Autoren-/Schauspielerstreik in den USA

Posted: 08.12.2007 11:25

Quote:

AMPTP and WGA Talks Break Down

Look for even more reality shows (i.e. series that don't need scripts) in the new year, as the talks between the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) and Writers Guild of America (WGA) took a nose-dive on Friday, with each side releasing statements regarding what happened. The WGA's strike has gone on for five weeks now and has sidelined many primetime and late-night TV shows. It is no doubt starting to affect many feature films that are scheduled to be released in 2009 now as well.

Here is Friday's statement from the AMPTP:

We’re disappointed to report that talks between the AMPTP and WGA have broken down yet again. Quite frankly, we’re puzzled and disheartened by an ongoing WGA negotiating strategy that seems designed to delay or derail talks rather than facilitate an end to this strike. Union negotiators in our industry have successfully concluded 306 major agreements with the AMPTP since its inception in 1982. The WGA organizers sitting across the table from us have never concluded even one industry accord.

We believe our New Economic Partnership proposal, which would increase the average working writer’s salary to more than $230,000 a year, makes it possible to find common ground. And we have proved over the last five months that we want writers to participate in producers' revenues, including in theatrical and television streaming, as well as other areas of new media. However, under no circumstances will we knowingly participate in the destruction of this business.

While the WGA’s organizers can clearly stage rallies, concerts and mock exorcisms, we have serious concerns about whether they’re capable of reaching reasonable compromises that are in the best interests of our entire industry. It is now absolutely clear that the WGA’s organizers are determined to advance their own political ideologies and personal agendas at the expense of working writers and every other working person who depends on our industry for their livelihoods.

Instead of negotiating, the WGA organizers have made unreasonable demands that are roadblocks to real progress:

- They demand full control over reality television and animation. In other words, they want us to make membership in their union mandatory to work in this industry – even though thousands of people in reality and animation have already chosen not to join the WGA.

- They demand restrictions designed to prevent networks from airing any reality programs unless they are produced under terms in keeping with the WGA agreement. This would apply even to producers who are not associated with the Guild. Their proposal artificially limits competition and most likely would not withstand legal challenge.

- The WGA organizers are demanding the right to ignore their bargained “no strike” provision, allowing them to join in strikes of other labor organizations.

- Their proposal for Internet compensation could actually cost producers more than they receive in revenues, thereby dooming the Internet media business before it ever gets started.

- They insist that writers receive a piece of advertising revenue – even though the producers that pay them don’t receive any of this revenue in the first place.

- They want a third party to set an artificial value on transactions, rather that allowing the market to determine the worth of each transaction. This would result in producers having to pay residuals on money that the producers never even received.

These are the terms the WGA organizers demand for ending the strike – money that doesn’t exist, restrictions that are legally dubious, and control over people who have refused to join their union.

Besides betraying a fundamental misunderstanding of the economics of new media, such as a streaming proposal that would require us to give them more money than we make ourselves, the WGA organizers are on an ideological mission far removed from the interests of their members.

Their Quixotic pursuit of radical demands led them to begin this strike, and now has caused this breakdown in negotiations. We hope that the WGA will come back to this table with a rational plan that can lead us to a fair and equitable resolution to a strike that is causing so much distress for so many people in our industry and community.

The WGA had this to say:

WGA Negotiating Committee Chair John F. Bowman, on behalf of the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), has issued the following message regarding Contract 2007 negotiations:

Today, after three days of discussions, the AMPTP came back to us with a proposal that included a total rejection of our proposal on Internet streaming of December 3.

They are holding to their offer of a $250 fixed residual for unlimited one year streaming after a six-week window of free use. They still insist on the DVD rate for Internet downloads.

They refuse to cover original material made for new media.

This offer was accompanied by an ultimatum: the AMPTP demands we give up several of our proposals, including Fair Market Value (our protection against vertical integration and self-dealing), animation, reality, and, most crucially, any proposal that uses distributor’s gross as a basis for residuals. This would require us to concede most of our Internet proposal as a precondition for continued bargaining. The AMPTP insists we let them do to the Internet what they did to home video.

We received a similar ultimatum through back channels prior to the discussions of November 4. At that time, we were assured that if we took DVD’s off the table, we would get a fair offer on new media issues. That offer never materialized.

