The Writers Guild of America, representing 11,5000 screenwriters, has ordered a strike in negotiations with Hollywood studios and streamers over wage improvements and broken terms – Copyright AFP/File Kena Betancur
There were no problems. Then there was. The Writers Guild of America unintentionally took advantage of the mental illness of the entire industry. The basic idea is that in a multi-billion dollar industry, no one should earn a living wage.
Meanwhile, just on the far side of this very silly picture, the Authors Guild is trying to create a model contract for publishers to manage their AI content. Sooner or later, Ai will infest screenwriters. One Hollywood sage would think it would be cheaper.
…or simply put, each sector misses the mark completely. They will also miss their market completely.
I will explain about actually holding a remedial workshop in kindergarten.
- What do you remember about the show? Characters, scenes, lines, visuals. Characters, scenes and lines have to be written in order to work. Visuals are a direct product of writing.
- Text underpins the fundamental rights of any media production. This includes the full scope of your copyright. That’s your unique selling point. It is the very identity of any media product. Do you think it’s worth the money, no matter how insulting it is?
- A close-up of a person saying, “I see…” doesn’t always translate into sales.
- A storyline needs words to explain to the production team as well as the audience.
- In terms of pure authorship, AI cannot be visualized. You can’t control story issues, but you can easily create them. This is important because many media products are derived from books and other media.
- Writing and producing should be a collaborative effort. Writers may need to fill continuity gaps simply to move from Scene 1 to Scene 2.
- High-quality content is more important than ever to be competitive. Your entire multi-million dollar production is just a click away and forgotten.
- Almost every aspect of core writing skills is involved in this task. Adapting a script, for example, is by no means difficult.Theoretically an AI could do it, but in practice…? Try adapting gone with the wind with AI. “Frankly, ma’am, I don’t make typos‘ doesn’t make sense, does it? There is so much story behind this one film of his.
- To write means to rewrite for some reason. This kind of writing actually requires at least two jobs for him, the second job being to fix everything for production reasons. This has to be done right or production won’t happen.
So much for the absolute basics of media writing.
Meanwhile, back to the picket line – in order to do this writing, the writer needs to eat, and perhaps have some form of shelter somewhere, like a shack or a view grate. The prices have gone crazy. Even if the cost of living is good, it is expensive. California has some examples of what happens when people can no longer afford to live.
On paper, the median income of screenwriters seems good…if this was at least 10 years ago. Salaries currently being negotiated are hopelessly outdated to the point of fossilization. It has nothing in common with the actual cost. It’s not even up for debate.
California is the most expensive state in the United States, but it’s not just California. Other states are catching up, thanks to crazy price increases for everything. SGA’s point is very valid. Living above a tree in Louisiana can still keep you out of money.
Another point I would like to make is that the writers are not asking for an incomprehensible amount of money. When was the last time you heard someone talk about a movie or TV budget and someone said, “The screenwriters broke us”? is just a small part of
Another point that might mean something to someone. These writers are creating great content that you can sell. What’s the problem?
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The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author. They do not reflect the opinions or views of Digital Journal or its members.
