LATime has a slight bias towards the producers ever since Chandler tried breaking unions way back when. My bias is towards my brothers and sisters in IATSE and the AFL/CIO. The Writers Guild doesn't quite meet the same litmus test as they straddle being above and below the line. The last writers strike (they seem to be the only hollywood group to strike) cost LA county almost $500 million in 1982 dollars - so the fallout of this strike most likely will be even more costly.
If architects had a union, would you join? Would it improve our working conditions or salaries?
I'm thinking that this will lower housing costs in LA as lots of people in the trenches of hollywood won't have the income to drive up the market. But with the fires causing a mass migration from malibu, will this scenario play out? That also may mean lean days for the residential design markets (abra-come to minnesota, we have lots of work up here)...
Would an architects union help raise our wages? It would be nice, but I'm not optimistic. First of all, tons of clients would just not hire architects if they were too expensive, and we'd get lots more nasty contractor-designed junk. Second, I've seen time and time again young architects willings to undercut other architects on their fees because they're more interested in building something than making a decent wage. Likewise, once you have a project with a client who's not willing to pay all that much, many architects will work really long and hard anyways to get the project right, even if it means the fee is absurdly low for the amount of work that went into the design. Unless you can somehow unionize ALL architects, and make a law that says nothing can be built without an architect, I think a union just wouldn't work.
i could be a scab and donate my own 'caveman' teleplay i've written to fill that 13th episode slot.. i'm quite proud of it, it involves them being in this ill-fitted situation where a bunch of crazy shenanigans happen (i mean, they're cavemen, and its happening right now.. its preposterously hilarious)
you know, cause... i'd hate for this to affect cavemen and all
John Stweart's final comment on this last night was pretty funny.
What isn't funny is how long ago treekiller makes !25 years! sound - I remember the last strike very easily, it seems like just a few years ago to me! I think it went on a couple weeks? But I watched a lot more TV back then, these days I only watch John Stewart. Even Rescue Me lost me this season.
I'm currently enjoying the second season DVD's of Weeds - now that's a good show! No spoilers please, anyone who has seen it all!
weeds rocks, everything hbo/showtime produces rocks - but it depends of the writers and producers having a strong vision (and sharing the profits like we're taught in kindergarten).
I vaguely recall the last strike. But I lived through one round of brinksmanship in 2001 when the actors and writers played russian roulette with the producers, only to sign at the last minute. As the books says, 'it was the best of times, it was the worst of times'. I was happy to walk away and return to the fold of architecture then. I wonder how many of my colleagues in the art department are thinking about returning to being cadmonkeys.
as much as an architects union sounds fun, I think that it would ultimately be a bad idea. Architects really arent needed that much anyways, so if we get together and try to fix our prices, demand certain working conditions, etc, people will go elsewhere.
Look what happened to reality TV. The reason that it became so big is because actors were demanding such high fees for TV shows. Reality TV may not be the greatest thing out there (nor may non-architect designed buildings) but 90% of the general public doesnt care anyways
i had a friend who worked on the Sponge Bob Square Pants movie for one day. They needed a guy to basically hold a stick with a sponge on it for the live action stuff- they then went back and animated over the sponge.
Anyways, the way that the unions / contracts were set up, he ended up getting residuals for the movie....basically a check for $1000 was sent to him every month for about a year. Not bad for a days work
oh, the last strike was '88 not '82 as I first posted.
I like getting residuals - my hollywood pension is doing just great.
the gist is that writers want residuals from all new forms of distribution, ie dvd, digital downloads, video games, et cetera. This is similar to the issues that prompted the previous strike. the current contract keeps the writers (and other unions) from collecting residuals on some types of media, cause when vhs versus beta was the issue, they agreed to no residual's till it was known if the new tech would sink or swim. The baby wasn't even in the bath water then, and now the writers want some of the soup the producers are enjoying.
The end of Hollywood
The writers have decided to strike for the first time in almost 25 something years. That means no more Daily Show, no more Lost, no more General Hospital,and no more movies for the duration of this labor action.
LATime has a slight bias towards the producers ever since Chandler tried breaking unions way back when. My bias is towards my brothers and sisters in IATSE and the AFL/CIO. The Writers Guild doesn't quite meet the same litmus test as they straddle being above and below the line. The last writers strike (they seem to be the only hollywood group to strike) cost LA county almost $500 million in 1982 dollars - so the fallout of this strike most likely will be even more costly.
If architects had a union, would you join? Would it improve our working conditions or salaries?
