Writers for some of the most popular shows on television are walking off the job, striking for higher pay amid rapid changes in the way people watch their programmes and films. Photo / Getty Images
Writers for some of the most popular shows on television are walking off the job, striking for higher pay amid rapid changes in the way people watch their programmes and films. Photo / Getty Images
So, you love The Sopranos, or The Wire, or Friends? The Writers Guild of America strike in the United States has pitted 11,500 screenwriters against the major studios. Matt Ragghianti, an LA-based screenwriter, explains why it’s vital that anyone who loves television and film should care.
My wife was laughingso hard from the other room I had to investigate. I found her on the sofa watching Friends and smiling ear-to-ear. “Oh, my God,” she said as I walked in, “Chandler is so damn funny!”
And that really pissed me off. Chandler Bing is a great character and Matthew Perry a wonderful actor. But, neither the character nor the actor would or could exist if it weren’t for writers. Okay, Perry would exist, but he wouldn’t be an actor. And neither would anyone else. Because actors need characters to play, and words to say while they do.
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is on strike after failing to reach an agreement with the studios, networks and streaming companies known collectively as the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).
To oversimplify, writers are asking for a small increase in pay - mainly via residuals - and a few other job protections which the AMPTP has refused to even consider.
People picket outside of Paramount Pictures studios during the Hollywood writers strike on May 4, 2023 in Los Angeles. Photo / Getty Images
The reasons why can be distilled to two, basic facts. First, studios are part of enormous, publicly held corporations that care only about profit for their shareholders, and themselves. A group of employees asking for a slightly larger piece of that glorious profit is, apparently, heresy.
And, second, the fact it’s a group of writers doing the asking? Well, that’s just plain offensive.
Think Chandler came up with those jokes on his own? It’s fine to say you did, writers work hard alongside talented actors and directors to make it all seem natural and real. So, in a sense, a film or TV writer’s job is to convince the audience they don’t exist.
The AMPTP seems very convinced. Now might be a good time to mention I’m a proud member of the WGA and have logged thousands of hours writing for TV and films. I hate that this strike is happening. But, much more than that, I hate being treated so poorly that we have no other choice.
See, this is my second strike since joining the guild and the current situation seems hauntingly familiar to the one in 2007. I was writing for a show called Lost, and, when it came time to renegotiate our labour contract (which we do every three years), the older writers warned us about the terrible profit-sharing deal the WGA signed back when VHS cassettes were the Big New Thing.
Writers Guild of America members and supporters on a picket line outside Disney Studios, on Monday, May 8, 2023. Photo / Getty Images
This time, we were determined not to be painted into the same corner with DVDs. As negotiations began, the AMPTP’s position was simple: give us some time to evaluate the marketplace to see if DVDs will become popular (again, it was 2007), then we’ll come back to make you an offer based upon what we learn.
When the WGA asked how long they thought they needed, what do you think they told us? Thirty years. Yes, really.
This time, it’s about streaming and an early attempt to tackle the looming spectre of AI. But, while technology may evolve, it’s maddening to learn the studios’ devaluation of writers, and the vital role we play in this artform seemingly never will.
Play a game with me. Think of the title of your favourite movie. Okay, now think of your favourite TV show. How about your favourite video game? Now, tell me who wrote them. Bet you a beer you can’t. And, really, that’s what has to change.
Several years ago, writers working for a studio you’ve heard of (particularly if you have kids) started having problems with their pay cheques. As in, we weren’t getting them. When we called Business Affairs to inquire about this, did the studio say, “Wait, you didn’t get it? We mailed it last week,” or even “OMG, we completely forgot”? Nope. They told us they simply weren’t going to pay us. Ever. This actually happened. Causing the WGA to demand they immediately place US$30 million in an escrow account from which all writers would be paid monies owed as well as future earnings, otherwise the studio would have to write their own TV shows and films. And, yes, it worked. But, should the WGA have needed to make that demand in the first place?
The first time I was on set for a television show I had written, I was nearly overcome with joy. When the crew shouted “Writer on set!” each time I walked on to the stage, I naively thought it was a sign of respect. An older writer took me aside and shared that, the real reason they say that, is to warn the crew not to resume openly insulting the writing until we left again.
None of it made any sense. Because not a single person on that set would have a job if we didn’t invent an entire universe out of thin air and put it on the page. I wouldn’t blame you for thinking that sounds absurd. It does to me and I’m the one saying it.
But, think about it. The most visionary director in the world, the greatest actor of all time, the most talented costume designer … all dazzling artisans who bring pleasure to the world through film and television. But, not a single one of them can lift a finger until a writer like me tells them exactly what to shoot, what to say, and what to sew.
And, while I cherish the magic these people bring to the project, it would be awfully nice if they felt the same way about the people who - quite literally - make the whole thing possible. So, the next time you nearly fall off the couch laughing at an old episode of Friends, do me a solid and pay close attention to the “written by” credit, will you?
Because that’s the person who’s actually making you laugh.
