Christians in Cinema

Nearly 12,000 writers of the Writers’ Guild of America, East and West, went on strike at midnight last night. In New York, writers are picketing NBC Studios at Rockefeller Center, and in Los Angeles, the major studios are surrounded by picket lines.What’s at stake? If the worst-case scenario happens, potentially $1 billion in revenues. The last writers’ strike occurred in 1988 and lasted 5 months before an agreement was reached. At the center of the strike is re-structuring of residual profits from DVD and internet sales. Technology has forged ahead, but compensation plans haven’t, apparently.

One of the first casualties is the new season of “Saturday Night Live.” Other shows feeling effects this week will be late-night talk shows (David Letterman, Jay Leno, etc.), followed rapidly by daytime talk shows, then moving into soap operas, followed by scripted primetime shows (comedies and dramas). If the strike lasts long enough, motion pictures will be affected as well.

How will the networks fill all those hours? Re-runs and more reality. Great. That’s just what we need; more bad “American Idol” contestants, more rejected “Bachelor” women and angry “Survivor” cast-offs. I can’t wait. It might be time to take up golf or air hockey, or some other worthy pastime.

The television and motion picture industry employs nearly 1.3 million people in the United States, some of whom also have stake in the residual profits of DVD and internet sales. One reporter called the Writers’ Guild a “canary,” meaning they are a test case for others who might choose to strike (directors, actors) if the writers are successful in reaching their goals.

Of all the responsibilities that go into the making of television shows and films, writers are quite possibly the least-recognized of the creative team. Yet in the coming weeks, we’ll see how necessary they are, even to the stand-up comedians we all enjoy so much.

Whether or not you agree with strikes, the union seems to have a fair request: extend their residuals to all forms of reproduction of their original work. If you’re a writer who is striking, share your thoughts with us. If you’re a producer who may be affected by the strike, let us know where you see things going. The communication between union and studio negotiators apparently failed; it doesn’t have to here.