast, crew, and fans - one moment, it's seemingly smooth sailing, with everyone involved planning their _lives_ around the job of creating _Raised._ Next thing everyone outside of the executive offices knows, it's all canceled... _and_ this **beautiful** science fiction world, that I proudly admit I was falling in love with, was entirely killed off, supposedly because not enough people watched it fast enough! That really stings, because, aware that each new season is released a year after the prior one, _I was intentionally taking my time, savoring each episode,_ BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT IT TO BE OVER TOO QUICKLY! Worst of all, after putting a wrecking ball through the hard work and dedication of talented visual storytellers, because they saw cash... After pulling the whole effing _floor_ out from below every person expecting and planning their _lives_ around going into production, and working on the next (3rd) season, and really hurting fans with such a callous disregard and _disrespect_ for all of us who loved _Raised_ - the cast includes some children who are (or were, anyway), just about to hdt puberty. There is/was a _seriously_ limited window of time available to incorporate the children's growing up into the show.
The lost, squandered potential... It just eats me up inside. It's the last time for a long time that I'm going to start watching a new series, without waiting for it to successfully reach an intentional, planned conclusion.
I am shocked that, for the first time I can remember, HBO isn't the sole option for anyone who wants to stream HBO's prestigious originals, such as _Oz,_ _The Wire,_ _GoT,_ big comedy specials, et cetera. HBO always kept a tenacious hold on their successful shows.
(this is part 1 of 2 - part 2 is in a following comment)
. . . Now, we don't even know if we'll **ever** be able to ever watch these abortions, short of buying an eventual compilation - but we're merely **hoping,** blindly, that it becomes an option to settle for paying _even more_ to stream, download, or purchase on disc.
I found recently that... Starz or something, some channel had taken possession of _Wolves;_
Now, _I can pay exorbitant prices to _*_*stream*_*_ the episodes - you know, JUST LIKE I'VE _ALREADY BEEN_ PAYING **HBO** TO DO!
I'm honestly livid. I really enjoyed _Minx,_ which was not only a minor hit, and was being promoted on HBO, teasing the upcoming 2nd season... That second season? HBO had already paid for the whole production. It was so far along, principal filming for _Minx_ Season 2 was less than 5 days from completely finishing. In fact, from what I've read, it was so very close to completion, the entire _Minx_ cast & crew still showed up and finished the work, _DESPITE HAVING JUST LEARNED THAT HBO WAS PULLING THE PLUG, CANCELING _MINX_ DESPITE THE FACT THAT IT WAS ALREADY PAID FOR! THEY WOULD ESSENTIALLY TOSS OUT A FULL SEASON OF A POPULAR SHOW, **BEFORE** EVEN GIVING SUBSCRIBERS A CHANCE TO MAKE IT A HIT!
At the end of the day, this greed-driven, shameful disregard, trading away the creative output _that provides the reason for the very existence of Home Box Office,_ jilting loyal fans and gifted, tireless creative employees alike, looting and wrecking what took countless people countless days of work to create. It's like taking a stolen car - an immaculate, hand-built '60s Mercedes, for an apt analogy - and letting the high-school dropout crew at the shady scrap yard just cut it up and crush it for scrap... Destroying a piece of art and of history, angering just about everyone who learns of the story... all for a quick $200.
When they do this, it makes me seriously consider canceling my subscription.
But now I have to wonder, is it some sort of _The Producers_ scam, where the new owners at Warner actually _want_ to drive HBO or HBO Max completely out of business?
Networks like Netflix, Disney +, HBO wouldn't be where they are without these talented people. The writers need to strike again and fight for their rights. The writers have the power in this situation, not the corporate heads.
@@BeachCity I hope so. 😀
Forget fantasy land. I hope all of those corporations go bankrupt tomorrow and the entire film and tv industry goes away.
@@BeachCity Then there needs to be a plan to fundamentally update the national economic system so that everyone working at those studios can still have food on their tables once the studios die.
I would agree,.but you how capitalism works, right? Basically, the executives on top make decisions for everyone under them, a tiny percentage of people make 10000 x more than the average worker. This is a larger. Issue than just writers. Americans need to wake up and democratize the work place..but, that's socialism? That means it sucks equally for everyone and everyone gets paid the same? No, it means everyone has a vote, and pay gaps aren't as insane as with capitalism. Doesn't mean that the CEO will get the same salary as the cleaners. That's just non sense propaganda from America. It means the CEO might get 7 x more than the cleaner, instead of 10000x or whatever it is. Instead of worshipping writers, how about we democratize the work place??
Support exemplary, independent creators.
"Reflect upon the Past.
Embrace your Present.
Orchestrate our Futures." --Artemis
🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨
"Before I start, I must see my end.
Destination known, my mind’s journey now begins.
Upon my chariot, heart and soul’s fate revealed.
In time, all points converge, hope’s strength re-steeled.
But to earn final peace at the universe’s endless refrain,
We must see all in nothingness... before we start again."
🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨
--Diamond Dragons (series)
All I can contribute is that without quality writers, series are useless.
