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AgentOrange
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 Wysłany: Pon 16:31, 26 Lis 2007 Temat postu: Strajk scenarzystów |
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Joss bierze udział, w każdym razie sercem i duszą (7 grudnia Mutant Enemy Day - całe ME strajkuje! Grr Arghh!)
I pisze. Jak Joss pisze to ja piszczę. Oto kompilacja:
NOV 6
FROM THE FRONT LINES!
Sick as a dog but proud as a noble and much healthier dog, I made my way to the picket lines outside of Fox studios today. I’m really glad I did. In addition to carrying the banner, it was a chance to talk with other writers, get more perspectives and more information about what’s happening, and to see a surprising number of old friends. David Fury and Mere Smith were there, as well as many non-mutant enemies that I know. We were all caught in that giddy first burst of solidarity and fear. Nobody thinks this is going to be easy. But everybody there knows that, as things stand, it has to be.
A particularly gratifying and unexpected sight was that of Aly and Alexis, along with Cobie Smulders, marching shoulder to shoulder with the HIMYM scribes. Aly and Alexis even brought boxes of candy bars to hand out to the flagging marchers (actually, I was the only one who appeared to be flagging – even the pregnant writer outlasted me). Mere told me young Boreanaz had also been there earlier that day. I was really touched, but my actor-friends were very matter-of-fact about the whole thing. They understand that the issues at hand affect the future of the entire creative community here, and that the writers, by virtue of being first, will set a precedent that affects all the guilds. That is why we writers have to be firm, intractable and absolute in our dedication to getting a fair deal. And that’s all we’re talking about: a fair deal. For us, and for generations of artists to come.
Sounds pretty damn pompous, no? “Generations to come…”? Yeesh. But it’s true. Our culture, our government, our corporate structures have all gotten pretty used to taking care of ourselves at the expense of our children and their children. Part of this is simple greed, part is immediate practicality trumping long-view perspective, and part is perfectly understandable fear. It’s easier to take what you’e given, not protest, not make a fuss. A lot of people will suffer grievously if this strike isn’t quickly resolved, and the men and women who voted for it know that. But like so many things – our eco-system being the most obvious – if we don’t make it work now, what’s to come will be much worse.
Let me be clear on one point: I know I have it easy. I’ve done well, and I’m grateful that I can weather a long winter. Compared to what the studios have made off me my share is tiny and cute, but I’m in no position to complain. But take that differential, apply it to someone who’s just getting by when they deserve better. Now take it and… well, just take it, ‘cause when it comes to the internet and the emerging media there’s nothing there for the artists. There’s no precedent; these media didn’t exist the last time a contract was negotiated. We’re not just talking about an unfair deal, we’re talking about no deal at all. Four cents from the sale of a DVD (the standing WGA deal) sounds exactly as paltry as it is, but in a decade DVD may have gone the way of the eight-track. We have to protect the rights of the people who tell the stories, however they’re told. I’m never gonna be as articulate as Shawn or Brian (both of whom have been linked here, I believe), but I am just as committed. And a lot phlegmier.
I don’t think of the studio heads as a bunch of grinning tycoons sitting in a smoke-filled club and drumming their fingers like Montgomery Burns. I know some of those guys. I think they’re worried about the future as much as anyone. But they are beholden to their corporations, and that inevitably causes entrenchment and shortsightedness. They can’t afford that. This is an era of change, and for the giant conglomo-tainment empires, it will either be the Renaissance or the Ice Age. Because we will not stand down. Writers can be replaced, as we are constantly reminded. But so can companies. Power is on the move, and though in this town it’s been hoarded by very few, there are other companies with newer ideas about how to make money off of – or possibly, wonderfully, with – the story-tellers. Personally, I like things almost the way they are. I truly hope the executives negotiating for the AMPTP make the few simple concessions that will allow us to work with them again. I want to work. I have this idea, for a show about a girl… I even have the actress for it. And if we strike effectively, maybe she won’t have to.
I honestly started this post because of Aly and Alexis and their candy bars. But… well… there’s a lot going on. Huge props to the pizza people. Your support during this strike means more than I can express. (Note to self: picket near Jane.) I hope it won’t be long. I watched my Father strike, back in ’88. It was hard. But I was proud. I’m proud now.
Sincerely, -joss.
joss | November 06, 03:40 CET
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AgentOrange
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| Wysłany: Pon 16:31, 26 Lis 2007 Temat postu: |
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NOV 7
More Joss Strike Talk. IN WHICH Joss goes on again about all things Guildy.
And now it’s time for a little more PURPLE PROSE.
