Monday, April 28, 2008
writers strike
The LA times reported that many TV crew members are still suffering from the writers stike. When I was in NYC this past semester I lost my internship at SNL due to the strike. I remember talking to my boss in the beginning weeks of the stike, and my boss predicted exactly what is happening right now. He told me that when (and if) the stike ended only about of the shows and people working for them would be picked up again. Since TV and more specifically live TV ratings have been going down the past few years corporations such as NBC (where I was working) needed a way to cut back on their expenses. Many people even saw this stike as "force majeure". What does this mean for TV? Are we beginning to see the end of TV, or even live TV programs which have significantly decreased in the past ten years. Many people think that in 20 years or so no one will be watching TV, and it will be replaced by the things like internet (youtube), and ondemand and tivo. There is already a company that is about going to go public that lets you fast forward through any comerical and watch whatever you want when you want, all in HD. What are your thoughts? With all this technology no one will wait to watch a TV show that comes our one a week.
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2 comments:
Hi Kyle:
I have asked a friend of mine in LA to comment on your question re the writers' stike and the future of television programming relative to sitcoms etc. His name is Jesse Hara, and he manages writers and directors. The entertainment trades have recently published stories about the lack of original scripts post-strike. There is now a possiblity of a job action by the SAG (Screen Actors Guild). As you recall, the writers' strike was the result of the union seeking a more equitable share of the Internet profits that were going to the entertainment companies. The Internet and popular video-sharing sites such as YouTube have been a sea-change for the entertainment business. More and more consumers your age are downloading movies for viewing on laptops as a convenience. That has already taken a chunk of cash from box office revenues. I think HBO has been a boon to writers for original programming that would not get aired on commercial networks such as CBS,NBC and ABC. Think the Sopranos, Band of Brothers, Six Feet Under, Curb Your Enthusiasm etc. That is not to say that shows like How I Met My Mother, 30 Rock, The Office, Everyone Loves Raymond, and the late Friends can successfully compete with the glut of reality TV if there is quality writing fueling the episodes. Shows with good writing that I enjoyed on network TV were Seinfeld, Cheers, and the Bob Newhart Show.
Kyle: This is a post from my LA friend, Jesse Hara, who manages screenwriters and directors. His website URL is http:/tomsawyerent.com/aboutus.html
He gave me permission to post his comments to your question.
I think the hardest and most oft asked question in the entertainment industry is "what is next the big thing?" And as long as our business has been around there have been new developments in technology that have had us fear the next big thing will destroy everything that has come before it....I am happy to report this have never been the case. The talkies didn't ruin movies, the vhs tape didn't either, and the Tivo/dvr has been proven to actually increase hours in front of television. In fact, where some people believe the business to be shrinking, all the numbers and advances will only prove the industry is actually growing.. What seems to be changing is how each individual can access the content. Television, I think, will continue to be the most popular medium Americans turn to for entertainment, and while, we might watch 30 Rock at 9 a.m. while we are getting ready for work or watch Oprah at night to see what new self-help guru she is pimping, there will always be eyes on the programming. Perhaps what we will be looking at in the future is what Ray Bradbury described in his book Fahrenheit 451 as a picture wall; or something that integrates our television, computer, ipod and whatever else Steve Jobs might think up in that time, that will allow consumers to basically be their own programmers. So our screens might grow flatter and larger, but my guess is that people will continue to congregate in their living rooms for a similar format that we use today.
Jesse Hara
Tom Sawyer Entertainment
315 S. Beverly Dr.
Suite #508
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
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