Whedonesque : Comments on 15195 : Creative Screenwriting covers the strike highlights.

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January 13 2008

Creative Screenwriting covers the strike highlights. The website for the magazine, Creative Screenwriting, covers the major events from Dec.5 to Jan. 4th. Included are Mutant Enemy Day, delivering the pencils and the skywriting at the Rose Bowl, with credit given to BSG fans for the last event.

Lioness | Cast&Crew | 04:55 CET | 27 comments total | tags: fans4writers, pencils2mediamoguls, mutant enemy day

Glad you posted this - I wasn't sure it would, and hadn't gotten to it myself, yet.

Julesong | January 13, 04:58 CET

Pleased to do it. I would have liked to see some notice of Fans4writers though.

Lioness | January 13, 05:12 CET

Oh correction, they did mention the sky writing during the Rose Bowl, they just failed to mention the fan sites involved.

[ edited by embers on 2008-01-13 02:21 ]

embers | January 13, 05:20 CET

Thanks for posting this, Lioness, I hadn't seen it.

Yeah, the skywriting which they do mention, was a collaborative effort, as one can see by this fans4writers forum thread - though it certainly was the BSG Fans4Writers.com Ron Moore sub-forum members that got it going on and went to the Parade to capture the event, it was a F4W event, and it has been the collaborative F4W auction fundraising effort (with donations by a bunch o' folks from all different shows, including BSG) that ensured that the BSG fan that underwrote it didn't get stuck with the tab...

This does kinda make me want to do my own Strike Timeline, though...

I completely missed hearing about the December Second Life picket, but how cool was that? There's a good article here with good a screenshot of the picket...

(Oh, and I've Got a Theory about why we haven't heard more lately from Joss about the strike - here's what I betcha he's been doing... this or something like this: Writers strike turning into incubator for Web start-ups or this: Striking Writers to Launch Online Video Co., Seeking $30M+.

Whaddya think?)

QuoterGal | January 13, 05:49 CET

I wrote the author of the article with details, hopefully we can get it corrected.

C. A. Bridges | January 13, 06:36 CET

I think the letter I wrote to Creative Screenwriting about Mutant Enemy Day, after the first timeline, at least helped put a little more focus on fans4writers. Sorry I hadn't gotten to them sooner! I also wrote the writer on that other blog... don't recall his name or the blog but it was linked here, that featured ME Day after the fact, to let him know of more details. Anyhow, coverage is good. QuoterGal, another timeline could be good, including details we know!

Julesong | January 13, 06:38 CET

"though it certainly was the BSG Fans4Writers.com Ron Moore sub-forum members that got it going on and went to the Parade to capture the event"

Actually I was one of the people that helped out with the Rose Bowl event, went to pass out the leaflets etc. and seeing as how I'm posting here... "Hello! Whedon fan!" :)

To be fair, the fans were pretty evenly distributed, although much of the discussion took place under the Ron Moore sub-forum.

And QuoterGal, it could be bunnies...

edit- Just noticed that there is no mention of the Boston rally in the timeline!

[ edited by SystemX9 on 2008-01-13 03:56 ]

SystemX9 | January 13, 06:46 CET

QuoterGal,

I think if Joss Whedon is involved and they publicly sell stock. I'm in.

Anonymous1 | January 13, 08:40 CET

Joss socks would sell well. Stripe'ed things, with individual toesies.

RhaegarTargaryen | January 13, 09:26 CET

I want mine in brown, gold, and green, thank you.

Julesong | January 13, 10:36 CET

SystemX9, I, too noticed the lack of Boston Rally mention. I was there and can attest it was a big hairy deal, worthy of being on the timeline.

Love's Bitch | January 13, 18:27 CET

I got a blank page from the LA Times article you linked to, Quoter Gal, but I did find this, with an opening paragraph that can only be homage to one of our own, surely?

WHETHER we're talking online entertainment, commerce, technology or the Web in general, digital culture is so protean and chaotic, so subject to overnight zeitgeist, that, as far as its future goes, the less said, the better.

Gill | January 13, 19:32 CET

There is also weekly online picketing on Facebook. 1,000,000 Fans Strong For Striking Writers is the group.
Last week they suggested picketing various Facebook "Not the Daily Show" pages.
This weekend it is Heroes Facebook pages.

Lioness | January 13, 20:47 CET

I never heard what the skywriting said. Could someone say, or provide a link?

palehorse | January 13, 21:35 CET

Pictures of the Skywriting can be found here. The messages were:

"Fans4writers.com"
"Support the Writers"
"Help a Writer Score" hehe

I think what Quoter Gal is refering to is StrikeTV.

Love's Bitch, you would think that several hundred people turning up in Boston weather to march would garner some slight attention, no?