@Dr. Pyssinshytz Paintings are a tool of the establishment. A painting will still show its subject even if you aren't looking at it. No imagination or participation is required to consume a painting.
Books are a tool of the establishment. They encourage us to go off individually and read by ourselves. There is no human connection, social intelligence, audience participation, etc. required, unlike the oral storytelling tradition.
Music is a tool of the establishment. Games are a tool of the establishment. All art and culture is a tool of the establishment!!!!
Like, come on man. Obviously media can be used in a way that is manipulative, propagandistic, etc. And we, as enjoyers of media, can enjoy media mindlessly or mindfully. But the idea that an artform is inherently turning people into sheeple or whatever goes a long way to ignore more important questions about how media is produced, who produces it, etc. And, frankly, at no point has media ever been solely about deep engagement. I don't want to live in your analytical utopia where nobody ever has fun because we're too busy doing media analysis.
@Dr. Pyssinshytz The last time there was a writers strike, they replaced the shows with reality shows. We got "The Apprentice" out of that and the rest is bad history.
Bruh. Tv and film and are useless. 🤷♂️
@@dangelo1369 The only Writers' Guild of America strike I have any conscious memory of ran from November of '007 through February of '008, and was satirized in Episode #1204, Canada On Strike. I had to look up when The Celebrity Apprentice aired because I thought it was from the '980s or '990s. There must be some way to reconcile screenwriters' need to make a living with the decline in network television.
@@Dr-Pyssin-Shytz I'm disappointed in you. You come in here barging in on how everything TV related is useless and propaganda, then you got a good logical argument against your point, and all you say is "Ok." and "nah sorry still only propaganda"
Yes, propaganda does exist but it's not hard to avoid it if you know what you're watching. Same thing for books as well. As long as media has existed throughout humanity, propaganda has existed within it. So saying that TV is susceptible to propaganda as well isn't a good argument.
Just make sure the news you're consuming is as unbiased as possible and make sure the TV shows you're watching have good morals instilled in them. It's not that hard.
Anyone else remember how genuinely awful late night and the daily show got during the last strike? It was pretty eye opening for me personally, every single one of those shows became literally unwatchable over night
Right dude!? Some of the most bizarre television, it also ushered in a whole slew of "reality" TV crud. This strike needs to happen.
@@_jjcaballero How do we know we won't get a second wave of shows like The Real Housewives?
Support independent, exemplary creators.
"Reflect upon the Past.
Embrace your Present.
Orchestrate our Futures." --Artemis
🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨
"Before I start, I must see my end.
Destination known, my mind’s journey now begins.
Upon my chariot, heart and soul’s fate revealed.
In time, all points converge, hope’s strength re-steeled.
But to earn final peace at the universe’s endless refrain,
We must see all in nothingness... before we start again."
🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨
--Diamond Dragons (series)
@soon I am 24
@soon Lmao not at all; I meant 80s ass Don Johnson in the mint green suit smoking unfiltered Lucky Strikes Miami Vice. Edward James Olmos plays Lt. Costello. He's got a whole character arc where his past as a DEA agent in the Golden Triangle catches up with him. You always know when the show goes to South America because generic pan flute music starts playing. They put all of MV on Hulu when I was around 9, if you're wondering how this ends up happening.
Corporations always find a way to screw the very people who create the products they sell. It's amazing they never learn their lesson.
If you think about it, what lesson do they need to learn? They always run in the end. Ever since our US Supreme Court voted to give corporations the same rights as people, publicly traded Goliath streaming corporations’ 1st responsibility is in increasing shareholder profits.
For any private corporations, well they’ve learned from the giants, & they do the same if they want to compete.
Like the late 19th & early 20th centuries, during the time of the Robber Barons, we now live in an era of legally sanctioned thievery, where huge powerful corporations & oligarchs are the ones who run everything, including all 3 branches of our federal government apparently, & many of our elected state officials too. They squeeze everybody who is not them eventually. This is one more symptom of the bigger issue.
In an ideal world, the creative people would be running those industries like their own bosses. I find it absurd that people with no creative talent at all get to be Hollywood or Disney execs or get to be on the board of directors.
Glorified middle men is all they really are.
What lesson? It's working for them.
Learn what lesson? That screwing ppl = more money?
@@GenerationX1984 All people are creative. AI will help release and explosion of human creativity.
Several shows I really enjoyed were axed during the last writers' strike. It's frustrating as hell that NO industry just does the right thing without being forced.
@@BeachCity Perhaps I need to watch Episode #2604, Deep Learning, a little early, just so I can know what my generation's up against.
And even then...
Just got notified. 97% voted to strike if no deal is reached. Let's go.
For the public, sit in solidarity and break out the books, comics, and video games.
@@BeachCity lmao that's a fucking joke
@@BeachCity judging by your dumbass answer, you've never used ChatGPT 😅
Spoken like someone who’s never used gpt
@@BeachCity I’m not a writer but I have used ChatGPT and no it can’t do the same job for zero😂
@@BeachCity What point are you even trying to make here?
AI taking over jobs or not, literally either way it doesn't matter. The working class was already being mistreated even before AI was an excuse, it just gets worse over time no AI needed.
