The Screenwriter's Strike

[JDM]

So I just heard that the screenwriter's guild are set to go on strike. Would this possibly affect our beloved show?

Thanks,

jm

[kindalas]

There is a reason why the show is being held on to for a spring debut.

[Joe Beaudoin Jr.]

Actually, the strike already has affected the show. The series will be split, so we won't see the series end until, at the very least, the end of 2008. Or 2009 even.

Since the strike will be official Monday, that means no new episodes can be written. Or, more to the point, they can't actually be turned in. According to a recent interview with RDM, he mentioned that they were up to episode 13, which means that there are 7 left to do. Possibly a few of those 7 have been written, but none that are at production stage.

Also, since the show's been pushed back until April, it gives SFC and the production team the buffer it needs to get things up and running again, should the strike be short-lived.

[JDS]

Actually, the strike already has affected the show. The series will be split, so we won't see the series end until, at the very least, the end of 2008. Or 2009 even.I'm sorry about the residuals or whatever it is they're bickering about, but FUCK YOU, WRITER'S GUILD.

There MUST have been a better way than this.

I'm always impressed at how unions can manage to screw absolutely everybody over.

[Shane]

I have to agree with the guild. They been fucked over a lot. And they deserve more credit and more pay. Some of the best shows come from their writing. Without them there would be no Battlestar Galactica.

[Joe Beaudoin Jr.]

I agree with Shane. It's not like the WGA just up and walked out without saying anything before hand. These issues have been going on for YEARS and nothing really has been done about them by those in charge.

I don't believe that most writers relish the thought of a strike with unabashed glee, but given that a high number of WGA members voted for the strike, it is clear that the writers are sick of being fucked over. Remember that out of all the guilds, the WGA has the lowest participation rates -- and the turnout for the vote definitely speaks volumes.

In any event, the strike gives us time to go off and read (or write!) those great American novels that are waiting on the bookstore shelves. ;-)

- Joe

[ThPrime]

RDM made a rare appearance in the skiffy forum late last night: Thanks for your support (http://forums.scifi.com/index.php?showtopic=2292486)

4.12, the mid-season cliff hanger, was filming last week per MrsR. I don't expect post could be finished in one week, or that the episode is "in the can." Least of all for a big bouncy blowout cliffhanger. RDM did not address whether the show is halting production today. But such matters belong to carefully worded network press releases.

Lacking further information, heading into the strike tonight, Sci Fi has nine completed episodes to air in April.

Let's hope for a satifactory reconcilation in less than four months.

/chickenlittle

[JDS]

If it's already been filmed, that means it's already been written, so why can't the do post-production on it? There's no visual effects union, editing union, or any other union strike, right?

[JDS]

Also, the one and only thing that went well was that South Park finished up the Imaginationland trilogy just before the cutoff, which is important seeing as South Park writes right up to the very last minute, meaning we probably won't be seeing ANY more episodes until this is over. And I don't think I could have handled that cliffhanger on top of Galactica.

*sigh* April. Good god. When was the last time anybody had a 13 month cliffhanger on a major show that hadn't been temporarily cancelled? I mean it's one thing when they axe Family Guy and then bring it back, but to leave the entire Colonial fleet within firing range of a crapload of Base Ships AND have a dead star magically reappear, and to say "IT'S NOT OVER!" for thirteen months, that seems unprecedented.

[Joe Beaudoin Jr.]

Actually, if it's already written and turned in, they can still film it. They just can't modify the dialogue or make any major story changes. So I suspect that they'll produce what they have, at least up until the mid-season cliffhanger, which would make sense.

[ThPrime]

If it's already been filmed, that means it's already been written, so why can't the do post-production on it? There's no visual effects union, editing union, or any other union strike, right?

Must look to MrsR in an unofficial capacity from the homefront for answers.

RDM is the show runner. RDM's post read like he's hands off the show for the duration of the strike. David Eick also faces much the same dilemma, for both BSG and Bionic Woman.

[Joe Beaudoin Jr.]