As I’m too sick to picket today, I feel I must make up for it, and thus I blog a mighty blog. And yes, I really do have to get my own webpage and stop mooching off you guys, but till then, I hope you don’t mind if I natter on.
STRIKE DRAGS ON FOR SECOND DAY! IS THIS THE END OF WRITTEN WORD?
Reporters are funny people. At least, some of the New York Times reporters are. Their story on the strike was the most dispiriting and inaccurate that I read. But it also contained one of my favorite phrases of the month.
“All the trappings of a union protest were there… …But instead of hard hats and work boots, those at the barricades wore arty glasses and fancy scarves.”
Oh my God. Arty glasses and fancy scarves. That is so cute! My head is aflame with images of writers in ruffled collars, silk pantaloons and ribbons upon their buckled shoes. A towering powdered wig upon David Fury’s head, and Drew Goddard in his yellow stockings (cross-gartered, needless to say). Such popinjays, we! The entire writers’ guild as Leslie Howard in The Scarlet Pimpernel. Delicious.
Except this is exactly the problem. The easiest tactic is for people to paint writers as namby pamby arty scarfy posers, because it’s what most people think even when we’re not striking. Writing is largely not considered work. Art in general is not considered work. Work is a thing you physically labor at, or at the very least, hate. Art is fun. (And Hollywood writers are overpaid, scarf-wearing dainties.) It’s an easy argument to make. And a hard one to dispute.
My son is almost five. He is just beginning to understand what I do as a concept. If I drove a construction crane he’d have understood it at birth. And he’d probably think I was King of all the Lands in my fine yellow crane. But writing – especially writing a movie or show, where people other than the writer are all saying things that they’re clearly (to an unschooled mind) making up right then – is something to get your head around.
And as work? Well, in the first place, it IS fun. When it’s going well, it’s the most fun I can imagine having. (Tim Minear might dispute that.) And when it’s not going well, it’s often not going well in the company of a bunch of funny, thoughtful people. So how is that work? You got no muscles to show for it (yes, the brain is a muscle, but if you show it to people it’s usually because part of your skull has been torn off and that doesn’t impress the ladies – unless the ladies are ZOMBIES! Where did this paragraph go?) Writing is enjoyable and ephemeral. And it’s hard work.
It’s always hard. Not just dealing with obtuse, intrusive studio execs, temperamental stars and family-prohibiting hours. Those are producer issues as much as anything else. Not just trying to get your first script sold, or seen, or finished, when nobody around believes you can/will/should… the ACT of writing is hard. When Buffy was flowing at its flowingest, David Greenwalt used to turn to me at some point during every torturous story-breaking session and say “Why is it still hard? When do we just get to be good at it?” I’ll only bore you with one theory: because every good story needs to be completely personal (so there are no guidelines) and completely universal (so it’s all been done). It’s just never simple.
It’s necessary, though. We’re talking about story-telling, the most basic human need. Food? That’s an animal need. Shelter? That’s a luxury item that leads to social grouping, which leads directly to fancy scarves. But human awareness is all about story-telling. The selective narrative of your memory. The story of why the Sky Bully throws lightning at you. From the first, stories, even unspoken, separated us from the other, cooler beasts. And now we’re talking about the stories that define our nation’s popular culture – a huge part of its identity. These are the people that think those up. Working writers.
“The trappings of a union protest…” You see how that works? Since we aren’t real workers, this isn’t a real union issue. (We’re just a guild!) And that’s where all my ‘what is a writer’ rambling becomes important. Because this IS a union issue, one that will affect not just artists but every member of a community that could find itself at the mercy of a machine that absolutely and unhesitatingly would dismantle every union, remove every benefit, turn every worker into a cowed wage-slave in the singular pursuit of profit. (There is a machine. Its program is ‘profit’. This is not a myth.) This is about a fair wage for our work. No different than any other union. The teamsters have recognized the importance of this strike, for which I’m deeply grateful. Hopefully the Times will too.
Thanks for letting me usurp the page again. I’ve linked you to a guild site that has a lot of clear, interesting writing in it (in particular, a great letter from a location scout [they’re part of the teamsters] on why he dislikes writers and why he won’t cross a picket line, and a rumor control Q&A that contains the funniest thing I’ve read since “fancy scarves”). I realize that I’m preaching to the choir here, but perhaps some other sites will pick this up. You guys are, after all, on the map. None of the writers – or anyone – I’ve spoken to have ever heard of fans organizing and supporting a strike the way you guys have. Supporting our right not to entertain you. Seriously, that’s rare. When I showed my wife the banner that went with the pizza scheme, she just said, “These people are gonna be running the world.” Man, I hope she’s right.