The bottom line remains that people need to strike, everywhere in every industry. You reminding them what AI can do is irrelevant.
Writers are the backbone of a show. To mistreat them is to ensure your company's downfall. I support this strike 100%.
@Adrian Sandlin - Truth. Standing in solidarity with the Writers 100%. Period!
I stood on a picket line the last time, 2007, when the Writers Guild of America went on strike. Its' probably time for it to happen again, and I wish the best for those who stand up against the corporate greed that is causing this ever diminishing rate of returns for creatives who make the shows possible.
🔥💪
As an actress I can say with certainty that the most import part of storytelling is the WRITING. If the writing isn’t good, it doesn’t matter how amazing the acting or directing is. A good story starts with the writers.
And when they are done they’re done. They don’t get time in post production, because it would be fucking odd to have an editor do the opposite.
The last time this happened we had the onslaught of *reality* TV.
Please, for the love of all that's holy, GIVE THE WRITERS THEIR DUE! STOP BEING GREEDY!
Unfortunately Reality TV became a goldmine. This next one might be a platinum mine.
History channels-reality tv
Discovery channel-reality tv
Tlc-reality tv
E!-reality tv
Cheaper ,easy to make , makes great background noise and rage bait
Amen
It is unconciable that these studios are making that much money, and at the same time are nickel and diming writers on fair compensation that would barely touch those billions. I don't care if my favorite shows shut down for a time because writers are on strike. If you have to strike, do it.
One word *Greed* Greed is *not* good Michael Douglas lol!
How much does it cost to produce a single hour long episode, let alone a season? I understand the writers want compensation! But I’m not blind to simply vomiting out the word “greed” and moving on simply from that from the perspective of capital.
@@acbower4468 Profits are higher than ever, so however much it is, there's plenty left over to increase wages. There's also the fact that profits are higher explicitly because wages and residuals have been cut.
Even before streaming, scriptwriters weren't getting paid very well. Now it's absurd.
Gone are the days of script writers, comedy writers, and quality
programming especially "family" shows like Everybody loves Raymond,
King of Queens, Seinfeld, Frazier, Cheers, Taxi, Who's the Boss, The Facts of Life,
Family Ties, and many more; those days are long gone. They know this generation has the attention span
of a gnat. If they strike, I don't think it will make a difference to the Industry. they can put anything on and
stupid people will be entertained by it. Greed wins again.
@@peacebeyondpassion2 not everyone wants to watch split screen train track games with reruns of Seth MacFarlane shows sludge content.
@@Iqueydon’t you like to watch milf manor?😂
They are a dime a dozen. That is why. ANd even the best ones are utterly terrible.
@@theoneonly259- That's where the realities of life as a scriptwriter come in.
A writer may show up with a couple of stories already plotted out in their heads, ready to pitch. But the person in charge is a dunce, the writer needs to pay the rent, and so the writer throws out the next couple of ideas, and the next, and the next, until the dunce finally likes one. Now the scriptwriter has to write _that_ idea, the one vomited out in a moment of desperation. (Harlan Ellison described this process, once, and I'm working off memory.) With the rise of the Internet, face-to-face meetings may not even occur.
If the writer does sell a script, they lose control over it. As you said, 'dime a dozen.' Everybody from the dunce in charge to the janitor can suggest changes. Actors count lines, or insist that they can't say certain lines (not 'My character wouldn't say that' but 'I can't say that'). Something happens at the last minute. Standards and Practices sends over a memo. What viewers see may bear little resemblance to the script the writer sold.
And these writers have to do this over and over.
I abandoned network TV more than a decade ago. I’m not happy shelling out money for every streaming service that has the quality shows I enjoy, but some of that subscription money should go to the writers. Not to a greedy CEO that packs writers into a script-producing meatgrinder and pays those writers internship wages.
I support a strike. A LONG strike.
‘You don’t work at the same job for 10 years and make less money than you did when you first started doing it.” Welcome to capitalism. Every year that inflation is higher than the cost of living raises given by corporate, this is exactly what happened. I doubled my salary over the last 16 years but was still making 4k less per year in disposable income on my last day than I was on my first day 16 years earlier.
this is not about paying the writers to save the "quality of our content." it's about supporting a livable wage for people like you and me. successful strikes spill over to other industries and will inevitably help you earn a fairer wage. this is a time for the working class to come together and get a win against the 1%. i'm pumped about this
thank you MPU for such a great video
I love how the payment is called residuals. It feels like throwing food scraps at some stray dogs. It makes me want to spiral down further into madness.
We are living in a golden age of TV entertainment. Streaming services have been funding some of the most compelling content ever to hit the small screen. I remember the writers' strike of the mid-2000s that led to the advent of godawful reality TV. Let's hope this contract gets worked out. The merger that neutered HBO is already a tragedy (Where's my _Doom Patrol_ ?). Without the writers this could get much, much worse, and it could happen quickly. I support the writers in their efforts to receive fair pay. I don't want to see ChatGTP written stories.