Here's the answer to that question, which ties in to what I said earlier:

http://jmsnews.com/msg.aspx?ID=1-17695

[Joe Beaudoin Jr.]

Update: According to David Weddle, production would stop if writer's walked out.

http://www.syfyportal.com/news424393.html

[JDS]

This could shape up to be a baaad year.

[ThPrime]

"Okay, so it's still mid-day, but I've finished my shift on the picket line, so... it's update time! The entire BATTLESTAR staff worked corners outside Universal Studios..." - Mark Verheidens - WGA Strike - Day One (http://verheiden.blogspot.com/2007/11/wga-strike-day-one.html)

"Another fine day picketing outside Universal Studios. Different location, MUCH bigger reaction, 99.9% positive from passing cars and traffic." - Mark Verheidens - WGA Strike - Day Two (http://verheiden.blogspot.com/2007/11/wga-strike-day-two.html)

LA Times grid of affected shows has BSG down for ten completed episodes.

"We are doing previs for episode six, rendering three and four. This year we went into this doing a 20-episode season and Razor (airing Nov. 24). So we are prepared to have the first eight shows by mid-December." - Gary Hutzel (http://vfxworld.com/index.php?atype=articles&id=3435) - 10/24

I hope the LA Times has a good source! At this point, at most two to three episodes could possibly be completed.

A surprising number of showrunner, writer "hyphenates" have joined the picket lines. Some will resume their non-writing producer roles after a show of solidarity this week. Others have vowed to stay on the streets for however long the strike lasts. Battlestar Galactica went "dark" on Monday. No flickr photos yet of the BSG crew holding signs. In an aggressive move today 11/7, networks are invoking force majeure, sending letters of suspension to some third party production company staffers.

Variety: TV shows quickly going dark (http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117975483.html?categoryid=2821&cs=1)

Variety: WGA strike could go into 2008 (http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117975495.html?categoryid=2821&cs=1)

LA Times: Strike about to cost jobs (http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-force7nov07,0,3695265.story?coll=la-home-center)

"They are about to finish shooting 13." - MrsR, 11/7. About two weeks ago, MrsR said (Razor 2) + 10, or 4.12, was filming, so 13 = 4.13?, the midseason cliffhanger and the last of the "10 episodes."

"So for the viewer, the reality is that it probably won't, but that's not true of the cast and the crew. Latest word from the set is that they're filming episode 12 now, but will likely shut down production soon. This will leave cast and crew out of work." - all about tahmoh penikett blog (http://tahmohpenikett.blogspot.com/2007/11/ron-moore-battlestar-writers-striking.html) 11/7

/remain calm

[ThPrime]

A showrunner picket line was held in front of Disney/ABC today. Eric Goldman, who regularly covers BSG for IGN, sought out Ron Moore:

IGN: Battlestar Galactica Producer Talks Strike: (http://tv.ign.com/articles/833/833633p1.html) Ron Moore on why he's striking and how Battlestar's final season is affected.

"We have an episode [filming] on the stage right now that will be the last episode. We don't have a script beyond that, so this will be it." There had been varying talk about just how many episodes Battlestar had completed of its 20 episode final season, but Moore told me the episode filming now "happens to be our mid-season cliffhanger, so it's just one of the quirks of the schedule that boom, we will finish our first ten and the network had planned to show just the first ten anyway. The airdate for the back ten was up in the air. Now it's even more up in the air."

Photo: Walking The Line (http://web.mac.com/remiaubuchon/Walking_The_Line/Blog/Blog.html) blog

http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/1594/showrunnerrallyrdm11070kv9.th.jpg (http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/1594/showrunnerrallyrdm11070kv9.jpg)

[JDS]

Weren't the other seasons 24 episodes? Why is this one only 10? Is it because of Razor?

[ThPrime]

Sci Fi ordered 20 episodes for season four. 4.01 and 4.02 are Razor. 4.03 to 4.13 are the first ten episodes. The second block of ten were broken but no final scripts were completed before the strike.


