The 2023 WGA / SAG-AFTRA strike and other Labor Discussion
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The 2023 WGA / SAG-AFTRA strike and other Labor Discussion
I wanted to start this earlier. The Distraction pod replayed its episode with Mike Schur, and this week's had Adam Conover, both WGA members, the latter one of the lead negotiators. I'm guessing most if not all of us are sympathetic to the writers. I just assume that the management in any labor dispute are the ones that are not acting in good faith, and it seems the case here. And I'd be ripshit pissed if I were a writer and the studios were flirting with AI.
Besides send money, what could I do as a consumer to show my support? Not watch streaming until it's over?
Besides send money, what could I do as a consumer to show my support? Not watch streaming until it's over?
Last edited by L-Jam3 on Wed Dec 06, 2023 10:22 am, edited 4 times in total.
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Re: The 2023-? Writers Guild of America strike
I cannot begin to imagine who might, other than for political theater, side with management here. If you do even a cursory look at how the studios and streamers have been fucking over writers AND what their plans are to decimate them with AI going forward, you come down so hard on the side of the WGA the earth should shake.
Re: The 2023-? Writers Guild of America strike
Is our swamp citizen drafter of Paw Patrol and Inspector Gadget episodes a union writer? I noticed the "of America" in WGA...Can the companies use overseas labor for scripts?
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Re: The 2023-? Writers Guild of America strike
They've been rewriting the same Shakespeare plays for centuries so why stop now?
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Re: The 2023-? Writers Guild of America strike
I hope Pru can still Swamply Connect!
Until everything is less insane, I'm mixing weed with wine.
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Re: The 2023-? Writers Guild of America strike
I swear if one more team tries to get out of playing the basses…
You know what you need? A lyrical sucker punch to the face.
Re: The 2023-? Writers Guild of America strike
I am a member of both the Writers Guild of Canada (sympathetic to, but not officially affiliated with the WGA), as well as the S.A.C.D. which is the writers guild of France. All members have been told to not accept any "scab" scripts. And I wouldn't.
But there are a lot of folks who would - even if it meant not being able to get credit under their real name. Writers are like actors inasmuch as the supply way outpaces the demand.
In so many cases, we are seen as being interchangeable - just hacks who are there to polish up the Creators and Producers' brilliant ideas.
But the animation writers in the US aren't on strike, so it's a moot point for me anyway.
Canadian International
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Re: The 2023-? Writers Guild of America strike
You should cancel your streamers, not "not watch" them. And support all unions except the police (they're not the same and it's not even close).L-Jam3 wrote: ↑Fri May 12, 2023 2:55 pm I wanted to start this earlier. The Distraction pod replayed it's episode with Mike Schur, and this week's had Adam Conover, both WGA members, the latter one of the lead negotiators. I'm guessing most if not all of us are sympathetic to the writers. I just assume that the management in any labor dispute are the ones that are not acting in good faith, and it seems the case here. And I'd be ripshit pissed if I were a writer and the studios were flirting with AI.
Besides send money, what could I do as a consumer to show my support? Not watch streaming until it's over?
There's a tweet out there showing the market valuation of the ten biggest streamers/network conglomerations dropped something like 20X the all the concessions the writers asked for in the first day of the strike. Should be an easy fix, right? And here we are...
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Re: The 2023-? Writers Guild of America strike
Yes, this is THE Justine Bateman - I would encourage you to click and read her thread;
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Re: The 2023-? Writers Guild of America strike
Eh - fuck it - gonna paste it all:
Re: The 2023-? Writers Guild of America strike
It is an existential threat in that even though writers like to think that we are irreplaceable, the future could hold (as justine Bateman mentioned) a world where a studio or a producer inputs requirements (including page count) and out comes a script.
Writers will still be needed, but it will be script doctors or punch-up guys. Which pays 10%-20% of what a full script would.
Writers will still be needed, but it will be script doctors or punch-up guys. Which pays 10%-20% of what a full script would.
Canadian International
Re: The 2023-? Writers Guild of America strike
Makes me want to generate an AI movie about the Writer's Guild saving the world from the forces of AI.
I kid, but yea. That shit is existential.
I kid, but yea. That shit is existential.
