Re: [Air-L] writers striking for internet payment?
Marcela - As a writer/director myself, I've been following the WGA strike very closely. Screenwriters are compensated at the rate of one-third of a penny for every digital download (i.e. iTunes), and nothing for streaming video. The networks are claiming when they stream a television show on their websites it's a "promotion" and therefore the current contract doesn't require them to pay the writers/actors/etc. The television writers feel they are not being fairly compensated. Neither are the actors or directors, for that matter. This is only one of the issues at stake, however. Residuals for DVD sales (which are currently at $.04 per disc) and other terms of the contract which expired in October are also on the table. I don't really see how the EFF would have any interest in this, as this is a business practice issue, not a legal one. There's no law requiring the AMPTP to pay anyone any specific rate for digital content. There's no question of access or legal activity, just corporations behaving badly because they think they can. I can tell you that the SEIU, the teamsters local in LA and both the Screen Actor's Guild and Director's Guilds are all supporting the WGA. The actors and directors have as much a stake in this as the writers, obviously. A completely partisan site on behalf of the WGA is www.unitedhollywood.com Also, for those of you who heard about the strike and like me immediately thought of all the craftspeople and below the line crew who are now out of work while the strike goes on, The Motion Picture & Television Fund has set up a Work Stoppage relief fund to help those people. You can donate online here: http://new.mptvfund.org/cm/Foundation/Donate%20Online.html Stephanie Tuszynski Visiting Assistant Professor Department of Theatre and Film University of Toledo www.dlfilms.com Message: 1 Date: Mon, 31 Dec 2007 20:58:38 -0500 From: "Marcela Musgrove" <mmusgrove@gmail.com> Subject: [Air-L] writers striking for internet payment? To: air-l@listserv.aoir.org Message-ID: <a000d0c60712311758v70bc62b9t5bafe3eb197c9041@mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 I hadn't really been paying attention to the writer's strike going on but just found out today that it's over writers wanting to be paid residuals when their TV shows are shown on the internet. So now I'm surprised that there hasn't been more online discussion/activism/petitions though I was able to see some videos on YouTube that explained what was going on. Has anyone been following this closely? Would this be relevant to EFF or any of the other advocacy groups? Happy new year! Marcela
AS a business development executive in interactive and digital media, I have been dealing with the WGA strike. My office is in Hollywood proper so one day on the way to lunch I was entertained with the actual strike parade. I even walked by Debra Messing on the street and got some free cider and scones from the junior CAA agents that were standing in as client support for the striking writers. AS you might imagine, the affair had more the flavor of a networking event than a stand up for an issue flavor to me. I am a part of the LA Interactive club and I have been asking them for ages to draft up a formal position on the strike. Since there is no formal position on the writers strike for the Interactive community let me tell you what I think as a member of t he interactive community: the writers do not have a right to these residuals they demand. The beauty of this strike, is that they are just making themselves appear more out of touch and opening the door even wider for digital content and talent that we see on the likes of you tube, and user generated content sites. I have noticed that the EFF consistently takes a position opposite to the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB), which is the final say in ethical business practice for on line commerce and advertising, so even if the EFF had a position I would bet my next Cost Per Click commission check that it would be anti business, just like their stance on behavioral targeting or the FTC proposed Do Not Tag list for Internet Advertising. Long story short, the Writers are just grabbing on to the nearest gravy train, I mean they havent had anything to do with the world of online Entertainment until they've been dragged into it? Where were they when the Digital Millenium Copyright Act was being drafted, where were they when the FTC investigated the Lead Generation Practice of ValueClick one of the biggest advertising brokers on line, and where were they when the IAB made audience measurement regulation mandatory? They dont care about the Web or the Internet or monetizing it in a sustainable way, so their strike is boring. d bulford - MA New Media New School Univeristy On Wednesday, January 02, 2008, at 11:39AM, "Tuszynski, Stephanie" <stuszyn@UTNet.UToledo.Edu> wrote:
Marcela -
As a writer/director myself, I've been following the WGA strike very closely.
Screenwriters are compensated at the rate of one-third of a penny for every digital download (i.e. iTunes), and nothing for streaming video. The networks are claiming when they stream a television show on their websites it's a "promotion" and therefore the current contract doesn't require them to pay the writers/actors/etc. The television writers feel they are not being fairly compensated. Neither are the actors or directors, for that matter.
This is only one of the issues at stake, however. Residuals for DVD sales (which are currently at $.04 per disc) and other terms of the contract which expired in October are also on the table.
I don't really see how the EFF would have any interest in this, as this is a business practice issue, not a legal one. There's no law requiring the AMPTP to pay anyone any specific rate for digital content. There's no question of access or legal activity, just corporations behaving badly because they think they can.
