Members of Writers Guild Of America have struck work from today. Their demand is for the revision of paltry share they earn from the sale of DVDs and online distribution of talk shows.
Back in 1984 when the last pact was signed the writers grossly underestimated the lucrative market of home video sales. As a result they settled for a cut of just 3 cents for each DVD film sale.
This time such a costly mistake is not to be repeated. Which is mainly why the talks between the guild on one side and the studio-owners and producers on the other have not made headway thus far.
It may be my fond hope but perhaps this strike will for the first time drive home the point that writers – be it of talk shows or web contents – deserve much more than what they now get.
If designers have their price, so do writers, because both mesh together to create a complete content. If one is weak the whole thing becomes weak.
However, since the strike hits the daily talk shows the hardest, there are already waves of protests against the strike. See the video below.
It’s not that only the small-time producers will feel the pinch. The story is the same for the writers as well. They will be without earning as long as they are on strike.
One hopes there is an early breakthrough in favor of the guild. I’m sure lots of people around the globe are watching the events at Hollywood closely.
Meanwhile enjoy this hilarious video, titled ‘Heroes of the writers strike’.
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