Recently in Hollywood the writers and storytellers have decided to strike. They’ve been shortchanged in the money that DVD’s make nowadays. TV shows get put on DVD and make more money than they used to in syndication. However the writers are not seeing any of that money. Which is a shame since it’s the writers who do most of the creating, without them there is no story.
It is the creativity of the writer that makes the story happen. It’s their hard work and time that help to make so much money for all kinds of people both behind and in front of the camera. When an actor walks off the set they can be replaced, the same with just about everyone else involved with the production.
The writers aren’t doing this out of greed as though they are not making enough money. The argument is that for all of the hard work they’ve done they don’t see the profit that everyone else sees. The actors who robotically repeat the lines written by someone else see plenty of the money, but not the creators.
I see the same argument in all creative endeavors. Writing, Music, TV, Movies and the list goes on. I would love to get a lot of free things from the Internet, but in my view its hard to justify getting something for free when someone else has worked hard to produce it. That’s how they make their money. If I like what they put out then they deserve to charge for that service. Just like if I pay for someone to fix my computer. It’s just a different service.
I’ll miss new episodes of my shows but I have to support those who do all the work even though I don’t see them.
7 comments:
Cool perspective. I'm with ya, even though I REALLY wish it wasn't going to affect The Office.
I tend to agree. Thanks for expressing your opinion on this topic. It's easy to become aghast at the amount of money people like that make (like sports stars, well maybe not quite). And some shows you watch and think, what writers? But for the really good shows that we all know and love, it's really the writing that we like. And it's not that they want to up the total amount of money that's on the table, they just want their rightful share of the money that's already there (as you say, huge DVD money in recent years).
I am not really following the writers' strike, so I am not necessarily sympathetic one way or the other, though I would agree with people receiving their fair share. Obviously, it would be nice if it were not about the money and more about the creative output of all concerned, but since money is pretty much a necessity, that component will not be going away anytime soon.
I agree that writing is the foundation of any performance, though writing does not go very far without a sufficient outlet ("channel"?) for it, i.e., actors/performers, directors, producers, other behind the scenes people. It is pretty much the responsibility of everyone to "get it right." Typically, a good performer will highly respect and appreciate good writing and will take the responsibility to learn the nuts and bolts and nuances of every work they perform, so that they will effectively convey the writer's intent. By the same token, when performers are working hard at their craft, they deserve to receive something worth working on.
I will stop here, since "worth" and "value" and "deserving" are very subjective, and there probably isn't enough space for a philosophical treatise (or a rambling manifesto). However, I will put in plugs for The Edina Chorale and The Summers Singers. Yes, we perform for money and recognition, but we also perform because we want to, and because there is a lot of good music that is worth performing. Check out our websites: www.edinachorale.org and www.summersingers.org.
V - yes, I am the same person who worked at First Trust/USBank, though I have long since forgone the path of "cheapness and people who don't amount to very much" (at least in terms of hair length). I can still be cheap, but I think that I have at least marginally amounted to something. Thank you for encouraging Rob to start a blog. It gives us a forum for making smart-alec remar....er, engaging in intelligent discourses.
kn - okay, now you've stumped both of us on the "cheapness" quote - what's that from?? Certainly, if you're still singing, it's a sure sign that you've amounted to something... ;-) Glad to hear it - thanks for sharing your links and, yes, look forward to continuing the smart-a.. remarks+!
-V- The cheapness reference goes back to kn's grandmother's observation of kn.
Ugh - yeah, grandmas don't really love the ponytail thing. My parents' didn't love Ed's either. I say - too bad for them!!
Bravo! How to support them in their strike? Don't watch TV? Who would know? Don't buy products from the advertisers? I already mute the commercials or >> through them...
Ed had a 'ponytail'? nyuk-nyuk.
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