Not really the point though. Without RDM in the editing bay none of the first ten will get readied for broadcast. We only get the first ten, providedRDM works straight through until April.

[JDS]

Do you think he's really going to stay on the picket line all this time and not finish the episodes?

I'm sorry to say it, but that would really be letting down the fans if he does that. Go ahead with your strike and all, but don't fuck us out of what you ALREADY wrote just because you can't keep your two jobs separate.

Hell, RDM talked about how the studio just took the webisodes right out of the editing room when the staff didn't want to deliver them...what if Universal hired another producer and editor and said "We're taking everything you shot and finishing it ourselves"? They could completely fuck up the first half of the season because of this. Not likely, but definitely possible.

[ThPrime]

"We will finish the first ten" says to me he'll eventually leave the picket line, yes. I was getting worried before he said that.

Or maybe not. First, a better explanation as to what force majeure is:

Hollywood Today: Writers Strike Also a Producers Lock Out as Studios Look to Trim Fat (http://www.hollywoodtoday.net/?p=2828)

It is the first step in the legal process of "deal breaking". Studios must suspend, before they can fire or sue for breach of contract.

Variety: Strike hitting '24,' 'Family Guy' hard (http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117975542.html?categoryid=14&cs=1) : Showrunners join picket lines

A closed WGA meeting was held yesterday for show runners, over 100 in attendance including Ron Moore. There was an oral agreement: "We pledged that if anyone gets sued for breach, then we're going to stand by them. We won't go back to work unless those suits are dropped." Also yesterday, both CBS and Fox evidently sent out letters of intent to their own respective show runners; return to work or face a breach of contract suit.

And so the brinkmanship escalates, with the overwhelming sense that the networks are two steps ahead of the WGA at every turn. They were waiting and prepared for the WGA to strike for a long time.

We're back to square one, wait and see about Battlestar. RDM wants to finish off the ten, yet he is bound to honor the decisions of the WGA.

About 12 shows have gone down in the last three days. Shortened seasons, delayed seasons, and two or three are simply gone and not coming back.

[JDS]

So...if I understand this correctly, WGA is telling RDM, "Because you're striking as a writer, you also can't do you other jobs for the networks, such as editing and producing." He wants to do the other jobs, but if the WGA asks him not to, he won't, even though the strike doesn't actually cover them and he's just breaching a valid contract.

Am I correct?

[ThPrime]

I guess this is full inside story.

Nikki Finke: Networks/Studios vs TV Showrunners (http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/urgent-showrunners-sent-cbs-breach-of-contract-letters-pledge-solidarity/) : Why They're Now On A Collision Course; Showrunners Pledge Solidarity Response To Breach Of Contract 'We'll Sue' Letters

Only a handful of show runners are refusing to work at all. Ron Moore is not one of them. However if one of the non-working producers does get actually sued by CBS or Fox, the WGA will want them all (all 100 something) to stand down. To date, none of the other studios sent out such threatening letters. The Office, one of the two most notorious shut down shows, hasn't claimed to have received any threatening letters. During the negotiations, NBCU was considered to be one of the more moderate voices at the table.

MrsR. said Ron went up to Vancouver at mid-day, to talk to cast and crew in person.

ADD: "Ron got home at 2am on Thursday night. He was in Vancouver to talk to the crew. and to hand the show over to them to finish for him. He told them that getting them back to work would be his first prority when all of this was over. They gave him a standing ovation and a rousing "So say we all !!" It was incredibly emotional and difficult. These are people who really care about each other, and care deeply about the show." - MrsR.

[Aset]

I just wanted to add something from RDM regarding this that I think better explains what is going on.

Ronald D. Moore]
"I had a situation last year on Battlestar Galactica where we were asked by Universal to do webisodes [Note: Moore is referring to The Resistance webisodes which ran before Season 3 premiered], which at that point were very new and 'Oooh, webisodes! What does that mean?' It was all very new stuff. And it was very eye opening, because the studio's position was 'Oh, we're not going to pay anybody to do this. You have to do this, because you work on the show. And we're not going to pay you to write it. We're not going to pay the director, and we're not going to pay the actors.' At which point we said 'No thanks, we won't do it.'"