I can tell you that the SEIU, the teamsters local in LA and both the Screen Actor's Guild and Director's Guilds are all supporting the WGA. The actors and directors have as much a stake in this as the writers, obviously.
A completely partisan site on behalf of the WGA is www.unitedhollywood.com
Also, for those of you who heard about the strike and like me immediately thought of all the craftspeople and below the line crew who are now out of work while the strike goes on, The Motion Picture & Television Fund has set up a Work Stoppage relief fund to help those people. You can donate online here:
http://new.mptvfund.org/cm/Foundation/Donate%20Online.html
Stephanie Tuszynski Visiting Assistant Professor Department of Theatre and Film University of Toledo www.dlfilms.com
Message: 1 Date: Mon, 31 Dec 2007 20:58:38 -0500 From: "Marcela Musgrove" <mmusgrove@gmail.com> Subject: [Air-L] writers striking for internet payment? To: air-l@listserv.aoir.org Message-ID: <a000d0c60712311758v70bc62b9t5bafe3eb197c9041@mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
I hadn't really been paying attention to the writer's strike going on but just found out today that it's over writers wanting to be paid residuals when their TV shows are shown on the internet. So now I'm surprised that there hasn't been more online discussion/activism/petitions though I was able to see some videos on YouTube that explained what was going on. Has anyone been following this closely? Would this be relevant to EFF or any of the other advocacy groups?
Happy new year!
Marcela _______________________________________________ The Air-L@listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org
Join the Association of Internet Researchers: http://www.aoir.org/
I'm going to propose a number of counterpoints in this message. Perhaps I am stirring up an ant-hill and am about to get bitten by ants... but I sort of doubt it, somehow.
AS a business development executive in interactive and digital media, I have been dealing with the WGA strike. My office is in Hollywood proper
the writers do not have a right to these residuals they demand. The
You seem to have a very clear-cut position and some contextually-driven reasons for thinking in the fashion that you do. Pretty strident, to my ear, though...
beauty of this strike, is that they are just making themselves appear more out of touch and opening the door even wider for digital content and talent that we see on the likes of you tube, and user generated content sites.
I have been hearing a lot about writer-operated startups that are currently in development. They are not planning to cut the major studios in on those deals: the expertise that it takes to set up and run the next YouTube or iTunes isn't 'owned' by Hollywood. [More like Palo Alto and Mountain View, really...] I think that there won't be another "you can see our movies only in these X theaters" technological monopoly allowed by folks; Hollywood's practices from the 1920s and 1930s simply aren't going to get replicated. This history has all been played out before. Hollywood lost, then, too. Putting together content distribution startups (to replace the current, inflexible, failing system) is far from out of touch, to my eye.
I have noticed that the EFF consistently takes a position opposite to the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB), which is the final say in ethical business practice for on line commerce and advertising, so even if the EFF had a position I would bet my next Cost Per Click commission check that it would be anti business, just like their stance on behavioral targeting or the FTC proposed Do Not Tag list for Internet Ad vertising.
The EFF isn't generally anti-business, but they *are* generally advocates of fair play. $0.04 cents for a DVD sale isn't much of a cut for the writers, particularly when the thing the studios are selling "costs" them a 25-cent blank disc (less in volume, naturally) and some chintzy packaging, in volume, or far less if the content is digitally distributed. Since the studios aren't contributing a whole lot creatively to the content, and have simply been raking in BILLIONS in profits over the last 70 years or so, the writers certainly SHOULD be trying to get a slice of it. We should have had digital content distribution of movies and mp3 files 10+ years ago. The tech was there. Just not evenly distributed yet. Some folks have been blocking further developments because they want to hold onto their profits.
Long story short, the Writers are just grabbing on to the nearest gravy train, I mean they havent had anything to do with the world of online Entertainment until they've been dragged into it?
I would think that the 'gravy train' metaphor would be more aptly applied to something like a Miramax or a Sony or a Viacom -- facilitators of connectivity between consumers and writer-actor-producers. If the cost of that facilitative communication drops to near-zero -- as it is doing -- why should any of us give the studios a dime? *PEOPLE WANT TO PAY FOR THINGS THEY LIKE*. THEY WILL PAY. Shout it from the rooftops! They are just getting more particular about what they're willing to pay for, and how many times they will do so. "1" seems fair to me. ;-)
Where were they when the Digital Millenium Copyright Act was being drafted, where were they when the FTC investigated the Lead Generation Practice of ValueClick one of the biggest advertising brokers on line, and where were they when the IAB made audience measurement regulation mandatory? They dont care about the Web or the Internet or monetizing it in a sustainable way, so their strike is boring.
