I’m descended from a long line of union-busting industrialists. But the battle of the Writers Guild of America vs. Media Fat Cats is turning me into a Bolshevik.
I'm sitting on the edge of my seat, just waiting for the first AI generated movies and TV series. The Hollywood Execs are probably now jetting to junkets to learn just HOW to press the right AI computer buttons to produce the very best in AI entertainment. Folks, the US is going to hell in a hand-basket, and we are worried about what is happening to the writers and Execs who have given us so much garbage for so long? And now they have long lists of boxes to tick off - the right numbers and percentages of this minority and that sexual expression, the CORRECT issues and speeches. Complaining long and hard about who gets paid what over a heap of trash - will result in the same heap of trash, at higher subscription rates. And our TV's are getting bigger and bigger! Send in the clowns. Oh wait, they're already here.
More shows means more fragmented audience for those shows. Plus, there's a lot more to do with leisure time now. My parents generation are, I think, the last generation that will exclusively watch television for entertainment.
I'll take an interactive video game with a good story like Dead Space, The Last of Us (part 1 anyway), or even something like playing Minecraft with my nephew where we write the story as we go over watching yet another formulaic TV show or movie. And if I'm tired of gaming I'll read a book. TV is kind of an "entertainment of last resort" for me.
Mr. Long seems to forget (or maybe is too insulated to realize) that people are no longer spending money on ideological films. People are getting annoyed with the forced diversity quotas. Netflix made another blunder recently with their movie about Cleopatra, similar to Disney and the Little Mermaid.
It's dangerous for the writers to strike -- there is an ABUNDANCE of writers globally who, in today's boom in technology, have direct access to the studios and to consumers. The days of the "writer's elite circle" are dwindling and we haven't even touched on the AI/chatGPT element in writing stories. Times are changing and so are the business models. Writers need to modernize their ways of thinking and their content, otherwise, they have minimal bargaining power (imho).
A short term dominant market share allowed for a union that focused on grasping for more of everything (power/money) and a management that focused on stopping that. Both ended up taking the continued success of the business for granted. That allowed for the surprise introduction of a new competitor with new ideas.
The author of the original post introduced the concept of the union into the entertainment industry as savior. My point is that the union cannot save a badly run company or industry. In my distant past I was a local president a union organizer. I am not necessarily anti union except for the public sector. My point is that a union work force in an industry with a dominant market share leads to disaster for all parties. It leads to complacency.
Maybe without the auto union you would have management that could focus on better products and services. I think nonunion companies tend to have better managers. It’s a different skill set.
I cut out watching any TV shows and watch almost zero movies a year due to the infiltration of, dare I say it, "woke" ideology permeating every aspect of the story lines. I've got much better things to do with my time.
I almost never watch television or movies, because they are all exactly the same crap, over and over again. You want to know why writers are getting paid less? Because the last good script was written in the 1970's, that's why.
I think the writer's union should take whatever it can get, because I suspect all of the 'mini-rooms' could be replaced in one fell swoop by ChatGPT
This is the top-of-the-list, not to be missed piece of writing touted by the FP? It's not surprising that the top rated commentary decries the absence of an eagerly anticipated "We have to create woke content and it's killing us" complaint and awakening. More importantly, though, this piece is just not very interesting because there's no surprise, no stunning facts, no compelling character, no nothing. It's readable and it's somewhat interesting. That's it.
I’m not normally a commenter, but I feel compelled to explain to everyone else in the comments that, yes, executives are absolutely responsible for 90% of what you hate about current TV and movies.
Best sitcom ever written was "The Dick Van Dyke Show". Relatable stories, great and clever writing, strong characters. And they didn't even need sexual innuendo and idiotic characterizations to get laughs.
