His challenger is the sinewy, scrappy screenwriter, known for his stamina if not his strength. His cornerman shouts words of encouragement, but a doctor is standing by and a car is idling just outside the nearest exit. The referee, in an imported silk striped shirt, Armani trousers and Gucci loafers, slaps their backs with perfectly manicured hands and cues the opening bell. He is supposed to ensure it's a reasonably fair fight, but he steps back, hoping they'll both be left weak and battered. That's a simplistic breakdown of talks concerning the Writers Guild of America's work agreement, which is back on the bargaining table today.
Reality is a bit more complicated.
The two sides are still a great distance apart on those matters. The key creative-rights portions are being fought over in separate talks between the Writers Guild and the Directors Guild of America, with the producers' association standing in the middle, ready to sign whatever agreement the two artists' groups reach. The writers are seeking improved working conditions on features that would earn them greater respect. But if the measures are approved, they would take directors down a peg in terms of control and credit. It remains to be seen how binding any creative-rights agreement would be.