Its official: Hollywood writers are on strike. The Writer’s Guild of America, the union to which nearly all screenwriters belong, is on strike as of last night (November 4th). US TV will no doubt grind to a standstill, and unfinished blockbuster scripts lie in piles on American pavements (or sidewalks, if you will).
The strike has been caused by an argument over internet broadcasting rights. The current WGA contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) ran out on Halloween. In order to sign a new one, the WGA are demanding a share of the profits made from streaming films and shows online – a request the AMPTP feel unable to meet.
The two sides seem far apart on this issue, and commentators believe the strike will last weeks or months, rather than days, with picket lines already formed outside of studios on both coasts.
How will this affect you? Well, current affairs shows have already stopped filming, so if you’re a fan of The Daily Show be prepared for a break. Equally, blockbuster scripts must be extensively re-written, so a dip in quality should be expected. Some good may come out of this though: with a break the script writers may come back with new and refreshing ideas. Furthermore, with schedules to fill the networks might start repeating Mork and Mindy.
But the negatives outweigh the positives. This strike will have a deleterious effect on film fans, so lets hope the two sides can bash out a deal.
