Patricia Arquette on the Picket Line
Thanks to Dawn for pointing out this photo of Patricia Arquette on the picket line during her lunch break. I hope they can straighten things out soon so we can have a full Medium season in January. I must admit to having mixed feelings about the strike. Certainly, writers deserve a fair piece of the money pie. If they didn’t write compelling, witty episodes, the actors wouldn’t have fabulous scenes to act out. And then there’s the cost of living factor. While $40,000 and up seems like a good writer’s salary in my rural area on the East Coast, the cost of living in California is just insane. In fact, I know of someone who paid over $700,000 in San Diego for a shack that would have gone for about $75,000 around here.
On the other hand, a lot of people have to be paid, from grips to producers. Then there’s costs for props, electricity and all that essential stuff. You could also argue that writers could live elsewhere and then they don’t have to worry about dealing with astronomical housing prices. After all, email, conference calls and fax machines make it easy to conduct lightning fast script alterations from a distance.
What do you think? Are the writers being greedy or just trying to get a fair deal? And what’s with former movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger not intervening unless someone involved in the strike asks him to? Do you think he should make a few phone calls and say, “Hey, how about we sit down again and try to make a deal.” or is he right to sit back and let them work things out on their own? After all, a big part of California’s economy is t.v. and movies.
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2 opinions for Patricia Arquette on the Picket Line
Betty
Nov 8, 2007 at 2:29 pm
Katelyn, I agree with you about the cost of living in CA! For a house in the ghetto that would pprobably be considered a tear down anywhere else, goes for at least $400,000! That’s about 900 to 1100 square feet, too. My sister-in-law lived out there for a while and the only way to make it was to have at least 1 roommate, maybe more just to split the cost of rent. With earthquakes and wildfires I’m sure the insurance in incredibly high if you can even get it anymore.
I don’t know all the issues in their strike and I’m sure unless you actually work in that industry, you really don’t know what all they are talking about. These people are creative - how do you put a price on creativity? Nowdays, just look how quickly feature movies come out on DVD and it seems like every prime time show is now released on DVD within 6 months of the season finale. I can’t remember for sure, but I don’t think we even had DVD’s in 1988 - that’s not to mention itunes and all of the other places where you can go to download movies and TV shows - none of these options were even available two years ago, so I think it is completely reasonable to ask for a share of the profits being made. I think it’s poppycock when they say they can’t measure those things - sure they can - technology is extremely advanced today to the point of being scary when it comes to information gathering.
I have been part of a community theater group for the last 5 years and even we have to pay a certain yearly fee to ASCAP for music we use in our productions and that is in addition to the rights and royalties we pay to put on a production PLUS the script rental fee - yes ladies and gentleman, in addition to the $2500 to $4000 we pay for a musical (we are a very small theater with less than 200 seats) we pay a rental fee for the scripts that have to be sent back when we are done. We are an all volunteer non-profit organization and we must pay.
I think they are justified in asking for their piece of the pie. Just like any negotiation, you ask for more than you think you will get so you have negotiation room.
As far as Arnold stepping in - he is the governor of the state - I’m sure anything he does will have consequences either way, so it’s probably best if he stays out of it for now and let them have the opportunity to cool off and come back to the bargaining table on their own. A lot of people are going to be out of work with so many honoring the strikers, hopefully we will see some movement soon.
I want my Medium back!
Dawn
Nov 9, 2007 at 9:39 am
Katelyn, I agree that the writers do a wonderful job of coming up with great stories that keep us entertained, and to a certain extent, I sympathize with their demands. But I have never believed in striking as a means of getting what you want. If everyone negotiated in good faith and was open to compromise, then strikes could be avoided.
As I said a couple of days ago, I was almost on their side until I heard one of them complaining about having to “get by” on more than I make in a year. Yes, it is true that the cost of living is higher in California. I’ve lived there myself, so I know, but it’s not that unreasonable for the kinds of salaries that they’re making. If people lived within their means, they wouldn’t have those problems. And what about all those crew people who don’t beling to the guild, and who don’t make the kind of money that writers do, and who are now out of work because of the strike? Is it fair to them? I applaud Patricia for supporting her co-workers, but I think the strike is frivolous and silly.
And I do think that the Governorator should get involved. After all, he has a unique perspective in that he has worked in the industry, and made his fortune off of the writers and the studios, so who better to step in and try to resolve it? I also read that the mayor of LA is former labor leader, so surely between the two of them, they could help them reach some kind of an agreement.
Right now, the WGA refuses to stop picketing until talks resume, and the AMPTP refuses to start negotiating until the strike stops, so they’re going nowhere. Someone needs to step in and treat them like what they are acting like; a couple of five-year-olds fighting in the sandbox.
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