  Drama
This week: Edited by: Turkey DrumStik  
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 WE INTERRUPT THIS NEWSLETTER TO BRING YOU COVERAGE OF THE ONGOING WGA STRIKE! |
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I bet that got your attention!  Anyway, when it comes to matters of dramatic concerns (screenwriting, the drama newsletter) the word buzzing on the street is strike. So why don't we roll with it? By now, the objectives and perspectives on the current WGA strike have been so muddled it's kind of hard to tell what is what exactly. I figured that I'd clarify things and show you a side of the writing world not often explored. Besides, striking artists is melodrama at its best. 
The first question most entertained by the general public is how a strike will affect the general level of TV shows and movies coming out. Answering this question is not something you can summarize in one sentence; it will take several. It all depends on the length of the strike. However, at least for now, TV is taking the biggest hit. Many late night talk shows are in reruns. New episodes of scripted prime time shows will end in the early part of next year, and the state of new pilots for networks is precarious at best. The movie side is a little different, but prior to the strike, the studios rushed to close deals on spec scripts. When will we see that effect? No figures are currently available. However, my guess is we might not notice until late next year, and it could be later. Again, though, this will be determined in part by how long the writers picket.
After you bemoan the state of your entertainment, you might wonder what's at stake here. For a while, the writers and producers haggled over DVD and internet residuals. However, the strike is centered around internet residuals.
Hey, Stik. What are residuals?
Good question. Residuals are the profits gleaned from a piece of media accessed by internet users. Basically, every time a web episode of a TV show is accessed (or gets a hit, to be more in line with cyberlingo), a certain amount of money is made from the advertising. Though advertisements on webisodes are shorter, the basic system works much like regular television airings. Money is earned with each hit, much like reruns shows earn money with each run.
The primary difference between webisodes and reruns is the amount of money collected by all parties involved. For reruns, think of an exponential graph. The first run of a rerun collects a pretty high sum of money. The second through fifth runs earn dramatically less money before bottoming out at the sixth and subsequent runs. Not surprisingly, one of the issues in the strike is what kind of system will be used to determine the amount of money writers would receive with each hit. As you can imagine, there's no system currently in place for the writers to receive anything from webisodes. The writers are aiming for a system that is more lucrative for them, as the rerun system is not that profitable in the long run. By the sixth run, the writers in total are earning around 5% of the advertising revenue. Assuming that's spread out amongst all the writers of a given show...the amount is usually the minimum the networks have to pay according to standards set forth by the WGA. Curiously, Fox used to offer higher residuals on reruns (as of 1998), usually 3% greater than what other networks (cable or otherwise) would pay. Since getting current numbers is impossible (and with an increasing amount of original programming on Fox), I'm not sure this is still the case. Regardless of the numbers, the bottom line is this. The writers want a system in which they are paid for the residuals earned on webisodes, particularly those that have advertisements. At this time, they don't have that, and the AMPTP (Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers; a fancy name for the major studio representatives) is fighting them on exactly how the system to be set up.
So where's the drama? Oh, it's everywhere. With the writers on strike, several television shows might have to shut down production (including Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy). Actors have joined the writers on the picket lines. Anytime an actor or show runner (writer-producer) decides to continue working, the WGA and its advocates hound them. Likewise, if any non-guild writers attempt to work during the strike, the WGA has threatened to not let them join the guild after a new contract has been negotiated. Ouch! This is a tough time to be an entertainment writer, at least in the United States. Foreign writers might have a slight advantage in this if the strike continues, especially if it affects the lineup of movies in the future time period I suggested earlier. Likewise, on the television front, it just might be what the writers need to revamp shows that could use a boost (i.e. Heroes, whose turn has caused a lot of infighting among the fans, but that's another story altogether ).
So, like all conflicts, this strike's resolution will have an impact on generations of writers to come. My only hope is that it's a realistic resolution. To me, the WGA has been treating this lack of residual system as the end-all of royalty management. Perhaps they ought to try with something less militant than an all-or-nothing stance a lot of the more vocal members want. My recommendation? 62/38, with the writers receiving the former. That's the highest I think they could get at this stage. However, I could be wrong. After all, I just try to be a pragmatist. Too bad pragmatists and (melo)drama don't always mix. Except...maybe here.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/11/opinion/11lindelof.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Until next time,
(sig by SilverValkyre loves YOU!  ) |
These selections run the gamut. From actors and acting to pieces about actual strikes (not to mention a lack of dramatic strike pieces, which bums me out), I decided to capture a little of everything that's making Hollywood so turbulent these days.