Shutting up now, -j.
joss | Purple prose | 00:42 CET | 194 comments total | tags: joss post, scarves, blather, joss, strike
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AgentOrange
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| Wysłany: Pon 16:32, 26 Lis 2007 Temat postu: |
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November 09 2007
Still More Purple Prose: 5 Great Strike Movies. Joss cannot get out of bed. Neither can he shut up.
PURPLE PROSE – THE NEXT GENERATION
Hi campers (and people not currently camping)! Still phegmtastic, but wanted to say a quick thanks to Dreamlogic (I will not reveal her real name here, for I know she has many enemies) (which is weird ‘cause she seems nice enough) for bringing the sign and the food and the love yesterday. The place was mobbed, and in addition to Drew and Marti I got to hang with BKV, and Liz Craft and Sarah Fain (Women’s Murder Club – Catch it! When it comes back!) and many other fine folk. And yes, there was talk of a Buffy picket (or really a Mutant Enemy picket) being set up when I’m not sick and Tim’s not on jury duty.
Since I don’t have any real news and don’t feel like waxing poetical (can you bikini wax poetical?) (like short, painful prose that reads real smooth after?) I’ve decided to list my five (off the top of my congested head) favorite strike movies, to get us all in the proper frame of mind. Hopefully, none of them can be downloaded.
FIVE FAVORITE STRIKE MOVIES.
#5: BILLY ELLIOT. This is primarily about a boy who wants to dance, but the backdrop is the miner’s strike in Manchester in the 80’s, and it’s gritty and tough and depressing and uplifting. (Thatcher and Reagan really got the ball rolling on anti-unionism. Thanks, guys!)
#4: DAY OF THE DEAD. Okay, not a strike movie. And it’s a stretch as an allegory, but it’s not a stretch to find a critique of capitalism laid out in it. Expanding (as Romero always did) on ‘Dawn of the Dead’s themes of mindless consumerism and conformity (zombies outside the mall) and ‘living the American dream’ of pointless acquisition (people living IN the mall), Romero takes us here to the bleak end of that scenario, where the ‘haves’ (soldiers and scientists) are holed up in a cave with acres of trailers and boats and goodies – all of them useless – going completely insane while the ‘have-nots’ (zombies) are left outside or kept in a pen, the lucky few being fed the occasional dead person. The zombies are much more sympathetic than the humans, especially ‘Bub’ (the unforgettable Sherman Howard), who is being tested and showing signs of humanity, and who becomes the ‘voice’ of the starving (okay, for brains) masses. I myself am a capitalist, but like any system, taken to its extreme it’s unfair, untenable and results in the destruction of the system. And what is this fight about if not capitalism at its untenable extreme? How much money do these corporations need to take from us? Seriously. In what way can our basic rights actually damage them? Have they ever said “We can’t guarantee you fair residuals on all media because of such and such, because it will lead to this and that?” What, exactly, is their position besides “Nuh-uh”? The bile riseth. So I have no problem including a film with entrail-munching on my list.
#3: NORMA RAE. Duh. ‘Sides, Sally Field was on the picket lines yesterday. Yay her.
#2: NEWSIES. Oh, you knew this was coming. The wonderful irony of Disney making a children’s fable about the power of workers’ unions was lost on me when I first saw it (it was not lost on the L.A Weekly). The politics of this film are clear, intelligent and uplifting. And the songs are catchy. And Batman’s in it. (And hearing my children walking around the house singing “No one can make us give our rights away” makes all of this a lot easier.) Is it dorky? YOU’RE dorky! Dork.
#1: MATEWAN. This is one of my favorite movies, period. John Sayles captures a coal miners’ strike from the thirties with beauty and pain and extraordinary verite. He also captures Chris Cooper, Mary McDonnell and David Strathairn long before they were well known, in indelible performances. And you don’t know what contempt is until you’ve heard James Earl Jones use his James Earl Jones voice to spit out the word “scab”. A classic. (Fun fact: Kevin Tighe plays a heavy in this AND ‘Newsies’. Have a Kevin-Tighe-is-a-meanie double bill!)
There! Now you can makes some popcorn, cosy up on the couch and get all strikey! I’ll check back in when I’ve got actual news, or any leads on Dreamlogic’s many enemies. (Wait a minute… didn’t I see her talking heatedly with TrollLogic?) Let me know if there's any good movies I missed.
Parenthetically (seriously, what’s up with that?), –j.
[ edited by zeitgeist on 2007-11-09 17:54 ]
joss | Purple prose | 06:58 CET | 133 comments total | tags: day-seizing, bile, phlegm, joss post
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AgentOrange
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| Wysłany: Pon 16:33, 26 Lis 2007 Temat postu: |
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NOVEMBER 10
Mom, He's Doing It Again... Reading! Rallying! Writing!