We reject the idea of an ultimatum. Although a number of items we have on the table are negotiable, we cannot be forced to bargain with ourselves. The AMPTP has many proposals on the table that are unacceptable to writers, but we have never delivered ultimatums.

As we prepared our counter-offer, at 6:05 p.m., Nick Counter came and said to us, in the mediator’s presence: “We are leaving. When you write us a letter saying you will take all these items off the table, we will reschedule negotiations with you.” Within minutes, the AMPTP had posted a lengthy statement announcing the breakdown of negotiations.

We remain ready and willing to negotiate, no matter how intransigent our bargaining partners are, because the stakes are simply too high. We were prepared to counter their proposal tonight, and when any of them are ready to return to the table, we’re here, ready to make a fair deal.

(comingsoon.net)

Das war's dann mit dieser Season. Bleibt nur die Hoffnung das die nächste Season nicht auch noch unter dem Streik leiden muss.

grosse augen

MfG

Maestro

Posted: 11.12.2007 11:28

Bei Futon Critic gibt es eine ausführliche Liste die uns verrät wo welche Serie gerade steht.

lupe

MfG

Maestro

Posted: 14.12.2007 01:33

Quote:

DGA Holds Off Talks Until the New Year

With the AMPTP and WGA talks breaking down last week, the Directors Guild of America has the option to step in and start its own negotiations with the AMPTP to try to come to an agreement that could be used by the WGA as well if that is something they choose to do. DGA president Michael Apted and negotiations chair Gil Cates released the following statement today, which says they are going to hold off until the new year:

Although the DGA has a long history of early negotiations, this year we held off starting our own formal talks with the AMPTP for two months out of respect for our sister guild. Instead, we watched the writers' negotiations closely while preparing for our turn at bat.

We are deeply disappointed by the breakdown of talks between the WGA and the AMPTP with no end to the strike in sight. Like everyone else in the industry, we had hoped that the two parties would be able to reach a fair and reasonable deal that adequately compensates talent for the work they create.

But now the situation is dire. The WGA-AMPTP impasse has cost the jobs of tens of thousands of entertainment-industry workers, including many of our own members, and more lose their jobs every day the strike continues. With so much at stake and no end to the standoff in sight, we can no longer abdicate our responsibility to our own members. Because we want to give the WGA and the AMPTP more time to return to the negotiating table to conclude an agreement, the DGA will not schedule our negotiations to begin until after the New Year, and then, only if an appropriate basis for negotiations can be established. If that's the case, then the DGA will commence formal talks in the hope that a fresh perspective and the additional pressure we can bring to bear will help force the AMPTP to settle the issues before us in a fair and reasonable manner.

(comingsoon.net)

MfG

Maestro

Posted: 18.12.2007 00:23

Quote:

Leno, Conan Heading Back to Work Jan. 2
Letterman Could Follow

Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien will return to late-night TV with fresh episodes on Jan. 2, two months after the writers' strike sent them into repeats, the network said Monday.

The "Tonight" show and "Late Night" will return without writers supplying jokes. NBC said the decision was similar to what happened in 1988, when Johnny Carson brought back the "Tonight" show two months into a writers' strike.

A similar return -- with writers -- appears in the works for David Letterman. The union representing striking writers said over the weekend that it was willing to negotiate deals with individual production companies, including Letterman's Worldwide Pants.

The strike left the nation bereft of fresh late-night laughs for two months as the presidential race heated up. Jon Stewart's "The Daily Show" on Comedy Central has also been shut down during the strike.

"Both Jay and Conan have supported their writers during the first two months of this WGA (Writers Guild of America) strike and will continue to support them," said Rick Ludwin, executive vice president, late night and primetime series for NBC. "However, there are hundreds of people who will be able to return to work as a result of Jay's and Conan's decision."

It's not immediately clear how each show will change in coming back without writers. The late-night programs have become less like talk shows and more like comedy shows in recent years, requiring more prepared material.