"We got in this long, protracted thing and eventually they agreed to pay everybody involved. But then, as we got deeper into it, they said 'But we're not going to put any credits on it. You're not going to be credited for this work. And we can use it later, in any fashion that we want.' At which point I said 'Well, then we're done and I'm not going to deliver the webisodes to you.' And they came and they took them out of the editing room anyway -- which they have every right to do. They own the material -- But it was that experience that really showed me that that's what this is all about. If there's not an agreement with the studios about the internet, that specifically says 'This is covered material, you have to pay us a formula - whatever that formula turns out to be - for use of the material and how it's all done,' the studios will simply rape and pillage."

It can be found here (http://tv.ign.com/articles/833/833633p1.html)

webisodes, paid downloads & the like, none of them get paid for it, there's no reason they should not be compensated for their contribution.

[ThPrime]

RDM started his own personal blog on his own domain today:

Ronald D. Moore (http://www.rondmoore.com/)

"I wanted to start blogging during the strike, but it seemed inappropriate to use the SciFi.com site for that purpose, so I’ve spent the better part of the afternoon learning how to use the handy-dandy iWeb tool on my computer..."

Free speech comes easier on your own dime and on your own turf. It's good he opened this line of communication to the public. Hopefully we'll get timely updates about how strike issues are impacting the staff of BSG and how the strike ultimately impacts the show next year.

[Joe Beaudoin Jr.]

Cool. I've got it bookmarked. :)

[JDS]

Good move.

[Aset]

I just wanted to add, there is a site where fans of all shows can get organized & support the writers in their fight for fairness. I did not see any mention of it here yet, & Joe if I am overstepping my bounds here please let me know.

If you feel the need to help make your voice heard please go to www.fans4writers.com (http://www.fans4writers.com)

There is a forum there as well as a subsection for Ron Moore fans in the fandom area. Mrs Ron as well as Ron have made an appearance there. I'm sure they'd love to hear from everyone.

For me, I feel this is too important to just sit back & watch.

Thanks
Jeannie

[Joe Beaudoin Jr.]

Jeannie,

You are not overstepping any bounds, but I appreciate that you thought of that! You and everyone else here are more than welcome to express your support for the writers on this forum. :D

[BlackTigh]

Jesus. Anyone who was around last time this happened (80s) will remember the garbage that featured on the box for ages and ages. The actors got their pens out and things were never the same again. Remember Moonlighting?

[Joe Beaudoin Jr.]

Remember Moonlighting?

Thankfully, no.

[Aset]

Remember Moonlighting?

I've blocked that out.

[ThPrime]

Battlestar production in Vancouver ends tomorrow, 11/16. It employed upwards of 200 Canadian crewmembers. Presumably, hopefully, post-production on season 4.0 ½ continues on at Universal Studios California.

The Vancouver Sun: Writers strike causing TV show production to shut down here (http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=ecfedd1b-8be6-4b5c-b8cb-5ea1e4aad560&k=45805)

CTV: Writer's strike threatens 1,000 B.C. jobs (http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20071115/writer_strike_071115/20071115?hub=Canada)

Hollywood Reporter: Strike shutters 'Bionic,' 'Battlestar' up north (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i9eeb82f00f69cdfdc26e5f3ae9858546)

Thanks to Google News for the Canadian news feed.

[Joe Beaudoin Jr.]

Good stuff. Thanks ThPrime!

[ThPrime]

In non-strike news, RDM updated his blog tonight. The podcast for Razor is going up on scifi.com next week! That should be Saturday night, the 24th, with the broadcast of Razor.

The WGA and AMPTP return to the negotiating table on the 26th under a press blackout.

A sober RDM blog tonight: Galactica wraps (http://www.rondmoore.com/Site/Blog/Entries/2007/11/17_Galactica_wraps.html)

"No more scripts exist. My office staff has been laid off. My cast has been suspended, without pay. ...I refuse to believe that we won’t finish, that we won’t be back to film our final stories, but I know and accept there is that possibility. Galactica’s coming back, I frakking promise you that. But I am ready to put the rest of the story on the table and take the risk that I’ll never be able to tell it, in support of this strike."