THE PURPLE PROSE OF CAIRO
Two very different experiences today that I’d like to share with y’all. Last one first: Entertainment Weekly joins the New York Times in fair and balanced writer-bashing. Their cover story on the strike kind of stunned me. They’ve always been really sweet about my shows and I’ve read a lot of interesting stuff in there but holy boy are they missing the point. Their reporter has fallen into every cliched journalistic trap the congloms have ever set. I realize his magazine is owned by one of them, but I expected better. Let’s go in for a closer look.
(By the way, I’m fully aware that I have turned into Dustin Hoffman as Lenny Bruce at the end of the movie when he’s all strung out and not funny and just reading legal briefs during his stand-up, but further down I make this really awesome joke you’re gonna wanna tell all your friends, just wait.)
“Labor disputes in Hollywood may not inspire the sort of tingly feelings of fraternal solidarity with the common man associated with, say, an uprising of mill workers. Some of the writer’s demands – keeping their names on movie posters, for instance – wouldn’t lure Norma Rae to a picket line. But make no mistake: when the Writers Guild of America announced that its members would be folding up their laptops until further notice, they picked a fight with producers, studios, and TV networks that could turn this town inside out over the next several months. And perhaps even alter the balance of power of the entire entertainment industry.
“As always, the argument is over money. The writers want more.”
You’re probably way ahead of me. We don’t do real work. We demand frivolous things. We picked a fight. We’re greedy. The article goes on to present both sides but that’s like letting a fight go four more rounds while one of the fighters is lying on the canvas. The damage is done.
Does anyone believe we picked a fight? That the AMPTP didn’t have months (or, truthfully, 19 years) to make an equitable deal with us? And does anyone believe it has anything to do with poster credits? (Which, by the way, is a serious issue in a town where name recognition is directly related to job offers and salaries. But we didn’t walk out on our jobs over it.) As for more money, has anyone not done the math on the massive downloading of ‘The Office’, wherein there is NO money? Hey, that reminds of a fun thing: theft! (Editor’s note: theft is not a fun thing, unless Catwoman or Cary Grant is doing it. Then it is legally sexy.)
At this point I uttered “Grrr”. “Arrgh” came on the next page. Let’s go to the videotype:
“…so far nobody in Hollywood has figured out how to get really rich on the internet. If the writers and producers agree on one thing, however, it’s that someday somebody WILL – and they both want to be there with their wallets open.”
Putting writers on a par with multibillion dollar companies is certainly an odd perspective. Their wallets are, shall we say, bigger. Than your house. (“Producers” is a misnomer in this case; most producers in television are writers. All television production is run through the studios now.) The sum total of the residuals being asked for in a year wouldn’t equal one of these moguls’ salaries – it wouldn’t even scratch the actual yearly profit of their company. The paragraph continues with the famous argument Nick Counter presents against giving us a decent fixed percentage: There’s no “business model” for the internet, so we don’t know how much money there is. Okay, class, all together: two and a half percent is two and half percent NO MATTER WHAT. It is never more. However much money there is, or isn’t, it still almost all goes to them.
Bored? I’d be, if I wasn’t so amazed. But I’ll move on the first event of the day – the rally at Fox plaza. Yeah, I schlepped out of bed to share my cold with some 4,000 writerly types and God I’m glad I did. I saw so many friends and comrades (plus two brothers and a sister-in-law), and got such a rush of genuine purpose and solidarity. How many events are gonna feature Rage Against the Machine, the Reverend Jesse Jackson AND Norman Lear? Twelve, tops. Much inspirational speechifying. (And a mom holding her little girl, who had sign that just said "Share.") Felt like hell going in, felt like hell-on-somewhat-wobbly-wheels coming out. (The only downside was that the rally was at the base of the Fox building, more commonly known as Nakatomi Plaza, and the overload of “Die Hard” jokes may have blown the grid for a few blocks. I’m as much at fault as anyone.)
I guess being at the heart of something and then seeing an outsider’s gross misapprehensions about it was too much of a rollercoaster for this sick boy (not to be confused with Sick Boy from “Trainspotting”, who is less phlegmy and more confusingly hot). So I rant, and you have to suffer for it. And I totally lied about that great joke. I got nothin’. But I can’t let this shoddy journalism go unanswered. They have turned me into a blogger. And that I do not forgive.
Let’s end with a list. Here are the films I WAS gonna write but now I’m on strike so America (and foreign territories) will never get to see them:
1) The Man With The Golden Thing
2) Seven Brides For Seven Draculas
3) Avenging Benji
4) Don’t Pick At It – Oh God, What’d I Just Say?