(foxnews.com)

MfG

Maestro

Posted: 18.12.2007 11:42

Quote:

The WGA Rejects Award Shows

The WGA, the union representing striking writers, is refusing to allow its members to write for the Academy Awards or Golden Globe ceremonies, reports The Associated Press. The board of directors of the Writers Guild of America West decided not to give the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences an interim agreement for writing services.

Meanwhile Monday, the guild released a letter rejecting a waiver request from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which awards the Golden Globes. The letter said that granting a waiver "would not advance" the guild's ongoing battle with studios to negotiate a new contract. In a separate letter to Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences also released Monday, the guild denied the use of clips from movies and past awards programs that could be shown during the award show in February.

The academy had made its standard, annual request for clip use to the writers guild and other relevant industry guilds that must grant approval, spokeswoman Leslie Under said Monday. "The academy has not requested any strike-related waiver from the writers guild related to the awards show," she said. In a statement, the Globe organization expressed measured unhappiness. "The Golden Globe Awards, which has a long and friendly relationship with the Writers Guild of America, is obviously disappointed that the WGA denied its request for a waiver," the group said.

(comingsoon.net)

Oha, jetzt geraten auch noch die Award-Shows in Gefahr.

MfG

Maestro

Regisseur Gender: Age: 43 Joined: 05 Jan 2003 Posts: 1307

Hab grad gelesen, dass der Streik angeblich ca. 21Mio US$ pro Tag kostet.. wenn das stimmt, wären sie inzwischen bei mehr als ner Milliarde US$ .. hätten sie die Autoren auch längst bezahlen können..

Posted: 30.12.2007 15:53

Hehe, ja wenn es immer danach ginge ... man bedenke nur mal was der Lokführerstreik schon gekostet hat.

MfG

Maestro

Regisseur Gender: Age: 43 Joined: 05 Jan 2003 Posts: 1307

[OT]... jede Menge Nerven [/OT]

gilt es eigentlich als Vertragsbruch für ihre Werbekunden, wenn die ganzen Serien/Anzeigenplatz nicht gesendet werden?

Posted: 30.12.2007 16:00

Da wird es sicher was geben. Aber ganz interessant wird das Ende der Season wenn
es normalerweise die Topquoten gibt und anhand dieser die Werbepreise für die neue
Season berechnet werden. Ohne gutes Programm werden diese sicher geringer sein.

MfG

Maestro

Posted: 05.01.2008 10:52

Quote:

SAG Deals Death Blow to Golden Globes

While NBC still hasn't made it official whether the Golden Globes will air or not, Screen Actors Guild (SAG) President Alan Rosenberg made the following statement on Friday, saying that no actors are expected to show up because of the Writers Guild's picket lines to be set up at the awards. He also comments on the late night talk shows:

After considerable outreach to Golden Globe actor nominees and their representatives over the past several weeks, there appears to be unanimous agreement that these actors will not cross WGA picket lines to appear on the Golden Globe Awards as acceptors or presenters. We applaud our members for this remarkable show of solidarity for striking Writers Guild of America writers.

We have also been asked about our position regarding network talk shows. We urge our members to appear on the two programs that have independent agreements with the WGA, The Late Show with David Letterman and Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. However, actors who are asked to appear on the struck network talk shows will have to cross WGA picket lines, creating the same situation that has led to the consensus among actors to skip the Golden Globes.

As I have said since this strike began on November 5th, we must stand united with our brothers and sisters at the WGA.

Writers Guild of America, West President Patric M. Verrone followed with a note thanking SAG's support:

We are grateful to our brothers and sisters in SAG for their continued solidarity and support. The entire awards show season is being put in jeopardy by the intransigence of a few big media corporations. We urge the conglomerates to return to the bargaining table they abandoned and negotiate a fair and reasonable deal with writers to put this town back to work.

Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) President Jorge Camara says the HFPA is in a bind:

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has been placed in an extremely difficult position with the ongoing Writers Guild strike. We are making every effort to work out a solution that will permit the Golden Globes to take place with the creative community present to participate. We hope to announce a resolution to this unfortunate predicament on Monday.

In related news, The Hollywood Reporter says that Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner's United Artists is making an independent deal with the WGA, much like David Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants did:

The WGA recently signed such a deal with David Letterman's production company, allowing writers of his late-night talk show to get back to work. A deal with UA would be notable because it would represent a first film company deal and allow UA to get cracking on new script development and execute any necessary rewrites on active projects.

