My day gig is working at an entertainment law firm in Beverly Hills, and for the past three months, the atmosphere has been tense, uncertain, and a little scary. None of us got raises at the end of the year (in anticipation of the strike lasting for months and months)...clients have lost their overall deals at studios...writers are sitting around waiting to get busy...and the foot traffic on Rodeo Drive has dwindled to tourists from Asia and Europe. I have friends who aren't working at all -- my friend who works as a 1st Assistant Camera woman, is selling stocks to survive.
In theory, I'm in full support of the writers and what they are asking for (a legitimate piece of the pie). I'm all for the little guy. But it's time for this to end.
The DGA (Directors Guild of America) struck a deal yesterday, after only a few days of negotiations, and from what I'm hearing, the terms are pretty decent.
At this point, I have to seriously question the leadership of the WGA, and the way they went about this. This is not the garment industry. This is an industry of compromise, of give-and-take, of negotiating. I know what I'm talking about - I listen to it all day long. I'm privy to conversations most people only read about, after the fact.
The fact that the DGA was able to accomplish this deal so quickly really sheds light on it all. Maybe the studios just don't take the writers seriously. Maybe there's a lack of respect there. And if that's the case, why is that the case?
I really hope the writers will go back to the table (they've been invited) and use the DGA's agreement as the basis for their own negotiations. At this point, they'll look pretty bad if they don't.
Then again, there's always the chance that the WGA leadership could convince their members to hold out, wait for the actors to join them in June...at which point the town will shut down, and I might as well pack it up and move back to Nashville.
This will be an interesting week....
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1 comment:
AMEN!!!!!
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