5) The Cars That Could Turn Into Robots But No, It’s Different
6) Wonder Woman
7) Cheese For Frieda
That’s right. I had ‘em all outlined. It was gonna be my mature period. Damn shame.
Thanks for logging on. I’ll behave from now on, I swear.
All the bestiness, your own Mr Sexy Brain of 2007.
-joss
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AgentOrange
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| Wysłany: Pon 16:33, 26 Lis 2007 Temat postu: |
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November 14 2007
More from Joss. I have news... that I might have news!
PURPLE PROSE: because you (meaning “I”) demanded it!
Friends, Echo, Bunnymen, lend me your ears. Well, eyeballs. It’s been a few days and I wanted to tell you what’s the what in me-land. Yes, I’m still sick (@#$&#!). Yes, I’m still striking… ly handsome! Zing! Still got it! I haven’t been on the front lines as much as I’d like but I do have some reports.
PICKETING WITH THE STARS! Unbelievable! An amazing experience. Wasn’t there.
PICKETING WITH THE WRITERS at Fox. Still a good experience, though starless. The oddest part of the strike to date: A man came up to us, expressing sympathy and wishing us success and handing out his card… for his jewelry store. I guess he thinks we’re gonna win big. Or maybe he was handing out his card to the wrong side. SO random.
(After picketing I went to an acupuncturist for the first time ever in order to help beat this terminator-like cold. A warning to the uninitiated: this is not like visiting a typical Western physician. Do you have any idea what goes on at an acupuncturist’s office? For the love of God, they PUNCTURE you with needles! They really ought to make that clearer in the name.)
But the big event of the day: got together with a bunch of showrunners whose fans have significant online presence. I won’t say which shows, as the meeting was tippety-top secret, but I will tell you – JUST BETWEEN US – that one of them rhymed with “Cattlecar Flalactica”. And one rhymed with “Gyureka.” And one sounds just a little bit like “Fritz Galway’s Bunny is Really Wealthier”. MORE I CANNOT SAY. And Jane and Marti were there. And a lot of others. There was no food.
The point of the meeting was that the WGA is aware of – and a little blown away by – the passion, tenacity, and organizational savvy of the online community. The “Jericho” nuts are the stuff of legend. Whedonesque and the creation of Fans4Writers were spoken of in awed whispers. I’m not kidding: one of the WGA workers asked me, “So, your fans. WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?” I swear, having you guys in my corner is like being friends with Zorro. People in the community are amazed.
We met to see if there was some way for US to organize the way YOU have – to use the nettyweb to show the studios that there are no longer two sides to this struggle; there are three. The audience has a voice, and a right to be heard. We talked about different ideas that have been floated by fans to make some kind of nut-like show of unity and support. How can we do something so noticeable it might even get into the mainstream press? I’ll let you know when it’s worked out – should be within a day or so. Should be fun, too. Hell, it was fun just being in a room full of smart writers again, pitching ideas. (Also fun was typing “Hell”. Makes me sound butch.)
I also asked about a Mutant Enemy strike day, and the WGA peeps said they had no problem with that. We still don’t have a date (I still don’t have a lung) but I’ll be organizing that soon. Here’s the deal for whomever can come: Bring a sign, walk the line. (If you can’t make one there’ll probably be extras, but I think it’s more fun to make your own. Nothing rude, please.) I’ll get as many M.E. writers (and hopefully a few actors) as I can to walk outside one studio for a four hour shift alongside… well, any fan that carries the banner. More on that as it develops. Back to you, Bob.
Jaime Paglia of “Eureka” – I mean Flaime Flaglia of… florget it – talked about getting this movement into the non-California-or-New-York states, and I thought that was wisely wise. There are shows shooting in Boston, Rhode Island, Philadelphia – and there are fan-bases in EVERY state. We talked about getting some rallies going at local affiliates all over the country. I, of course, got to boast about the Browncoats and the “Serenity” screenings… The idea of people massing in different cities, whatever their fan-affiliation, is exciting, newsworthy, and let’s face it, fun. (Personally, I’d like to do a whistle-stop tour of the country, but right now that may be a bit ambitious for a man who can’t stand up for more than two hours.) (Still, standing at the back of a train, waving – and the WGA offered to provide bunting. Who doesn’t love bunting?)
