Rob Long continues to be the smartest voice I’ve heard about the Hollywood writer’s strike. His latest commentary on KCRW’s Martini Shot takes a look at relationships between the various entertainment union and concludes that, at some stage of production, one union is benefiting at the expense of another.
Please read this. It’s genius.
I remember a few years ago, during the last contract negotiation, one
of the big umbrella issues was something called "respect." The Writers
Guild –- correctly, in my view –- wanted to do away with something
called the Possessory Credit –- you know, the thing directors get -– "A
film by…" as if they wrote it, too. "A film by Rob Reiner," for
instance, when Rob Reiner didn’t write the script. We wanted to get rid
of that. "A film by" should only apply to a person who both wrote and
directed a movie. And we wanted some other "respect" stuff, too: we
wanted to be included in press junkets and allowed set visits and get
to walk on the red carpet.
The possessory credit, though, was really up to the Directors Guild.
And the Directors Guild said, essentially, forget it. You want to talk
about how little respect the writers get in the feature world? Fine.
But then let’s talk about how little respect directors get in the
television world, where it’s routine to talk of them as "traffic cops,"
and to deny them their first cut, among other things.
It’s hard to get something done in this business. By the time the film
is loaded -– or, in many cases, the hard drive is booted (a lot of
talented camera guys are out of work in this digital age; did we march
for them?) -– everyone is so exhausted and worn out from just getting
something going that they barely have energy to make the thing itself.
So when we are actually doing something, actually filming something,
actually doing the thing we all came here to do, rather than having
meetings and pitch sessions and budget calls and story arguments about
it, we tend to cut corners. Human corners.
So we should be careful –- all of us, writers who now claim membership
in a labor movement; studio heads who have the temerity to call someone
else greedy; all of us -– with the name calling and the posturing.
Because this strike is going to be over, someday. And when it is, will
everything go back to business as usual?
Hope not.
I hope I can meet Mr. Long someday. He’s my new hero.