(comingsoon.net)

MfG

Maestro

Posted: 05.01.2008 16:35

Wahnsinn, die Golden Globes ohne Schauspielerpublikum, hoffentlich kann der Streik bald beendet werden!

Posted: 07.01.2008 23:34

Quote:

NBC And HFPA Cancel Televised Golden Globes Hoopla
Big Show Scrapped In Favor Of Stripped Down News Telecast

The Hollywood writers strike can now claim its first awards show casualty. I'm hearing from my sources that NBC will not be broadcasting the big Golden Globes show as planned for January 13th. Nor will even a full frills unbroadcasted dinner party be held, either. Instead, a stripped down news telecast will be aired exclusively by NBC News from the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, site of what was supposed to be the big show, where the Hollywood Foreign Press Association will announce the Golden Globe winners who won't be present in the room.

Here's what will happen next: The nominees -- actors, directors, writers, producers, etc -- will have a Red Carpet event outside the Beverly Hilton. Then they'll go inside and attend all the various Golden Globes side parties already planned for each film and TV show. The winners will have the choice of swinging by an HFPA table to pick up their awards and then strolling into a press room for photos and interviews. "It'll now be a news event where the actors can still get all glammed up," a source told me.

I've not yet received any official confirmation of any of this. But insiders tell me that NBC Universal topper Jeff Zucker and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association which bestows the Golden Globes made the decision together to scale everything back into a news event.

(deadlinehollywooddaily.com)

MfG

Maestro

Posted: 08.01.2008 17:05

Find ich echt krass! Naja die Oscars werden schon nicht ausfallen, da geht es ja auch nicht um TV Filme und Serien im Gegensatz zu den Golden Globes oder?

Posted: 08.01.2008 17:27

Geht es doch bei den Globes auch nicht. Oder was meinst du wieso die Globes als
Barometer für die Oscars gelten? Und die Schauspieler haben gesagt, dass sie die
Streiklinie der Autoren nicht durchbrechen werden. Sollte es also keine Sonder-
erlaubnis von der WGA für die Oscars geben könnte dort das gleiche passieren.

MfG

Maestro

Posted: 08.01.2008 17:45

Ja aber bei den Golden Globes sind natürlich auch die TV-Autoren involviert weil dort auch Serien und TV-Filme prämiert werden, das meinte ich!

Posted: 08.01.2008 18:36

Die Oscars brauchen aber auch "Witzeautoren" für den Moderator, bzw. die Sketche, die aufgeführt werden.

Regisseur Gender: Age: 43 Joined: 05 Jan 2003 Posts: 1307

Langsam nimmt der Streik doch nun wirklich finanzielle Extreme an.
Tausende von Arbeitsplätzen (nicht die von Autoren oder Schauspielern) in Gefahr.
Enormer Imageschaden für die gesamte Industrie und so weiter.
Und kein Ende in Sicht.
Nachdem wir also weder ne richtige Vierschanzentournee noch ne schöne Ralley Dakar hatten,
nun also erst die Globes und in ein paar Wochen dann wohl auch die Oscars "weniger" smile

Posted: 18.01.2008 11:56

Quote:

Ende des Autorenstreik in Sicht

Bewegung an der Streikfront: Regisseure und Produzenten vereinbaren einen neuen Tarifentwurf, wie das Branchenblatt Variety meldet.

Dem Branchenblatt Variety zufolge konnten sich die Directors Guild of America (DGA) und die Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers (AMPTP) am Donnerstag auf einen neuen Tarifentwurf einigen. Sechs Tage lang hatte man im Stillen verhandelt. Der Drei-Jahres-Deal, der noch von den Mitgliedern der DGA abgesegnet werden muss, berücksichtigt zentrale Forderungen der Gewerkschaft. Unter anderem konnte man sich auf neue Vergütungsmodelle für die Internetverwertung von Inhalten einigen. Gil Kates, der Verhandlungsführer der DGA, zeigt sich jedenfalls sehr zufrieden: “Dieser Vertrag bedeutet außergewöhnliche Zugewinne für Regisseure und ihre Mitarbeiter – und es wurden keinerlei Positionen aufgegeben.“

Beobachter äußern nun die Hoffnung, dass auch die Verhandlungen zwischen der AMPTP und der Writers Guild of America wieder in Gang kommen. Die Forderungen der Autorengewerkschaft sind denen der DGA sehr ähnlich. Seit dem Abbruch der Gespräche Anfang Dezember herrscht Funkstille zwischen den Parteien.