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Re: The 2023-? Writers Guild of America strike
I’m doing this. I have Netflix and Hulu, they can go. I also have HBOMax. I’ll keep that until Succession ends because my wife watches it. (I never got around to watching it myself; everything I’ve heard about it makes it sound too mean-spirited for my tastes.) Fuck the studios. If not watching streaming shit for a few months, or even years, is going to help secure both a better future for those who create this, and more overall quality moving forward, then I’m happy to do this tiny sacrifice.DSafetyGuy wrote: ↑Sat May 13, 2023 8:58 amYou should cancel your streamers, not "not watch" them. And support all unions except the police (they're not the same and it's not even close).L-Jam3 wrote: ↑Fri May 12, 2023 2:55 pm I wanted to start this earlier. The Distraction pod replayed it's episode with Mike Schur, and this week's had Adam Conover, both WGA members, the latter one of the lead negotiators. I'm guessing most if not all of us are sympathetic to the writers. I just assume that the management in any labor dispute are the ones that are not acting in good faith, and it seems the case here. And I'd be ripshit pissed if I were a writer and the studios were flirting with AI.
Besides send money, what could I do as a consumer to show my support? Not watch streaming until it's over?
There's a tweet out there showing the market valuation of the ten biggest streamers/network conglomerations dropped something like 20X the all the concessions the writers asked for in the first day of the strike. Should be an easy fix, right? And here we are...
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Re: The 2023-? Writers Guild of America strike
And anything you miss by canceling now will be available again at some future point, so it simply comes down to if FOMO is real to you or not. Everything that has been released already will re-surface again at some point, especially because studios will need to keep re-surfacing it to keep driving interest in their product. We've long since passed the point of lots of people signing up for one service, watching all the exclusive stuff that service has as quickly as possible, then canceling it and moving on to the next service. Making things available again is a necessity to draw interest.L-Jam3 wrote: ↑Sun May 14, 2023 11:33 amI’m doing this. I have Netflix and Hulu, they can go. I also have HBOMax. I’ll keep that until Succession ends because my wife watches it. (I never got around to watching it myself; everything I’ve heard about it makes it sound too mean-spirited for my tastes.) Fuck the studios. If not watching streaming shit for a few months, or even years, is going to help secure both a better future for those who create this, and more overall quality moving forward, then I’m happy to do this tiny sacrifice.DSafetyGuy wrote: ↑Sat May 13, 2023 8:58 amYou should cancel your streamers, not "not watch" them. And support all unions except the police (they're not the same and it's not even close).L-Jam3 wrote: ↑Fri May 12, 2023 2:55 pm I wanted to start this earlier. The Distraction pod replayed it's episode with Mike Schur, and this week's had Adam Conover, both WGA members, the latter one of the lead negotiators. I'm guessing most if not all of us are sympathetic to the writers. I just assume that the management in any labor dispute are the ones that are not acting in good faith, and it seems the case here. And I'd be ripshit pissed if I were a writer and the studios were flirting with AI.
Besides send money, what could I do as a consumer to show my support? Not watch streaming until it's over?
There's a tweet out there showing the market valuation of the ten biggest streamers/network conglomerations dropped something like 20X the all the concessions the writers asked for in the first day of the strike. Should be an easy fix, right? And here we are...
And the "re-creating cable television" thing that has been speculated in a few places is going to happen.
“All I'm sayin' is, he comes near me, I'll put him in the wall.”
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Re: The 2023-? Writers Guild of America strike
This is an excellent read:
Re: The 2023-? Writers Guild of America strike
That was a good read. She is what a Teamster leader ought to be. Gawd knows, I worked for years with Teamsters who were asshole jerks who only cared about themselves. So she is an inspiration.
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Re: The 2023-? Writers Guild of America strike
If someone presented me with the death or die question, I would pick having to listen to the entire Weezer catalogue over having to listen to the entire Chrissy Hines/Pretenders archive.
You can lead a horse to fish, but you can't fish out a horse.
Re: The 2023-? Writers Guild of America strike
So, you’re saying you prefer one band over another band. Got it.
D like the National more than Weezer.
Nlfc likes Weezer more than the Pretenders.
D like the National more than Weezer.
Nlfc likes Weezer more than the Pretenders.
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Re: The 2023-? Writers Guild of America strike
Mine was just a deeply clever joke that a Weezer concert on the picket line would drive the writers back inside to work.