An anonymous Battlestar actor talked to the irrepressible Nikki Finke:

"When our agents and managers phoned business affairs for clarification, they were told that we are on suspension without pay. We are not terminated. We are on hold to BSG with no pay in perpetuity until the strike is over. When the strike does end Universal/Scifi will then decide whether they want to bring the show back or let us go. Until that time we are in first position with BSG and will have to clear any other project with Scifi/Uni."

"They are not following article 61 of the SAG agreement and are about to get a lot of calls from SAG lawyers. They say that since we have shot the minimum 13 episodes of this season, as per our contracts, that they are under no obligation to pay us or let us go. We are essentially on hiatus. To say yesterday was a tough day on set as this information was slowly presented to us would be a profound understatement."

"Regarding BSG, NBC Uni's SciFi channel is being told that, since the terms of Article 61 appear to be breached, the actors can terminate their deals and attempt to find work elsewhere." - Nikki

Many thanks to TWP's Romantique for the heads up. Full story and a facsimile of the layoff letter itself at Deadline Hollywood Daily: Gulp! Force Majeure Letters In The Mail (http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/gulp-force-majeure-letters-in-the-mail/)

Michael "Anders" Trucco has already signed another deal: Reuters: "Battlestar" actor gets "Dreams" job on NBC sitcom (http://www.reuters.com/article/peopleNews/idUSN1522047220071115)

No statement from Trucco yet. The character of Anders might well be... you know.

Last update from me until a new development directly impacts the show or those that used to make it. A SAG strike on the horizon is a remote possibility.

Keeping the faith for a speedy resolution.

[oscar1123581321]

I see there has been no new posts on this thread for about 24 odd days ... well i have some new info ... it seems that today it was announced that a proposal by the WGA was rejected by The corporations after about 4-5 days of deliberation ... GOD WILL THIS STRIKE EVER END? but that said i support the WGA wholoheartedly ..its a just cause :D:tos-cylon:

[JDS]

I guess we're all going to have to get used to the idea of investing is Netflix accounts where you can get 8 DVDs at a time and entirely replacing television with watching old stuff on DVD because TV will be nothing but reality shows from now on.

I think we might as well get together and write the final episodes ourselves...

[Seanathin]

Now that is an idea. Fan made season 4.5. It would still turn out better then most the crap on TV before or after the strike.

[JDS]

Now that is an idea. Fan made season 4.5. It would still turn out better then most the crap on TV before or after the strike.Well no, just fan written. SAG isn't on strike.

[Aset]

GOD WILL THIS STRIKE EVER END?

The last one in 1988 was 6 months long.

[Joe Beaudoin Jr.]

This strike will probably last into April or May.

So start filling up your Netflix queues and breaking out those library cards. Maybe read these things called books... :P

[Aset]

World of Warcraft beckons!

[Seanathin]

quick non of us are WGA if we start writing right now we could probably have the last ten episodes in the can by the time they finish airing the first ones. Granted it won't match up and it won't be what RDM had invistioned but....well have more Glactica.

also well probably get sued, ok so maybe Warcraft is the best idea.

[JDS]

So start filling up your Netflix queues and breaking out those library cards. Maybe read these things called books... :PI've actually got a stack of books in my bookshelf that I meant to read and never got to. Once the semester started, both Insomnia[i] and [i]Bleak House got dropped on the desk and I haven't lifted them since, and all those fresh new William Gibson and Philip K. Dick novels are just gathering dust.

[oscar1123581321]

i really have no idea what this ' netflix' thing u guys are all talkin about :confused:

but then again i live in the good old UK so that dont surprise me

anyway does anyone know why the corporations are being such jerks over this strike issue ? Payment to writers for internet distributed material or something?

i mean surely its in the Broadcasting Corp's interest to get production going again since they make money out of it as well ?

