This Monday, 12,000 movie and television writers, members of the Writers Guild of America, went on strike to demand a bigger share of the revenue generated by the distribution of their work on the Internet and from DVD sales.
The writers union claims that its members are entitled to a share of the profits reaped by the entertainment industry thanks to the rise in "new media" distribution profits they have been missing out on thanks to contracts (now expired) that predated the current technological boom.
The studios argue that they cannot commit to a costly contractual obligation to the writers because the technology is too new; the revenue model and payment plans for new media distribution are unknown. They also claim that the markets do not reflect or predict the "huge profits" they are purported to be bringing in.
However, in spite of the confusing and ever-evolving technological and economic environment, the fact remains that the entertainment industry is profiting substantially from DVD sales and making its shows and films available online while the creative forces behind these shows are not being compensated accordingly.
It could be hard for the writers to stir up public sympathy for their plight. Some of them - especially top writers-creators and developers of hit shows - are highly paid. The image of New York and Hollywood writers picketing outside studios is unlikely to elicit as much sympathy as say, underpaid autoworkers in Detroit.
But these top writers are unlikely to be affected by the strike as they earn their (substantial) paydays, thanks to up-front fees and studio deals. The writers most affected are usually underpaid and intermittently employed members of an industry that often views them as replaceable and unimportant. Their shows are frequently cancelled, and finding new work can be difficult. As the creative forces behind these shows, they should be allowed to profit from their creations' second life on DVDs and the Internet.
The writers to whom the issues are most important are, ironically, those who can least afford to strike. The majority of these writers struggle to make a living, which is absurd considering the industry they work in is highly profitable and that most of its members, such as actors, directors and studio executives, are paid accordingly. But writers, though they are equally as essential to their industry's product, are not.
Both sides stand to lose from the strike, as the public now has a variety of ways to entertain itself that do not contribute a dime to the entertainment industry (YouTube, downloading bootleg versions of shows, Facebook.com, Myspace.com, etc.). It is in the interest of both groups to resolve their differences as quickly and fairly as possible.
The issue, finally, is one of fairness. The creators of the product which form the backbone of the industry are entitled to support themselves from it and to profit from their industry's growth.
If there's no script there's no show, no movie and no entertainment industry; it's important that the people who make the big money compensate the people who make less as the industry to which both groups belong evolves.