I think that it is critical that we draw distinctions between past events and present situations: it was far less obvious to anyone in the general public that the DMCA was going to have the ramifications that it has had, ten years ago. A ton of us *did* protest it, way back then, but seemingly to very little effect. [Remember that the DMCA predated Napster, much less such things as YouTube and Facebook and blogging. We had mp3 technology from about 1993/1994 onward, but the popular consciousness took quite some time to catch up with what a few geeks were doing at home.] Certainly, today, it is far more obvious to everyone that 'new media' and media transformations are worthy of attention and caution from all potentially interested parties. I think it will be entertaining to see whether the studios think that they can retain any degree of creative or managerial control over the people who are producing their content. And to see which studios go bust in the next few years because they *didn't* figure out how to evolve. :-) --elijah
Stephanie: I believe that the writers would be smart to develop their own deals directly with Apple, Google, Microsoft, AT&T, Verizon, and Amazon. This would enable them actually produce and write and control more of their work and set the stage for future writers getting fees. The networks and the studios are trying to get content distribution out of the hands of Google and Apple especially because of the power of YouTube and iTunes. Apple and Google could stream,market and create downloads of original content on their platforms. Apple has not trotted out a social network site, but I can see one coming now to support AppleTv sales and use. Moreover, can you imagine all of the iPod owners and iTunes owners and Mac owners with their own version of Facebook with Google ads and YouTube video. All Apple and Google need is first rate content from writers and independent producers.The new technology has evened out the production field. I know because I am a producer/director/writer and I work in the Washington area on national industrials, commercials with Hollywood types in LA, and independent work nationally. I wrote about this on my sites some time ago, but next week I will be writing a series of articles because my research had been leading me to comment. Now that the music industry is contesting your ability to rip DVDs after planting root kits did not work and suing did not work, I believe the film industry will follow this disgusting legal trend. It will have to take Congressional action from enraged consumers because the courts are bought and paid for on this issue after years of pro-industry political appointees on the bench who seem to have forgotten who really owns the PUBLIC AIRWAVES. The writers joining forces with the progressive and innovative technology companies is a match made out of mutual necessity, and both sides are smart (and often more principle-driven than money driven). -----Original Message----- From: air-l-bounces@listserv.aoir.org [mailto:air-l-bounces@listserv.aoir.org] On Behalf Of Tuszynski, Stephanie Sent: Wednesday, January 02, 2008 2:39 PM To: air-l@listserv.aoir.org Subject: Re: [Air-L] writers striking for internet payment? Marcela - As a writer/director myself, I've been following the WGA strike very closely. Screenwriters are compensated at the rate of one-third of a penny for every digital download (i.e. iTunes), and nothing for streaming video. The networks are claiming when they stream a television show on their websites it's a "promotion" and therefore the current contract doesn't require them to pay the writers/actors/etc. The television writers feel they are not being fairly compensated. Neither are the actors or directors, for that matter. This is only one of the issues at stake, however. Residuals for DVD sales (which are currently at $.04 per disc) and other terms of the contract which expired in October are also on the table. I don't really see how the EFF would have any interest in this, as this is a business practice issue, not a legal one. There's no law requiring the AMPTP to pay anyone any specific rate for digital content. There's no question of access or legal activity, just corporations behaving badly because they think they can. I can tell you that the SEIU, the teamsters local in LA and both the Screen Actor's Guild and Director's Guilds are all supporting the WGA. The actors and directors have as much a stake in this as the writers, obviously. A completely partisan site on behalf of the WGA is www.unitedhollywood.com Also, for those of you who heard about the strike and like me immediately thought of all the craftspeople and below the line crew who are now out of work while the strike goes on, The Motion Picture & Television Fund has set up a Work Stoppage relief fund to help those people. You can donate online here: http://new.mptvfund.org/cm/Foundation/Donate%20Online.html Stephanie Tuszynski Visiting Assistant Professor Department of Theatre and Film University of Toledo www.dlfilms.com Message: 1 Date: Mon, 31 Dec 2007 20:58:38 -0500 From: "Marcela Musgrove" <mmusgrove@gmail.com> Subject: [Air-L] writers striking for internet payment? To: air-l@listserv.aoir.org Message-ID: <a000d0c60712311758v70bc62b9t5bafe3eb197c9041@mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 I hadn't really been paying attention to the writer's strike going on but just found out today that it's over writers wanting to be paid residuals when their TV shows are shown on the internet. So now I'm surprised that there hasn't been more online discussion/activism/petitions though I was able to see some videos on YouTube that explained what was going on. Has anyone been following this closely? Would this be relevant to EFF or any of the other advocacy groups? Happy new year! Marcela _______________________________________________ The Air-L@listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org Join the Association of Internet Researchers: http://www.aoir.org/
participants (4)
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Donna Bulford -
elw＠stderr.org -
Heidelberg, Chris -
Tuszynski, Stephanie