Are we? Beloved shows are getting axed before they can even hit their stride, quantity is clearly being prioritized over quality, Disney owns fucking everything, and Warner Discovery is in free fall with a right-wing nut in charge. I think media eras are now shorter lived than ever, and you’re referring to something that was maybe true 10-15 years ago, but breathed its last gasp already.
With piracy working so well atm I don't think anyone would be willing to stick around for shitty television anymore. Lets hope that's the case.
You sound like a shill. You're probably too young to have seen actually good shows. Today is full of unwatchable garbage
Actually I DO want to see ChatGPT written stories-because I want to watch them fail and see it proven that humans are irreplaceable when it comes to creativity. We may need the dark before the dawn.
I'll sign up for Nebula if writers want to hop on that platform and write good fiction there.
$20k to $30k a script can be some bougie living in a lot of places (if you're writing and selling 6 to 10 scripts a year) , but to have that go down to $700 or $23 is absolutely brutal.
It was not for a script, but per episode re-airing. So if your show with 10 episodes re-airs, he would get 200.000 normally as a residual. Might be a little less since typically writers focus on certain episodes and don't write the whole show.
Nobody makes that much though. Most ppl have contracts that only let them do one or two scripts. And tv is really different and it’s dominating rn
Hope these writer strikes work out better than the ones in the 2000s where it just lead to the reality tv boom.
Solidarity with all strikers. Screw these ceos just hoarding wealth
With ChatGPT4. I expect an age of AI written shows trained on the numerous Scripts they have lying around.
Well, it’s not just that. The production cost of producing a bad show is astronomical now. Add that to diminishing returns on individual shows in regards to the streaming service as a whole and I can see where production is trying to go…I’m not saying I like it or support it, but it is what it is.
The writers will get what they want after this, but the long term might not be what they had in mind.
And the dynamics have changed. Content used to drive revenue…I first got an HBO subscription to watch “The Sopranos” 25 years ago.
I think producers are seeing that’s not the case anymore…people will have streaming services or cable regardless of what’s being produced. So the dynamic of what drives capital is very weird now. I think we all see a “quantity over quality” trend happening, especially on streaming services.
From my own personal view, my TV has sports on and my phone has TH-cam on. The want or need to watch shows isn’t what it used to be, especially being a northerner in Spring! Why in the hell would I want to be inside with a TV, lol
This concept of the mini-rooms makes a lot of sense in looking at how disjointed so many shows have felt over the last 3 years too. They no longer have a large team working on a cohesive project.
I hate to say this, but if another writers' strike happens, you can be GUARANTEED Hollywood will start to use AI to write scripts more and more frequently than before and do away with writers COMPLETELY. It's scary, sad, and infurating but that's the new directions this is all leading to.
This is not to say they should not strike, they totally should, but I think something else HAS TO happen besides a strike to really make a point.
Maybe the general public going out in support of the writers? Boycotting productions? I don't know...
Why should we care about script writers? You people in the comments are some pretty weird communists thats for sure. And are you suggesting terrorism? In the name of script writer compensation? HAA!!!!!
This is already a guarantee. Striking now when the technology is new and unintegrated makes more sense than waiting until the corps are "ready" and just lay everyone off.
I would say it won't work, but people already ingest slop like capeshit.
Corporate greed is killing this planet.
Greedy no-talent writers can always start their own corporations if they think they can do things better.
@@theoneonly259 okay they will you boot licker
@@theoneonly259why are you bootlicking so hard?
@@lambfatale These scumbag minions are worse than the people they work for. They are the true enemy and the sooner we all understand that the better.
The crew stands in solidarity with our writers. The director and actor union contracts are also due for re-negotiation this summer. The producers are already tightening the screws to us, the crew. There has been little to no work since the holidays! Everything is "on hold." We're still here. We're not going anywhere and we will tighten our belts and stand, once again ✊🏿
Capitalism makes people very creative at ruining each other's lives.
"You don't work the same job for ten years and make less money than you did when you first started doing it"
Yes you do. That is exactly what the MBAs have been doing to every working sector for decades. An ever-growing share of all revenues in every industry are going to an ever-shrinking number of people in the executive/owner class.
Workers in nearly every field from farms to construction to teachers to mechanics to grocers to warehouse and distribution to software and support. If you are making the same money than someone who did your job ten years (or longer) ago, you're doing better than most.
This same kind of devaluation and diminishment of talent is happening across the board with all workers in every industry. The corporatization and privatization of our institutions, our services, our staples, our military, our government, and our entire economic systems serves one purpose…enrich the elite few by oppressing the masses. Just like the systems of slavery and feudalism, capitalism in all its forms is intrinsically inequitable. As long as a few make the decisions and run the show, emphasizing profits over people and planet, we All suffer.
Neo-Feudalism, in other words. Sci Fi predicted it in the 80's, and here we are.
Well said!
Yep, that's exactly it. Centralized power, that's the problem. Nailed it!
@@shimrrashai-rc8fq centralized power is also the aim of the economic system in the complete other direction though…
@@acbower4468 Ever heard of Makhnovia?