The point is twofold. The first is that we expect this to take a long time. We want to make an impression NOW, but we also want to keep thinking of ways to spread awareness and keep you all engaged and, frankly, entertained. Because the second point is that there was no one in that room who didn’t understand that they were there BECAUSE OF YOU, because you guys have already proven yourselves not just dedicated fans but an active, forceful community. Take a moment to be all up in yourself. Now get over yourself. Now doubt yourself. Now hug yourself. Now touch your knee – Hah! Didn’t say “Simon says”. Like, ever. FOOLS! It’s you unauthorized-knee-touching fools who are proving that the internet is indeed the line in the sand (“…must be drawn Heah! This fah! No fuhther!”), for it’s the one medium the congloms don’t control. Televised news is largely ignoring us, the print media is eating Nick Counter’s astonishing lies like candy they get paid to eat, but you upon the ether… you haven’t been silent and you can’t be silenced. Go ahead. Touch that knee. Simon be damned.
It’s nice to blog sans rage for a change. Better for the immune system, too. Thanks, all, and keep watching the skies.
-j.
[ edited by joss on 2007-11-14 20:17 ]
joss | Purple prose | 20:14 CET | 195 comments total | tags: bags, hags, flags
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AgentOrange
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| Wysłany: Pon 16:48, 26 Lis 2007 Temat postu: |
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November 17 2007
Arise and Seize the Pencils... Our Evil(it's not evil) Master(we're not masters) Plan is ready to unleash(it's not a dog).(!)
Well, United Hollywood has fine-tuned the pencil concept into an organized and potentially awesomely visual penstravaganza! Witness the electronic mail messed forth to showrunner types:
.
Pencils2MediaMoguls
This week, United Hollywood (the blog) met with a group of showrunners who have particularly vocal fan bases. We discussed the fans' eagerness to put their energy to use in a unified campaign, and this is what we came up with:
Several fan sites have suggested sending pencils into the networks and studios, and some of them are already doing it. It's a great idea, and we'd like to take it a step further – get everyone buying pencils at the same time, from the same vendor, to be delivered in masses (like the peanuts were for Jericho.) All the fandoms working together, in concert. It seems that the conglomerates take it for granted that the fans will always be there to purchase content, that their concerns about the strike don't matter. This is a chance for the fans to show that they do matter.
The campaign itself is fairly simple. We'd like to start it right away, and it goes like this:
Point the fans to [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] where there will be a banner or button allowing them to click through to buy boxes of pencils. The pencils are plain wooden #2's, and the company uses sustainable farming for the wood (seriously. They do.) The pricing will be "a buck a box." (Sustainably harvested wood pencils + PayPal cost per transaction puts us a little higher than the cost of a box if you buy at Office Depot, sorry.) If there's any money left over, it will be donated to the Union Solidarity Fund, which is a nonprofit for non-WGA members affected by the strike.
When fans click to buy the pencils, they can choose to identify the show they are supporting if they want. (This will generate a database of fans by show – among other things, allowing showrunners to thank fans by group if they want to.)
The pencils will be delivered in bulk, by trucks, like the peanuts were. The deliveries will be to the 6 CEOs of the 6 congloms (Disney, News Corp, Viacom, Time Warner, CBS, GE) one by one – we'll probably start with GE. If we get enough to pencils to do all 6, then we will. If we don't, we'll concentrate on one or two.
If the logistics can be worked out, showrunners who choose to can take part in a "load the pencils" photo op – unpacking the boxes of pencils and shoveling them into bins or boxes for transport to the CEO's. The visual has the potential to be worth a thousand words – for the fans as well as the general public.
We will suggest that the fans send a message similar to this: "We're all on the same page. Make a fair deal."
This has the potential to be a historic moment in fan history – the first time that all fandoms band together to show that they are a force to be reckoned with to the corporate world. Given the passion and commitment the fans are already showing, this seems a good way to both show our appreciation and respect, as well as giving them the direction they've been requesting.
We hope you'll be willing to join us in this effort. It won't be our last.
Carol Barbee Jericho
John Aboud
United Hollywood
Jane Espenson
Buffy, Battlestar Galactica
Jeffrey Berman
United Hollywood
Rob McElhenney
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Laeta Kalogridis
United Hollywood
Ron Moore
Battlestar Galactica
Marti Noxon
Buffy, Private Practice
Jaime Paglia
Eureka
Bill Prady
Two and a Half Men
Shonda Rhimes
Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice
Stephanie Savage
Gossip Girl
Joss Whedon
Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Dollhouse
Pretty offical sounding, huh? Like grown-ups would do. Well, I, as a showrunner... (but with no show... If I have no show, am I a showrunner? What would Jubal Early say?) Anyhoo I'm a tirribly impahtant Hollyville muckity so my opinion counts oodles. And I think this will be very cool. Let's make our (unsharpened) point. I seriously want to spend a day wading in actual pencils with a big ol' snowshovel. And I want the Execs to understand that forcing one show off the air can rouse the public to make themselves heard in a fairly dramatic fashion, but forcing ALL of them off the air... well, might just be a tetch more dramatical-er. Now you all kinda got your own Union. And it's time to strike.