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Re: The 2023-? Writers Guild of America strike
For the record, I thought it was a great joke, even though I quite like Weezer. I was just trying to piggyback by reigniting the great dogpiling of 2022 when I said I thought she was garbage and got a pretty good thumping as a result.
I can take the L, but I also will bring it up a lot.
I can take the L, but I also will bring it up a lot.
You can lead a horse to fish, but you can't fish out a horse.
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Re: The 2023-? Writers Guild of America strike
Is that taking the L?
You know what you need? A lyrical sucker punch to the face.
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Re: The 2023-? Writers Guild of America strike
I'm not arguing the point that the collective thought my take was terrible.
You can lead a horse to fish, but you can't fish out a horse.
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Re: The 2023-? Writers Guild of America strike
I'd rather give the D than take the L.
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Re: The 2023-? Writers Guild of America strike
You know as I've grown older, I prefer taking the L. The L stands for labia, right?
well this is gonna be someone's new signature - bronto
Re: The 2023-? Writers Guild of America strike
Another point in the pro-BU side of the ledger
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Re: The 2023-? Writers Guild of America strike
I like that.
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Re: The 2023-? Writers Guild of America strike
So great
Until everything is less insane, I'm mixing weed with wine.
Re: The 2023-? Writers Guild of America strike
I love a good heckling.
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Re: The 2023-? Writers Guild of America strike
That’s fantastic!
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Re: The 2023-? Writers Guild of America strike
We can't all be perfect, but some of us are more perfect than others.
You know what you need? A lyrical sucker punch to the face.
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Re: The 2023-? Writers Guild of America strike
Makes me wish a graduating class at Syracuse would get a second shot at Jamie Dimon (2010 speaker).
“All I'm sayin' is, he comes near me, I'll put him in the wall.”
Re: The 2023-? Writers Guild of America strike
Like I said earlier I'm dumping HBO next week as soon as my wife finishes Succession, but can someone explain why they're changing the name to Max? I get there was a flurry of mergers, but sometimes you just keep the name for ease. And what entertainment property has a stronger brand-recognition than HBO?
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Re: The 2023-? Writers Guild of America strike
I think this was a sticking point. The HBO heads don't want to be associated with a lot of the content Max is going to deliver. So it's going to be HBO on Max or some shit. So HBO gets to still be the prestige brand while The Real Housewives of North Orange will be available on the same app, but promoted differently.L-Jam3 wrote: ↑Mon May 22, 2023 1:08 pm Like I said earlier I'm dumping HBO next week as soon as my wife finishes Succession, but can someone explain why they're changing the name to Max? I get there was a flurry of mergers, but sometimes you just keep the name for ease. And what entertainment property has a stronger brand-recognition than HBO?
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Re: The 2023-? Writers Guild of America strike
I think it's the addition of Discovery+ stuff. I personally wouldn't rename the service for that, but whatevs.L-Jam3 wrote: ↑Mon May 22, 2023 1:08 pm Like I said earlier I'm dumping HBO next week as soon as my wife finishes Succession, but can someone explain why they're changing the name to Max? I get there was a flurry of mergers, but sometimes you just keep the name for ease. And what entertainment property has a stronger brand-recognition than HBO?
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Re: The 2023-? Writers Guild of America strike
I see. I didn't even think it was that HBO didn't want to dilute its own brand. But RHONO is bound to be a huge hit!
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Re: The 2023-? Writers Guild of America strike
Discovery Networks purchased Warner Media. It is a new-ish name designed to have retention of customers who think of "HBO Max" while downplaying HBO because it is essentially Discovery Networks in disguise. They shovel the Discovery programming onto HBO's platform to get eyes on it.govmentchedda wrote: ↑Mon May 22, 2023 1:12 pmI think it's the addition of Discovery+ stuff. I personally wouldn't rename the service for that, but whatevs.L-Jam3 wrote: ↑Mon May 22, 2023 1:08 pm Like I said earlier I'm dumping HBO next week as soon as my wife finishes Succession, but can someone explain why they're changing the name to Max? I get there was a flurry of mergers, but sometimes you just keep the name for ease. And what entertainment property has a stronger brand-recognition than HBO?
Yes, it is stupid to dump the prestige associated with HBO, but, at the same time, if they kept it on and used it to advertise all the crap shows, they'd just be poisoning the well.
“All I'm sayin' is, he comes near me, I'll put him in the wall.”