This is an issue that companies have to solve with artists, and the two artists that they're talking to are writers and actors. They're going to have to solve the issue with both of us. Claiming they've been giving studios a break for years by working under an antiquated pay structure, writers are pressing for better residual payments for work airing on cable TV, video, the Internet and in foreign distribution. The concerns cannot wait, says Charles Holland of the Writers Guild. There's never a good time.
Many actors agree, and say new rules are needed to accompany today's technology.
Studios get ready But film and TV studios argue that profits are being squeezed by soaring production costs, an audience fractured by numerous viewing choices and an economy that's gone flat. For several months studios have been preparing for a strike by ramping up movie production. According to the Economic Development Corporation of Los Angeles County, feature film work in Los Angeles is up 45 percent compared with this time last year. An impending strike would have a profound effect on what is seen on TV, says TV Guide columnist Mark Schwed. You don't have a new show, you don't have a second season of a show, you don't have a 10th season of a show.