Writers Strike Starts in Earnest

NEW YORK - The first walkout by Hollywood writers in nearly 20 years got under way Monday with noisy pickets outside the Today show - a strike that threatens to disrupt everything from late-night talk shows to soap operas. Above image and paragraph is from Yahoo News

The writers are on the street but what does that mean for animation? Animation has always had problems holding good writers because of the royalty disparity between live action and animation. In most cases animation writers don`t get no sinking royalties.

But writers are everywhere in TV and Film. Even the reality TV shows have writers. And the strike is going to shake up everything with different impact times. Animation having one of the longest lead times will be the last to show damage. Do the damage will be there none the less.

From the viewpoint of the creatives, creators are being prayed on and obscene amounts of money are being harvested off the labor of the people with the ideas by the people that hold a strangle hold on distribution. That is the playing field we work in. It is just the way it is.

It is to the studio`s advantage to get creatives as cheaply as they can. It is to the creatives advantage to take care of themselves because nobady else will.

So where do I stand? I am not a member of WGA and I am not a member of the management. Both sides are doing what they should do. But I, for one, will not cross a labor picket line. That is all I will say on that matter.

Even if animation writers are getting a raw deal compared to live action writers. And will most likely still get the short end with any new contract. Even if animators are not sharing in the royalty pie like they should. I will respect their right to strike.

The old trick is always to turn one disadvantaged group against another disadvantaged group to protect the interests of the group that benefits from everybody else`s disadvantage. I grew up in the old Jim Crow South I know the drill. I know name of the game.

This is a first of a group of strikes that are on the horizon. I expect to hear how much the writers are already getting and how the studios are going to have to cut jobs, and how much the WGA`s acts are hurting the economy and all the other old saws. I also expect some careers will be ruined and friendships busted up forever.

But it is better than just taking what is being offered because nothing is going to be given away from the goodness of anybody`s heart. And you know what. Strange as it may sound, even the studios benefit in the long run by being able to attract better writers. And by the people who will go out on own and create those new start up companies.