Well, the Screen Actors Guild Awards will go ahead as planned, having been given the green light by the Writers Guild of America. As such actors now feel safe to come out of awards-show-hiding; media finally have a red carpet occasion to harass celebrities; and designers, who have been starving this season due to the collapse of the Golden Globes and Oscars, get the chance to sell an overpriced dress or two.
Isn’t it amazing how one group of individuals can bring an entire industry to a grinding halt? I tell you, that’s the power of the people at work.
If nothing else the strike has brought attention to the writers who, for the most part, were somewhat ignored by Hollywood. It was always actors, directors and even producers who got the face time and opening credits. They were the ones photographed on red carpets; they were the ones receiving the fat cheques. Yes, the actors are the ones we know, but the writers are the reason we haven’t seen any new episodes of Grey’s Anatomy. Just goes to show, the man up-front is not always the man with the most control.
It’s kind of like your garbage collector: you pretend not to see him when he comes to take your trash and you often take him for granted. But the moment he stops coming, your left with a big mess, and a stink that starts affecting the whole neighbourhood.
And I think that was the case with the writers. The documented reason for the strike is the demand of larger pay for movies and TV shows released on DVD, and through internet sources. But I think It’s a case study of what happens when you badly manage the relationships between you and your publics. After watching the strike jeopardize TV’s spring season, and render unemployed thousands of non-writers within the TV and film industry, I have come to the conclusion that it is not about the money. It is about fairness, and about gaining respect for a group of workers who probably do not get as much of it as they deserve.
If the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers could address this side of the issue then maybe they could figure out an end to the strike. Until then we are stuck in rerun and reality TV hell.
I think my TV addiction just got cured.
You’re absolutely right Rhonda, writers ARE ignored! Ignored, undervalued and taken for granted. They indirectly shape our culture from behind the scenes, and Hollywood is now learning a VERY important lesson in equity and who REALLY runs the show! It is about the relationship and giving writers what they’re owed.
Hm, if it had been daytime TV, there might have been a revolution. You can bet that hardcore Y&R fans would be up in arms!