I'm thinking that this will lower housing costs in LA as lots of people in the trenches of hollywood won't have the income to drive up the market. But with the fires causing a mass migration from malibu, will this scenario play out? That also may mean lean days for the residential design markets (abra-come to minnesota, we have lots of work up here)...
Would an architects union help raise our wages? It would be nice, but I'm not optimistic. First of all, tons of clients would just not hire architects if they were too expensive, and we'd get lots more nasty contractor-designed junk. Second, I've seen time and time again young architects willings to undercut other architects on their fees because they're more interested in building something than making a decent wage. Likewise, once you have a project with a client who's not willing to pay all that much, many architects will work really long and hard anyways to get the project right, even if it means the fee is absurdly low for the amount of work that went into the design. Unless you can somehow unionize ALL architects, and make a law that says nothing can be built without an architect, I think a union just wouldn't work.
i could be a scab and donate my own 'caveman' teleplay i've written to fill that 13th episode slot.. i'm quite proud of it, it involves them being in this ill-fitted situation where a bunch of crazy shenanigans happen (i mean, they're cavemen, and its happening right now.. its preposterously hilarious)
you know, cause... i'd hate for this to affect cavemen and all
John Stweart's final comment on this last night was pretty funny.
What isn't funny is how long ago treekiller makes !25 years! sound - I remember the last strike very easily, it seems like just a few years ago to me! I think it went on a couple weeks? But I watched a lot more TV back then, these days I only watch John Stewart. Even Rescue Me lost me this season.
I'm currently enjoying the second season DVD's of Weeds - now that's a good show! No spoilers please, anyone who has seen it all!
weeds rocks, everything hbo/showtime produces rocks - but it depends of the writers and producers having a strong vision (and sharing the profits like we're taught in kindergarten).
I vaguely recall the last strike. But I lived through one round of brinksmanship in 2001 when the actors and writers played russian roulette with the producers, only to sign at the last minute. As the books says, 'it was the best of times, it was the worst of times'. I was happy to walk away and return to the fold of architecture then. I wonder how many of my colleagues in the art department are thinking about returning to being cadmonkeys.
treekiller
I know that I can probably read a few articles and be brought up to speed on why they are striking, but what is the jist of it???
also, in what capacity were you involved in the industry?
as much as an architects union sounds fun, I think that it would ultimately be a bad idea. Architects really arent needed that much anyways, so if we get together and try to fix our prices, demand certain working conditions, etc, people will go elsewhere.
Look what happened to reality TV. The reason that it became so big is because actors were demanding such high fees for TV shows. Reality TV may not be the greatest thing out there (nor may non-architect designed buildings) but 90% of the general public doesnt care anyways
i want residuals
a writer's strike??? you mean quality programs like caveman and two and a half men and ncis may be interrupted??? the horror.
i had a friend who worked on the Sponge Bob Square Pants movie for one day. They needed a guy to basically hold a stick with a sponge on it for the live action stuff- they then went back and animated over the sponge.
Anyways, the way that the unions / contracts were set up, he ended up getting residuals for the movie....basically a check for $1000 was sent to him every month for about a year. Not bad for a days work
oh, the last strike was '88 not '82 as I first posted.
I like getting residuals - my hollywood pension is doing just great.
the gist is that writers want residuals from all new forms of distribution, ie dvd, digital downloads, video games, et cetera. This is similar to the issues that prompted the previous strike. the current contract keeps the writers (and other unions) from collecting residuals on some types of media, cause when vhs versus beta was the issue, they agreed to no residual's till it was known if the new tech would sink or swim. The baby wasn't even in the bath water then, and now the writers want some of the soup the producers are enjoying.
hey, who doesn't like soup?
Caveman :"Seriously, dude, four feet by five feet. . . Well, apparently not, 'cause I'm looking right at it."
Woman: "We live in a society where individual EGO is at the forefront !"
Announcer: "Response ?"
Caveman: "Yeah, I have a response: . . .uh, What ??"
. . . . . . . . . . .
"Mom ? Dad ? Should I marry Chloe, Liz. . .or JILL ?"
Tina Fey striking
NPR
CNN
Maybe it's time to read one of those "books" I've been hearing so much about....
cruise by the picket lines for some celebrity sighting...
The Office's last new episode will be next week....Steve Carell is a WGA member and isn't crossing the picket lines:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6hqP0c0_gw
I like this one too....there's a good chant at the end ("how greedy can you get, they won't even share the 'net"):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkE_GPi2p1E&NR=1
i'm not as much for bringing up wages as i am for lowering producers ridiculous salaries.
while we're at it, stop producing shitty shows/movies and charging me and arm and a leg to see said shitty movies.
i have clients who are studio execs...
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