SystemX9 | January 13, 22:34 CET

SystemX9 I wonder if there's any way to know if folks saw the sky messages and if they do anything about it.

ShadowQuest | January 13, 23:37 CET

ShadowQuest the WGA baby boom of September 2008 will bear witness to this fact.

RhaegarTargaryen | January 13, 23:46 CET

Nope, not Strike TV, SystemX9 (although I hope Joss does something for StrikeTV, for sure) - I was actually referring to an L.A. Times article by Joseph Menn from January 12th, entitled "Writers strike turning into incubator for Web start-ups" - which maybe doesn't show up if you aren't registered for the Times online? Dunno, as I am, and there's cookies, delicious internet cookies.

Here's some relevant bits:

"At least three start-ups, each with a different business approach, are unveiling their corporate monikers and the names of their founders as they intensify the search for venture capital and top management. With names such as Hollywood Disrupted and Virtual Artists Inc., these new ventures have lured investors such as the Oscar-winning writer of "Rain Man" and the Emmy-winning scribe behind "Homicide," along with prominent software developers and technology executives.

These new ventures are incubating in the fiery glow of the 2-month-old strike by the Writers Guild of America. The work stoppage has affected about 10,000 union members, who are seeking higher pay when their movies and TV shows are shown on the Internet. Their studio employers have pushed back, contending that the economics of the Internet are too uncertain for them to ratchet up writers' online pay.

Some writers are now taking matters into their own hands, using their downtime to meet with venture backers, other writers and technologists. "

and

"Details of these new online ventures are only now emerging. Hollywood Disrupted co-founder and "Waterworld" coauthor Peter Rader said his company would function as a marketplace for the creative community as well as a launching pad for completed work. He said participants would describe projects they were working on and offer pay or partial ownership to those who wanted to contribute.

Rader said big-name writers were supporting the venture, but declined to identify them. He described the site, which is seeking investors, as part private Hollywood networking site and part professional YouTube."

The article mentions two other ventures, as well: Founders Media Group " 'The goal of Founders Media Group is to make the emergence of talent-owned, 'Internet-first' content companies possible,' Smuts said, referring to projects that debut on the Web but could build to the point where they merit more profitable forms of distribution. 'For meaningful ownership, talent needs to found companies, not just create shows.')" and Virtual Artists (" 'About 50 well-known writers have already agreed to work for less than they usually charge in exchange for a larger ownership stake in their work,' Mendelsohn said, adding that these creators also could have a role in managing the studio.")

(And sorry, SystemX9, I didn't know any Whedonians had popped to Pasadena for the event...)

QuoterGal | January 13, 23:58 CET

So, QuoterGal, would these companies be open to budding writers (Ya know, like...fanfic writers who want to get their toe in the door) or only to established, unionized writers?

ShadowQuest | January 14, 00:07 CET

ahh, we're winning!

Madhatter | January 14, 00:20 CET

Thanks, SystemX9. I had already looked for pictures, but flikr has been down for a "massage" for a couple of days. I'll use your link when it comes back up.

palehorse | January 14, 00:30 CET

My appologies Quoter Gal! Thanks for all the info!! Very exciting news.

palehorse- No problem! Sorry Flikr is being a pain.

and Madhatter, was there ever any question? :)

SystemX9 | January 14, 01:03 CET

My Mom says she heard on the tv that United Artists has made the same deal with the WGA that David Letterman did.

Anonymous1 | January 14, 09:07 CET

Hey all, in case you haven't checked the Fans4writers website recently; CNN is looking for fan testimonials about what the strike means to us (photos and videos a plus!), an easy (and free) way to show our support for the writers we love.

fromthecrypt | January 14, 18:55 CET

My Mom says she heard on the tv that United Artists has made the same deal with the WGA that David Letterman did.

United Artists and The Weinstein Company have both made the same (or similar) deals as World Wide Pants did with the WGA. This has apparently left some people in the AMPTP unhappy with MGM as it's them that distribute films by both companies.

williamthebloody1880 | January 14, 23:30 CET

Scribe Vibe:

Agents around town say that they're beginning to get notices from NBC Universal and 20th Century Fox TV letting them know their writers have had their deals terminated.

It's not pretty.

So now we wait and see if Dollhouse is or is not amongst the casualties. (Some nets appear to be using the criteria of not having "active" projects. So it's up to FOX to decide if Dollhouse, to them, is an active project or not.)

theonetruebix | January 15, 04:35 CET

The first look at FOX deals nixed. (No, Joss/Eliza/Dollhouse is not currently listed there.)

Again, the key word appears to be be "active projects", and what FOX does or does not consider to be an active project.

theonetruebix | January 15, 05:04 CET

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