(quotenmeter.de)

MfG

Maestro

Posted: 23.01.2008 10:41

Quote:

WGA and AMPTP Talks Resume

The Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW), Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) have issued the following statement:

On Wednesday, January 23, the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers will begin informal discussions to determine if there is a basis for both parties to return to formal negotiations. Both the AMPTP and the WGA have agreed to make no public comments about the informal discussions until those discussions have concluded.

(comingsoon.net)

MfG

Maestro

Posted: 03.02.2008 11:39

Quote:

WGA and AMPTP Close to a Deal?

A breakthrough in contract talks has been reached between the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) and the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and could lead to a tentative deal as early as next week, reports The Associated Press.

The two sides breached the gap Friday on the thorniest issues, those concerning compensation for projects distributed via the Internet. Significant progress has reportedly been made and a deal might be announced within a week. Major points of contention include how much and when writers are paid for projects delivered online after they've been broadcast on TV.

The studios have been insisting that programs be streamed online for a certain period, deemed promotional, during which writers would forgo residuals. When payment kicked in, the companies sought to limit it to a flat $1,200 fee, while the guild wanted a percentage of a distributor's revenue. Although work remains to be done on elements of the agreement, prospects for a deal appeared solid. The tentative agreement would have to be approved by a majority of guild members.

(comingsoon.net)

Bin mal gespannt von welchen Serien es dann noch neue Folgen geben würde. Aber noch ist der Deal ja nicht perfekt.

MfG

Maestro

Posted: 06.02.2008 10:52

Quote:

WGA to Present AMPTP Deal Terms to Members

Letter from WGAE President Michael Winship and WGAW President Patric Verrone:

To Our Fellow Members,

As Negotiating Committee Chair John Bowman wrote you last night, we are continuing to negotiate the terms of a tentative agreement with the AMPTP. We anticipate that we will be able to present the terms of that agreement to you in the next few days. In order to have a full discussion with you of the terms and how they were reached, and in order to get your input before making recommendations or decisions, we have scheduled membership meetings for current-active members only for this Saturday, February 9, in New York and Los Angeles.

The New York meeting will take place at 2 pm ET in the Broadway Ballroom of the Crowne Plaza Hotel at Times Square, 1606 Broadway (Broadway and 49th Street).

The Los Angeles meeting will take place at 7 pm PT in the Shrine Auditorium (665 W. Jefferson Blvd.).

We urge you to attend. We have gotten to this point in our negotiation as the direct result of the power of this strike, which each of you has generated. Neither the Negotiating Committee, nor the East Council or the West Board, will take action on any contract until after the membership meetings are held and your voices have been heard. We are all in this together.

(comingsoon.net)

MfG

Maestro

Posted: 07.02.2008 00:00

Habe heute die neue TV Movie bekommen und da sind viele Serien vetroffen, eigentlich alle, die echt super sind. Heros, SN, Grey's Anatomy ..... Echt schade sniff

Posted: 07.02.2008 00:05

Ähm ja, dachtest du es werden nur einige Serien bestreikt? Alle Schreiberlinge in Hollywood, sei es für Filme, Late Shows oder eben Serien, hatten die Arbeit niedergelegt. Mit einigen Firmen wurden schon Abschlüsse erreicht, da dürfen die Schreiberlinge auch wieder arbeiten, aber bei den Serienproduktionen hat sich noch nichts getan. Aber eine Lösung scheint sich ja langsam anzubahnen.

MfG

Maestro

Posted: 07.02.2008 10:27

Die einzigen Serien die nicht betstreikt sind, sind die kanadischen!

Posted: 08.02.2008 13:30

Für den Fall das der Streik in Kürze beendet ist gibt es beim TVGuide eine Übersicht was mit welcher Serie passieren wird.

MfG

Maestro