I'm sitting on the edge of my seat, just waiting for the first AI generated movies and TV series. The Hollywood Execs are probably now jetting to junkets to learn just HOW to press the right AI computer buttons to produce the very best in AI entertainment. Folks, the US is going to hell in a hand-basket, and we are worried about what is happening to the writers and Execs who have given us so much garbage for so long? And now they have long lists of boxes to tick off - the right numbers and percentages of this minority and that sexual expression, the CORRECT issues and speeches. Complaining long and hard about who gets paid what over a heap of trash - will result in the same heap of trash, at higher subscription rates. And our TV's are getting bigger and bigger! Send in the clowns. Oh wait, they're already here.
More shows means more fragmented audience for those shows. Plus, there's a lot more to do with leisure time now. My parents generation are, I think, the last generation that will exclusively watch television for entertainment.
I'll take an interactive video game with a good story like Dead Space, The Last of Us (part 1 anyway), or even something like playing Minecraft with my nephew where we write the story as we go over watching yet another formulaic TV show or movie. And if I'm tired of gaming I'll read a book. TV is kind of an "entertainment of last resort" for me.
17 million scripted series, and by my count ~16.998 million of them are garbage.
I think I discovered the issue
Waaaaaaaah!
Get a real job.
Mr. Long seems to forget (or maybe is too insulated to realize) that people are no longer spending money on ideological films. People are getting annoyed with the forced diversity quotas. Netflix made another blunder recently with their movie about Cleopatra, similar to Disney and the Little Mermaid.
It's dangerous for the writers to strike -- there is an ABUNDANCE of writers globally who, in today's boom in technology, have direct access to the studios and to consumers. The days of the "writer's elite circle" are dwindling and we haven't even touched on the AI/chatGPT element in writing stories. Times are changing and so are the business models. Writers need to modernize their ways of thinking and their content, otherwise, they have minimal bargaining power (imho).
A short term dominant market share allowed for a union that focused on grasping for more of everything (power/money) and a management that focused on stopping that. Both ended up taking the continued success of the business for granted. That allowed for the surprise introduction of a new competitor with new ideas.
The author of the original post introduced the concept of the union into the entertainment industry as savior. My point is that the union cannot save a badly run company or industry. In my distant past I was a local president a union organizer. I am not necessarily anti union except for the public sector. My point is that a union work force in an industry with a dominant market share leads to disaster for all parties. It leads to complacency.
Maybe without the auto union you would have management that could focus on better products and services. I think nonunion companies tend to have better managers. It’s a different skill set.
I cut out watching any TV shows and watch almost zero movies a year due to the infiltration of, dare I say it, "woke" ideology permeating every aspect of the story lines. I've got much better things to do with my time.
I almost never watch television or movies, because they are all exactly the same crap, over and over again. You want to know why writers are getting paid less? Because the last good script was written in the 1970's, that's why.
I think the writer's union should take whatever it can get, because I suspect all of the 'mini-rooms' could be replaced in one fell swoop by ChatGPT
This is the top-of-the-list, not to be missed piece of writing touted by the FP? It's not surprising that the top rated commentary decries the absence of an eagerly anticipated "We have to create woke content and it's killing us" complaint and awakening. More importantly, though, this piece is just not very interesting because there's no surprise, no stunning facts, no compelling character, no nothing. It's readable and it's somewhat interesting. That's it.
Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, High Noon, Rebel Without a Cause, 42, Blazing Saddles. Make/write it & THEY WILL COME!
I’m not normally a commenter, but I feel compelled to explain to everyone else in the comments that, yes, executives are absolutely responsible for 90% of what you hate about current TV and movies.
As you said, Rob, Boo-Hoo.
Just what they need college, I mean, Hollywood administrators.
Whatever the merits of the labor dispute, Mr. Long is a hilarious writer. I'm guessing he wasn't employed on the Netflix show "Space Force."
Best sitcom ever written was "The Dick Van Dyke Show". Relatable stories, great and clever writing, strong characters. And they didn't even need sexual innuendo and idiotic characterizations to get laughs.