:mad:

[Aset]

The best places for information on the strike are

www.unitedhollywood.com
www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com


For some good laughs

www.lateshowwritersonstrike.com These are the writers from Late Show With David Letterman. They haven't lost their touch.

[OrionFour]

I thought that was pretty awesome how David Letterman decided to pay for his staff out of pocket rather than having them get laid off. Hats off to him. Frakking Jay Leno had to be pressured into it.

i really have no idea what this ' netflix' thing u guys are all talkin about :confused:

Oh man, it's one of the greatest inventions conjured by man www.netflix.com (http://www.netflix.com). If you don't have it in the UK you should start it up, you're sitting on a gold mine man, a gold mine.

[frakk`up]

$$$

ohhh ähmm

€€€

oh no dont have pound... :(

[Aset]

I thought that was pretty awesome how David Letterman decided to pay for his staff out of pocket rather than having them get laid off. Hats off to him. Frakking Jay Leno had to be pressured into it.

It was definitely very generous of Letterman to do that. Conan did as well, the truly nice thing about Conan is, unlike Letterman, his production company only owns half the rights to the show. Leno doesn't own any of the rights to his. It looks bad but ti wasn't compeltely his fault. Leno also is in no mood to do any favors for NBC itself because of how they handled forcing him out & replacing him with Conan. Yes it was part of his contract but he wasn't even talked to about it before the press release.

[ThPrime]

In case you're under a rock, like me :lol:, the Writer's Guild of America membership voted by a majority of 92% to end the strike pending ratification of the proposed negotiated contract. (ending the strike immediately was one prerequisite of the latest AMTP terms)

WGA East and West Presidents ordered all writers under contract to report to work by today, 2/13.

BSG production resumed yesterday, 2/12, in the writer's room at Universal, California and the production offices on the Universal lot in Vancouver. The Battlestar sets were not struck.

"It is official. The BSG writing staff spent their day yesterday working on the rest of the season. They're back." - Mrs. Ron as unofficially told to John Larocque, veteran moist boarder and BSG FAQ maintainer.

And CTV's globeandmail: Vancouver productions get back to work, slowly (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080212.STRIKE12/TPStory/TPEntertainment/Television/)

BSG producer David Weddle tells Sci Fi Portal's Michael Hinman (http://www.syfyportal.com/news424717.html), "we feel confident we'll be back to work very quickly and complete the final shows as planned."

"Production on second half could start as early as March." - G4TV The Feed (http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/682828/After_The_Strike_Whats_Coming_Back.html)

Last summer, Sci Fi management was rumored to be considering a January 2009 premiere for the last ten episodes of season 4.5, primarily to amortize the costs of the very expensive show across two fiscal seasons. It looks like the production delay caused by the WGA strike has probably made that scheduling absolutely necessary.

At least, Universal's season 4 DVD plans are betraying that expectation:

tvshowsondvd.com: Rumors about Battlestar Galactica - Season 4.0 (http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Battlestar-Galactica-Season-4/8990)

For better or worse, so ends the WGA strike.

[LSOP]

Awesome news!

ThPrime, For better or for worse? How can the fact that they are going to write the last ten episodes instead of an abrupt unsatisfying mid-season ending be anything but better?

So say we all?

[gmuno]

So say we all!

[snowman123]

Phew! News aired in the UK about the strike reported that "effects laden shows" and others that take longer to produce would still be affected i.e. we get a short season of Lost. And '24' obviously doesn't work with half a season so would be held over completely. Small, single set based productions could start up and be ready far quicker and have a full season.

I was worried that despite the strike ending, we might still only have half of season 4 and the "ultimate demoralising and disappointing" ending to the show.

Waiting an extra 6 months / year won't be easy, but much better than the alternative :-) (Maybe we could have an extra 'Razor' type special in between...)

[Orion]

I agree. It's not so bad to have a short season. This will raise the suspense... also, maybe we won't have these inspiring conversations any more once all episodes will have aired... let's enjoy waiting together!

[Seer]

I just wish it could be resolved. I really miss the show.