Writers and artists are the heart and soul of our world. I would be happy if they were the only ones making millions and to treat them like this is abhorrent. And yet, these large companies would rather shoot themselves in the foot and have their streaming companies crash in 20 years than to pay them for content that everyone loves and enjoys.
Every industry is ultimately built on the backs of the workers
Well, yeah.
And capital provides the workers with the means. Without workers, industry is useless and without industry, the workers are useless.
Strikes are one of the only ways workers can affect change in their workplace, so tell those writers to strike.
I'm ready for writers strike to end hollywood once and for all made my day man can't wait.
Dont turn up for work and you are fired. How about that? These people are a dime a dozen. Let them take illegal strike action and see how it turns out for them.
THANK YOU for explaining what issues you are facing. It certainly helps to have this information rather than a "supposed" idea of what challenges you are facing. Wishing all the best as you proceed forward. And thanks again for the clarity!
In 1997 I made a living as a magazine writer, freelancer. I made upwards of 1-2 bucks a word for a 3000 word article. Today they pay almost nothing if they exist at all. It is all a "foot in the door" to... having a lot more people look at you for the same zero sum.
@@wqsuuhhdrvjj I didnt' say i made bank, i only made "a living" rent/bills. Writer's with stock portfolios are not something I've run across. I bounced over to being a marketing writer/copywriter and now Creative Director. I had to it was the only way to continue writing (if you could call it that...) and paying bills. And now AI is shutting even that down. I've aged out of marketing agency work in person at least anyway i can't brag about the olden days or else i don't get called back!
@@wqsuuhhdrvjj Thank you and i agree. The web has created a new level of apathy that, to cut through it, goes beyond what an AI bot can do. In fact let me coin a whole new phrase to describe it:
"Only a real writer can think outside the BOT..."
Seo destroyed the internet, but that what people want, entertainment is the lowest priority for most people, so they like it cheap and that we’re ads comes in but everybody complain about ads, also most shows suck , article are one line or a bunch of paragraph repeating the same thing, TH-cam nowadays is the same they extend the video because longer videos pay more , that why everyone is creating a podcast.
Unfortunately in this world is always about the money, everything you find weird or strange in a industry the answer is always money.
@@wqsuuhhdrvjj seo leads to traffic, more traffic mean more ad revenue, with you example of cooking ever go recipes website they are awful.
You just need some keywords and your page will rank higher even if the information sucks, google search nowadays is worst than before.
I stand with the writers. Without them the studios, etc wouldnt exist. PAY THEM 😡
This happens in many other industries. Hope Wall Street doesn’t destroy Hollywood industry like they’ve destroyed everything else.
Hollywood is only destroying itself.
I mean you have an industry full of top people that will lecture everyone else about “paying their fair share” while simultaneously, those same people will pack up and film in Toronto or Georgia or anywhere else where they can snag a tax credit…
And as production becomes more and more expensive it’s only going to get worse and worse.
They already have.
If there is a strike I bet we would start seeing a lot of new shows written by ChatGPT
That is exactly where the studios are going, that is why they are not negotiating. Better to strike sooner than later..
This would not go as well as you'd imagine.
@@BeachCity what is this mind vomit?
It's like you asked chat GTP to give a stereotypical right wing troll commemt about Hollywood.
There's something sort of resembling an overarching theme, but that's it.
@@BeachCity coming out as what??
Vtubers to the rescue.😂
The Strike in 2007, make TV get WEIRD. I look forward to it again.
Facts!
Should have happened 13 years ago. Any labor movement for worker rights has my attention and support. Hollywood is why I have media burnout and disinterest in what they are throwing up to be consumed.
OMG, I thought this was what was happening on Hulu (content just disappears). It makes total sense. I hope the creators don't have to strike, but I think everyone will understand if they do.
Hey they can always sell it to Tubi if nobody wants to watch it. Or pay for it anyway. There is a market for content like that you know. People like me that refuse to pay for modern entertainment watch Tubi from time to time. People that pay for streaming services make me sick. What the hell are you watching anyway? Stranger Things? What is wrong with you people?
That was informative. Unfortunately, it's like every industry now. Even university lectures are majority freelance, and are now expected to create in person as well as online materials for students. I have to create exams and hope that student attend. If the don't show up, I'm not paid for my time or the creation of that exam. And this in Europe, where workers actually have more rights. The world is changing so fast it's just terrifying. I am afraid we're all screwed, except for those lucky few at the top.
Yay.
Holyshit , even in europe ? Which country ?
@@DLCS-2 Germany. I don't think it is so different to anywhere else in this regard. This wouldn't be so bad, but there are rules to limit the number of class hours that can be given to a lecturer at each university (ie: 10 hours), which just means that lecturers need to work for multiple universities to ear a living wage, or land a full-time employment contract.
There is a push everywhere to have more adjunct lecturers who are either paid by the lesson, or a lump sum for the semester. This of course changes with actual 'employment.' It's all a load of crap, of course.
Many moons ago, I worked at a bookstore in New York (/the/ bookstore, at the flagship location). I was never scheduled for more than... 37.5? (I can't remember the exact number) hours, because any more than that and they would have to give me benefits. That was in the early 2000s. I highly doubt anything has changed for the better anywhere. ... I hope I am wrong.