"CBS and Fox, they think were nothin'!
Are we nothin'? NO!
CBS and Fox they think they got us,
Do they got us? NO!
Even though we all wear scarves and glasses,
We're a union, just by sayin' so...
And the world will know!"
So here goes.
Yours ever, -j.
joss | Purple prose | 19:36 CET | 294 comments total | tags: strike, grand symbolic gestures, #2, joss post
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AgentOrange
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| Wysłany: Sob 1:45, 08 Gru 2007 Temat postu: |
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I KOLEJNE SŁOWO OD JOSSA - jak go nie ubóstwiać?  (wczoraj był dzień strajku Mutant Enemy)
Thespians To Grace Protestation. A few actors have signed on for the M.E. picket. BUT WHICH ONES?
I can now confirm, after a lot of pleading and a couple of totally false promises to create a series for him, that the guy who did the 'goats' voice-over for the phone at Wolfram & Hart WILL be attending the picket! As will Numfar of the Deathwok Clan and the doctor River stabs in the throat on the internet! Yay! So many stars! Lucky, lucky you! (Numfar will not dance. Just so we're clear.)
Sadly, I haven't gotten confirmations from any other actors except Eliza Dushku, Alexis Denisof, Nathan Fillion, Summer Glau and Amy Acker. But I'm sure someone cool will call me back any minute now. Gotta hope, right?
I tried to post this on fans4writers, but Whedonesque remains the only website I can successfully navigate. Maybe that should be your slogan! Whedonesque: so simple even Joss can use it! You know. If you need a slogan for... some reason.
Leave me! -goatphoneguy
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AgentOrange
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| Wysłany: Sob 1:48, 08 Gru 2007 Temat postu: |
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6 GRUDNIA
Countdown... to Adventure! (or picketing).
As Mutant enemy day approaches, Joss considers what to wear (red), what to bring (powdered milk) and what this 'hygiene' everyone's recommending is all about.
A couple of things before the big day. First of all Marti Noxon has tried to HIJACK this entire site for some 'cause'. She forwarded this letter she wanted me to print:
"We think it would be unbelievably amazing if Joss were able to tell whomever might be reading his blog for info on the Friday picket that, as a part of the whole thing, the WGA is doing a Holiday Harvest Food drive for local food banks (that have reached an all-time low in donations, recently) and we're asking everyone who can to bring jars of peanut butter, cans of tuna, and tons of powdered milk. In this way, besides just making a statement in solidarity and support of the WGA strike, we can also be re-stocking the shelves of the local food banks and feeding the poor and hungry of our community."
Like I'd print something so depressing! This event is about one thing: my famousnessness. First everyone's all about 'the strike', now it's 'helping people'... let's not lose sight of the point, people! You can't spell M.E. without, well, me.
Powdered milk, Cans of tuna, peanut butter. Other non-perishables will also be gratefully accepted, but those are the key groups. If you get the chance. 'Cause, me aside (for as long as I can stand it), supporting the strike and supporting the community are all part of the same thing. No one in this country should be hungry. I won't get on the soapbox ('cause it's too big to fit on the one I'm already on) but totin' a can really would mean a lot.
MAN DOWN! Yes, Alexis Denisof had to leave town and will not be able to attend. On the bright side, HE HAS A GLASS EYE! No, he totally doesn't, I'm just bummed and lashing out. We'll miss him, but I'm still gathering troops, so stay tuned. (Stay logged?)
RAIN! Man, I'm just harshing your mellow tonght, aren't I? Scattered showers predicted. It was prettty boily today, but who knows. Be prepared! Wear a snowsuit AND a bikini! I'm not frightened. I am unwavering. Nothing will stop us from picketing, unless there's a single fluffy cloud, in which case I'm just gonna panic and go scab.
I look forward to seeing you all, except the people I won't be seeing, like ol' glass eye and the people who live in New Zealand. (Go New Zealand! Road Warrior! Shrimp on the Barbie! G'day, and... and... wait... oh God! WETA! I meant to say WETA! Jeez, I'm losing fans by the boatload here. I gotta stop the bleeding and end this post.)
Bye for now, -j.
Tuna
Powdered Milk
Peanut Butter
joss | Purple prose
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AgentOrange
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| Wysłany: Wto 2:38, 18 Gru 2007 Temat postu: |
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December 13 2007
Who are the REAL heroes? Joss thinks happy thoughts. Nothing gross. Not THAT happy.
