11.05.2007

The Hollywood Strike: What does it mean?

The hottest buzz in Hollywood right now has nothing to do with Britney, drug addictions, or the use of racial slurs. For the first time in awhile, the industry has a bigger problem: the Writers Guild of America (WGA) went on strike on Monday, November 5th for the first time since 1988 after failing to reach an agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) about the revenue writers receive when their work is distributed through other means, such as the Internet or on DVD. This strike, which places 12,000 writers and over 200,000 other industry employees out of work for an undetermined period of time, will have enormous effects on both the economy and individuals, especially in Southern California.

In researching this topic, I found two external blogs that I found very interesting. The first is called Captain’s Quarters and is run by a blogger named Edward Morrissey. His blog receives a high volume of traffic and posts on a variety of topics. His post dealt with the strike and basically argued that nothing will happen as a result because Hollywood only spits out poor writing in the first place. The second blog was a post on the PC World website by a Reuters reporter who proposed the idea that a lack of creative flow into television and film for the time being, the Internet will attract new writers and could possibly become “the cable of 2007.” My responses to both posts are below.

Captain's Quarters Response:
In superficial terms, the effects of this Writers Guild of America strike seem unimportant. As you said, “In other words, the American consumer shouldn’t notice any difference”. However, this view is short sighted and fails to take the broader social and economic impact of a prolonged strike into account.
While initially soap opera and late-night talk show viewers will be affected most heavily, eventually all viewers will be forced to cope with the strike. A lack of material may force media consumers to look elsewhere for their nightly entertainment, turning to outlets such as the Internet and web-based product. The last writers’ strike in 1988, which lasted 22 weeks, caused a huge growth spurt in cable consumption and is still continuing today.
In addition to the consumers that will be affected, those who work for the Hollywood machine will also feel an influence: 12,000 are in the WGA union, along with 200,000 other people who work as anything from hairstylists to actors. Furthermore, “the motion picture and TV industry generates $30 billion in annual economic activity for Los Angeles County alone.” Clearly, a large number of individuals depend on Hollywood for financial survival, and a delayed resolution of the strike would have long-lasting effects, particularly in Southern California.
So while many will choose to bemoan the fact that shows will be on hiatus until further notice and that viewers will be doomed to possible months of re-runs and reality TV, the situation really requires deeper analysis. Hopefully, we will see the end of the strike quickly and with a solution that will please everyone.


PC World
Response:
The idea that the Internet could become the newest creative haven for writers is interesting, and certainly worth examining. The needs of both consumers for new entertainment and of writers for work could easily lead to increased web-based media consumption. As stated in the post, it could create an influx of fresh talent that would hopefully inject some creativity into what is currently written in the industry.
What I question, however, is the longevity of such a situation. Although technology is getting increasingly mobile and media can be viewed on-the-go, I am not sure this would be the preferred means of consumption over a long period of time. In my opinion, what is more likely to occur is that should the strike become prolonged, as is extremely possible, the web will become a stand-in primary resource for entertainment. Then, after the strike is resolved and Hollywood gets back on track, online media will once again become a supplement to more established venues. While this may not be the case many years from now, I think that for the time being people will still choose to watch television in a traditional way.

1 comment:

ADC said...

In your post this week you provide two diverse answers to the question of, “What does the strike in Hollywood mean?” I found it very interesting to see opposite end of the spectrum opinions on what the television world should do to combat the strike. I liked the answer your provided to Captain’s Quarters response that Hollywood only spits out poor writing in the first place and the strike will hardly make a difference. Your point being that it isn’t just about the writing but more about the economy of Hollywood and how people will be out of jobs temporarily is very logical. It seems very important to remedy this situation quickly and make sure that people remain gainfully employed. Your other response about the internet becoming the new media outlet seems good theory but I think in reality it wouldn’t be that great. I think many American’s enjoy sitting down at night and watching their favorite television shows and I somehow don’t think that the internet right now has the ability to overtake television. I agree with you that once the strike is over the internet will become a secondary option to television once again. In the end I hope that this whole situation is resolved and that people can return to their jobs and new television episodes can be produced.

 
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