@@tammyd.970 damn that evil to hire people and not give them benefits
Please they bring endless copies and "reboots" of other writers work putting their own spin which adds nothing of value. Incidentally that is the special talent of Artificial intelligence in ingesting 50 episodes and producing a bespoke "updated" reboot for a fraction of the cost. Smart writers should seek out those startups right now
We (union members) went through the same issue when cable first got started. It took SAG-AFTRA decades to catch up to paying people what they had been paid on network for a cable program. Eventually, Hollywood ran to Vancouver for a lot of their production, because in Canada, apparently, the American unions have no sway. The industry will win, and performers and writers will lose. If we fight them hard enough, they'll just abandon California for British Columbia.
Anglophone Canada has its own Hollywood North.
Won't BC start taxing them then for establishing permanent bases? I don't think the Canadians will want to set a precedent for a foreign business entity evading taxes.
@@Theomite Are the natives of Vancouver in the province of BC tired of Hollywood companies filming a crapload of Spider-Man stuff in their state?
Well that Great PurpleRobe is not entirely accurate. Here in BC ( British Columbia) We do in fact have a union that is indeed connected to the USA unions. We are one and the same. Where things differ would be our labor laws and levels of compensation. But our dues are in part paid to the union in NYC. So yes they have sway.
@@SlapstickGenius23 Well first slapstick Genius, we DONT have states!! We have provinces, and we ARE NOT TIRED of Hollywood companies filming here. We welcome it and we give tax credit for it...
I'm all for a "Viewer's Strike". Turn off our TVs, cancel our subscriptions until these prics start realizing nobody gets paid if we stop watching.
Give these writers what they earn.
wouldn't that hurt the residuals of the writers?
I heard that a writer's strike is what brought about the reality tv pandemic.
If they strike, we will all suffer, but if it's what they end up needing to do then so be it
I was upset when they did the writers strike in 2007. I fully support the writers, and the stunt doubles, and the crew, and the VFX artists striking in 2023. Don't come back until Hollywood begs you to take more money to keep them alive.
They will outsource to another country that’s cheaper😂
Hollywood didn't learn. This very thing happened in 2007. Arghh!!! I back the writers.
It's gonna make TV weird again
I love my shows and would rather lose them for a while if it means the people actually doing the writing are being fairly compensated than keep getting shittier and shittier shows because nobody can churn out quality content under these conditions.
There’s never been a worse time for writers to go on strike to get public support lol the MCU, DC, Star Wars, Star Trek and many other massive franchises have fallen from grace due to terrible writing.
The bigger corporations get, the less they are willing to pay their workers.
Which makes no sense 😅
Writing on spec, not getting paid, or getting paid a pittance for a really hard mental job-----and a lot of replacement with pathetic twisted AI. We're letting creativity get totally buried and wiping out an aspect of storytelling and replacing it with more garbage solely developed to make money.
and do propaganda
You may not realize it but any entertainment that you consume is a form of propaganda and the point of it is not at all to make money. These corporations do not need your money. Thats what you idiots fail to understand. Stepping on the writers isnt about the money. Anyway - what are you even talking about? These worthless writers havent produced anything of value in the last two decades. Why shouldnt so-called AI replace these people? All they really do is cut and paste anyway? Formulas already exist. Templates that make their propaganda very easy to produce. Chatbot could do it easily and probably a lot better too. Its the same when it comes to journalism. Its all very simple. What great art have you been watching anyway? I dare you to name something. You cant can you. Not without feeling embarrassed and knowing that you are being stupid. What? Stranger Things? Walking Dead? Game of Thrones? What have you been watching? What did I miss?
The last Writer's strike gave us Dr Horrible's Sing Along Blog but also tanked Heroes' second season quite badly (and it never really recovered).
It was a very interesting time to be a TV content consumer back then, honestly I look back on it fondly.
I hope it paid off for the Writers too, and thus my vote is go strike!
Y'all deserve to be paid properly, you creative people you!
Writers deserve more respect. Without them, many of the projects wouldn't happen. But a lot of writers need to respect the source material that they write for cause a lot of the movie and tv in the last few years has been bad.
You know a lot of those are people writing their own concepts and then the producers make them use an established IP for brand recognition. It's dumb.
Well this sheds some light on the absolute garbage being pumped out these days. Disney and almost all their Star Wars shows have abysmal writing, despite their immensely deep pockets, which you’d think would be able to buy proper quality.
Just goes to show that once something turns into an industry, it is ruined. Look at video games on top of this, constant microtransactions, battlepasses, higher prices for games and DLCs. There was even a leaked Bungie corporate presentation which showed their business model of deliberately drip feeding content for DLCs, stating that if they go above and beyond, it just increases the odds players will compare progress/content from a prior DLC to the new one, they might be disappointed in the new DLC if the quality/quantity of content doesn’t match the old.
So each season and DLC can only have an X amount of content max, aiming for mundane consistency instead of impressive innovation.
Or play some indie games. There some raw gems that are worth playing.
Yet people still defend capitalism and claim it works.
