Some union members think the very fact that Wells produces movies and the television shows The West Wing and ER creates a conflict of interest. Writers want more compensation for films that are distributed to foreign markets, as well as new formulas to determine their residuals from cable television, pay television and DVDs. The current pay formulas were decided in 1988, the last time Hollywood dealt with strikes. The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers says the demands could not come at a worse time. Both writers and actors want to include clauses about Internet broadcasting in their contracts, without specifying exactly how much compensation they should get.
Producers think it's too early.
On Feb. 5, negotiators took up the thorny matter of creative rights for writers. Some directors, including Woody Allen and Steve Martin , think the credit is an unnecessary piece of vanity. But others, like Francis Ford Coppola , think it is an important indication of their creative mark. The creative rights issue could prove an even bigger hurdle than compensation. But writers are afraid to demonize directors.