Who ARE the real heroes? Obviously Firefighters, relief workers, Doctors without Borders and anyone who, because of their parents brutal slaying, has become The Bat. But who are my personal heroes just of late? As I bid farewell to the warm coast and head off to rally the troops (and, with any luck, soak all dem scabs -- for Crutchie!) I think on who's out there getting it done...
1) Well, if you've followed my favorite link of the year, you know my real heroes are the AMPTP -- or more specifically, John Aboud and Michael Colton, the writers who put up that brilliant site. How brilliant? The AMPTP (the real ones, the guys who live under bridges scaring children) actually issued a statement griping about it! Dude! They said many rank and file WGA members found it too over-the-top. Yeeeeeahh...... I know those guys. They're sitting over there with the animation writers who choose not to join the Guild.
Oh! And in the same statement, the AMPTP throws a dart at #2....
2) Star Trek peeps. Both professional and fannish. Yeah, the PR guys knew that even MENTIONING the Star Trek picket shows what a bunch of nerds we are. Yeah, guys? Last time I checked, Star Trek was a cultural phenomenon, a cash cow for the Studio, and a breeding ground for some of the best Sci-Fi writers (hell, best writers) I know. IN FACT, the VERY last time I checked, I saw an hour-long episode of Star Trek (The New Voyages) made entirely by fans that had great production values and an insightful, emotionally resonant script. Now, what studio financed that again? Hmmm.
3) Speaking of writers grown in the Trek lab, here's my next two heroes: First up is Ronald D. Moore, not just for Battlestar, but for doing all the talking at the pencils2mediamoguls event. Talk about taking the hit! I was so relieved not have to speak I could have poured pencils all day. (It's actually weirdly gratifying: they poured out like a river over rocks, all white and splashy-sounding. Kinda peaceful.) Thanks, Ron!
4) Jane Espenson. 'Cause she's been helping other writers and aspiring writers since long before it became a necessity, and she's still kicking it hardcore, mentoring and blogging and even making signs. Classy type.
5) Firefighters. Seriously. Fire is really hot.
6) Jaime Paglia, who started the whole movement to get this party started in the rest of the country, beginning with his home turf. If anyone is wondering whether to go to the Boston rally, I got just two words for you: Conflict Diamonds. I don't know what that means. Those are just the words I had. But I know it's gonna be a fun event, and I'm gonna do two things I didn't do in LA: Make a speech (long fancy WORDS, you know it) and sign any damn thing someone sticks in front of me. We're yakkin', we're marching, we're hitting a bookstore and after that I just might keep hanging. So spread the word. The media needs to see BODIES. DO NOT SEND YOUR ASTRAL PROJECTION. Seriously, they don't show up on film and they're wicked flammable. Show up in person, so I can remind you that
7) is you all. As well you know.
See you in the Township of Beans. Happily Thoughting, -j.
ps If you're in LA that day, you definitely want to check out the insanely exciting comedy venue Marti helped cook up to aid non-writers affected by the strike. Eddie Izzard, Sarah Silverman, The MF D, Patton Oswalt... Marti only didn't attain hero staus because she arranged all this for when I'm out of town (Cough!...glass eye... cough!....)
Power to the people! For actual real.
joss | Purple prose | 06:41 CET | 89 comments total | tags: strikety, strike, joss post
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gravisrs
Dołączył: 03 Lut 2008
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| Wysłany: Pią 13:58, 08 Lut 2008 Temat postu: |
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Widziałem zdjęcia z pikiet.. ale dalej nie wiem przeciwko czemu/komu strajkują. Domyślam się że wytwórni.
Mógłby ktoś zorientowany naświetlić sytuację?
Zauważyłem też, że ostatnio jest nagonka nie tylko na wytwórnie filmowe ale i muzyczne.
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AgentOrange
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| Wysłany: Pią 15:10, 08 Lut 2008 Temat postu: |
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Strajkują przeciw wielkim studiom i reprezentującym ich interesy Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers ( w skrócie the Alliance  ) o honoraria za dystrybucję ich dzieł w internecie oraz podwyżkę honorariów od sprzedanych DVD. Panuje przestarzały system, który przede wszytskim nie uwzględnia internetu i daje nędzne odsetki od DVD.
To tyle w największym skrócie.
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gravisrs
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| Wysłany: Pią 15:37, 08 Lut 2008 Temat postu: |
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Got it.
Wygląda na to że MPAA, RIAA, IFPI i tym podobne organizacje nie są lubiane ani przez odbiorców ani przez twórców, których niby reprezentują. Miło słyszeć że mutant enemy stanęło przeciwko sojuszowi
_____________________________________
"You? [made] enemies? No.. How it could be?" - Doc'
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