@@BeachCity None of that is true but I'm not going to waste time trying to educate a willfully ignorant stranger. If you wanted to know better you would.
Art was always reliant on someone musicians were beggars, painter need patrons, footballers were poor, so everything is reliant on selling advertising musicians in music video and lyrics, tv ( series,films,tvShows) on product placement and ads in intervals, that why streaming is not profitable, if a 30s ad on Super Bowl costs 7 millions dollars , to make money they need to charge like 50$ a month before a tv show could be on a 1000 channel now only on 5 (if streaming wins).
More time spent writing on TH-cam comments for free entertainment.
Let the studios burn for ignoring the writers.
Gotta say that I absolutely love this model of residuals and would welcome this in any other creative industry. The way I know it is that you get hired as an agency or contractor and a company buys the rights to your work for a flat fee per month. The residual model gives you ownership over your work
It might be in our best interest as a nation if Hollywood and the streaming companies close their doors.
Might?
The same problem exists in EVERY industry now where people are making LESS while their employers make more. Its called exploitation, its called capitalism. I feel for these writers, but for sure its not unique to their industry and its a common theme in america now
The actors and actress and directors, producers and the industry is on high alert.
Our economic system tends towards power consolidation, the bigger fish gobble up the smaller fish. It's happened all throughout history & we're currently living thru it again.
I never thought I'd be standing up for "Hollywood writers", but they're yet another microcosm of "David v. Goliath".
Why wouldn't you stand up for them? They didn't make a whole lot of money before all this. It paid the bills, and for those who also wrote print fiction, it allowed them time to write their own stuff (rather than wait tables or whatever).
@@julietfischer5056 indeed it allows food on the table, ability to pay bills, etc.
@@julietfischer5056 I should've said that "Hollywood writers" had never been on my radar.
I believe EVERY worker, no matter the job, should earn a livable salary commiserate with the money their employer rakes in.
Not that long ago CEO pay was 12x the average employee salary. It's now ballooned to 300-400+ times!
Things have to change. Things will change. The question is whether or not the change will be "peaceful".
@@BeachCity ChatGPT is only the newest invasion of AI into our lives.
Imagine a world where the AI is fused with sex bots, robotic police "dogs" (for now), and possibly taking over our "human" jobs nearly entirely.
Many knowledgable scientists have warned about this "takeover" for years. Unfortunately, the warnings seem to fall on deaf ears.
@@x5775- And whether that change will be from a massive economic collapse that will drag down the world, or from a revolution that will also affect the world. We're far too interconnected for the economic woes of one nation to not influence others.
You used to be able to raise a family writing for tv. Not anymore. With mini rooms and even 20 week rooms, writers need to look for a new job every 4 1/2 months. That’s batshit crazy.
HAA!!
Chris Prat being Mario is bad yet the movie is gonna hit 1billion soon. He can’t be that bad.outside of that comment, I like the information you guys gave here.
WGA news just broke. I'm stand with the writers. For too long they been disrespected and their cries have gone unheard.
We need to do a mass boycott of these streaming services. This is bad. An influx of reality shows will soon flood the platforms.
And yet for some reason, some people saw the writing for the Rings of Power and decided to throw 100s of millions of dollars into it? Nuts.
The Rings of Power was so bad. I would bet someone good money I could write a better Lord of the Rings show that actually respected Tolkien's legacy and ideas.
End stage capitalism demands everything. Even when crumbs are left, the vacuum never stops.
@@BeachCity I want my own holodeck too, but I live in the real world. All economic models from socialism to capitalism fail for the same reason. They don't factor in human greed.
@@BeachCity That future you're describing is socialism with automation, or perhaps even communism. There will never be a world where everything is virtually free under capitalism, even if almost all work is automated because business owners will still want to maximize profits. We'll just get paid less and have a larger percentage of unemployed people. The executive class isn't suddenly going to grow a heart then.
If somehow what you describe does end up being the case under capitalism, it will only be a local affair, propped up by the continued exploitation of workers in the global south. Something like the current Nordic countries' models.
Justice for Infinity Train ✊
The writers strike of the 80s. You need to do it again!!! I know the consumer's audience will get the brunt, We always do.
These writers are right. Shut it all down. Screw the big kartels.
Maybe they could get rid off all the writers and bring in some that are actually creative!!!
Writers: We will go on Strike.
OpenAI: Gentlemen I have the solution for you. *Shows GPT 4 AND A FINETUNED WRITERS VERSION*
Union Strong. Local 700 supports the WGA. Solidarity!!! Shut down Hollywood!
To anyone yelling "But what about my favorite shows they're gonna get cancelled-" You are valuing your favorite shows over human lives who need to get paid to live. Sit down.
Westworld was cancelled because the viewership fell off a cliff!!! It was a complete disaster after season one!!!! FOS!!
It is so sad that writers have to fight so hard to get what they so much deserve. If they need to strike to be heard and be compensated for what they deserve, STRIKE!!!
People need to start supporting INDEPENDENT, exemplary creators.
"Reflect upon the Past.
Embrace your Present.