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| |  | London Tube Strike (E)
Article about Mayor Ken Livingstones handling of the fall of MetroNet and strike action
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| | Movie Talk (13+)
Actors, actresses, movies, TV -- It's the 'Golden Globe' of Writing.Com! Quill Nominee
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Comments! Yay! You guys got me thinking again, and I'm anticipating more provocative comments after this newsletter. Let's dive in.
From Delilah : As a Theatre major, I am prone to work on scripts for the stage, without camera activity, do you find there is much difference in the writing of a script for stage versus movie?
Hello, Delilah! On the whole, there is some difference between stage and screen scripts. The differences are subtle, though, which is why they might be confused on the surface. However, I have noticed the following things.
First, plays tend to be confined to one or two settings. Some longer productions can incorporate as many as five. However, creating five settings for a play can be difficult, especially for the stage crew. You would have a better idea of exactly how long it takes to change out props and backdrops (as my last theatrical foray was about ten years ago  ), but my experience tells me they have a lot to do in a short amount of time. Movies, on the other hand, have room to use many more settings. Obviously, the budget will determine how they will recreate these settings, but given the fact that movies are really assembled in post production, movie crews can shoot in so many places. Curiously, most modern movies don't go totally all out on settings, but that's another newsletter. As for TV...that's sort of an anomaly, and it really depends on the show. Some shows are confined to one or two settings. Others have ten. In the case of TV, the writers really have free reign to decide in how many places they want the action to take place.
Second is where the characters are introduced and summarized. In plays, this usually happens before the actual script starts. With screen scripts, this summary occurs in the script, usually in the first dozen pages as characters are introduced. I'm not sure exactly why there is this little difference in where the characters are introduced. I suspect it has to do with characters being introduced in the playbills that prompts the different placements. However, that's just a guess.
Finally, I've seen more stage directions in stage scripts than in screen scripts. That difference is something I've only recently seen, and I'm not entirely sure why that is. Granted, each production will interpret the directions a little differently, which helps to make each production more unique. On the other hand, I simply think it's because playwrights do not face the same length restrictions screenwriters face. They can afford to write in a few more directions here and there.
From Kaya : Loved the Newsletter. I hadn't thought about writing a screenplay before... but it actually sounds like something I might like to give it a try; if for no other reason than to just say that I did it! I missed the last newsletter so I have no idea what movies we were supposed to list, but I am assuming that you wanted Drama. I vote for 'To Kill A Mockingbird'
Good job!
Blessings,
Kaya
Or as Hiro would say, Yatta! Sorry. That was too good to pass up. Anyway, I actually have unfinished scripts sitting around, and I have two more ideas crowding my brain. Maybe I'll spill one of them out for Script Frenzy next year. What? You don't know what Script Frenzy is? It's the screenplay version of NaNoWriMo, and in my opinion, it's never too early for a plug. http://www.scriptfrenzy.org/ I've never done it before (due to school and other writing project conflicts). Howver, I'm bookmarking that page. Perhaps you might be prompted to do the same. In any case, whenever you decide to try tackling that screenplay, good luck!
From April Sunday : If any of my short stories are ever adapted for a screenplay, I'll sit in a chair and enjoy. Those stories are mostly closed.
That makes two of us, Teff! I figured if any of my stories appeared on the silver screen (or even TV screen, for that matter), it would be a cold day in Hell. Or, if you're Dante, it'd be boiling in the ninth circle!
From StephBee  : Two thumbs up for a great topic. I liked how you took the written manuscript and turned it into a screeplay. Great example. Movie suggestions? I'm not quite sure what you're looking for? My all time favorite movie is "The Sound of Music," aside from the music, the characterization is great. I haven't been to the theatres cos of my little ones, but a recent movie I saw and loved was "The Illusionist." How's that for suggestions?Steph
I'll certainly keep them in mind. I admit I kind of had fun adapting the prose to script form. It's kind of long for a writing exercise, but I find it useful for writers to find what they need to trim out of their stories. Scripts really do present a mostly bare bones way to tell a tale. However, the prospect of seeing the story depicted in action is thrilling, really. On the other hand, telling a story in such a nondescriptive way can be an about face for many writers. I enjoy the process, but it seems that around here I'm in the minority.
While you guys did give good suggestions, I noticed Steph and I were going to have very similar newsletters. That said, I'll continue to take suggestions but do my movie-centric newsletter in February. As for next month's newsletter, I'm thinking about compiling a Wish List for the entertainment industry. What story ideas do you wish Hollywood would bring to us? What up-and-coming actors would you like to see take on more challenging roles? What kinds of scripted TV shows would you like to see? Any ideas for keeping the actors and directors from going on strike? Send 'em my way, and I'll feature them!
And if you happen to miss or misplace a newsletter, feel free to stop by "The Drama Box" [13+]. |
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Drama: November 14, 2007 Issue [#2066]
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