Orchestrate our Futures." --Artemis
🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨
"Before I start, I must see my end.
Destination known, my mind’s journey now begins.
Upon my chariot, heart and soul’s fate revealed.
In time, all points converge, hope’s strength re-steeled.
But to earn final peace at the universe’s endless refrain,
We must see all in nothingness... before we start again."
🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨
--Diamond Dragons (series)
TV has gone downhill over the past ten years. I cancelled cable, cancelled Netflix and watch less than a quarter of the content I used to before the streaming services started pushing their own in-house content....which usually sucks. You should strike.
Sheesh there hasn't been anything to watch worth a crap in years.
I stopped watching Hollywood bs many years ago. Onek of my best decisions in my life.
Thank you. Who the %$%$ are these people in the comment section anyway? Writers?
Your loss, not ours.
@@theoneonly259 Regular people. I, for one, am envious that these writers have a union and can go on strike. In the industry I work in, we have no unions and no power at all. More power to the strikers!
@@izenkixiron5173 mine? No I'm saving brain cells.
not greed, it's just capitalism.
Because they are whining about more money and that’s it so what it’s there fault for making most crap nowadays and all you can’t get more money when the economy is in ruins and who’s fault is that people?
Welcome to our corporatist oligarchy. It's been at least 43 years in the making.
Chris Pratt diss 🤡
Seems like you could aggregate a comparison between how much reruns were watched vs how often people stream an episode, then use that figure to weight streaming and come up with a direct comparison, seems like this should've been remedied with something like that years ago.
Reruns were imposed on you by networks, streaming you open the app and nothing is playing you choose what you want to watch, also most tv shows made money with ads streaming there’s no ads (I know Netflix is trying an ad model)
"You don't work the same job for 10 years and make less money than you did when you started it"
I mean...yeah, that's exactly what a huge majority of jobs do.
Artists, designers, and other production staff need to take note.
I mean I get it, it sucks... but theres so many solutions out there that replace a writer. I can now get an production ready script for a fraction of the price and just hire a producer to make it picture ready, and the content providers are buying it cause its cheaper. I think if theres an expectation for studios to adjust their practices, then writers should also be diversifying their skill set to stay competitive. The fact that you expect things to be the same like 10 years ago, is unrealistic. The entire industry is changing. If you want to keep up, you gotta change or you'll be left behind. Ill be honest, I dont think much positivity is going to come if they strike.
Treamster from Canada. I hope the writers get what they need and deserve
I remember an interview where an actor was asked a question ( ruffly if i remember ) why they were going from motion pictures to tv…. Their answer was. The better writers have gone to tv..
Please, someone 🙏 please, tell me the narrators name. I remember her old show, well the short scripts she used to read on another program, vur I forgot her name (and the name of her former show). It is driving me crazy!!
Welcome to the world of crafts workers. Editors used to get paid more too.
The last writers strike was the catalyst for the creation of 'reality TV' ( which I abhor with a passion) SO maybe if they do strike again the Networks or Hollywood in general will get AI to write shows. They'll do anything as long as it's cheaper. The viewer will once again have to swallow the lower standards of entertainment. We depend on good writers - pay them what they are worth.
They will create even more more reality tv show game shows, competitive shows ect.
Maybe writers should ask for their money upfront for streaming. Meaning have a fee per episode written make them pay you upfront.
Strike not like there has been good writing since at least 2015
Chatgpt bros rubbing their hands gleefuly.
Pay your workers! This isn't hard, person works, person gets paid for the consumption of said work.
The gentleman who said the problem is the consolidation of power... Nailed it.
Raise taxes, do UBI. High income earners aren't wealthy because they're somehow innately better, they're just greedier.
As an aspiring writer I just wanna thank every writer that voted to strike. It's time to take back what was ours 💪
sorry kid this comment will not be picked up for a season of television
Hollywood can rot for all I care. Call me a hipster doofus but I haven't enjoyed anything mainstream in years.
You haven't enjoyed a movie or TV show in years?
Hollywood is a marketing machine so when you cut marketing (ADS), there’s no money to be made , people aren’t going to pay a fair price for media, they always complain about the price increase from Netflix.
I watch quite a lot of shows and most are mediocre,euphoria every one rages about is skins in esteroids, just a show is expensive doesn’t mean is “good”, strange things to be honest is not my cut of tea, network television don’t talk about they only know to do medical dramas,firefighters shows,lawyers shows ( that suck they don’t know how to make good ones),police shows that I like the rookie, Vera,the Brookenwood mysteries ect.
They make shows always around the same themes, sitcoms 95% are not funny.
Films are always remakes and old ip , I liked the spider man into the spiderverse from sony
I do wonder that every time a show disappears from streaming because a company doesn't want to pay residuals, how many people suddenly think, "hmm...maybe I should learn more about piracy".
If a lot of people were watching the show then it would stay..
It should be more.
I certainly hope they make a deal that is in favor of the writers before May 1st, if not... strike away people, we have decades of entertainment we can watch while we wait for new well written material to come along after you get what you need, and deserve! :)
companies are about to have chatgpt start writing scripts instead of writers at this rate