Editorial

This is my opinion on the daily potential cost of the writers strike. I used this article on the strike as well.


According to FilmLA, this writers strike could cost the Los Angeles economy $20 million a day if the strike continues. I’m sure the studios know the strike could possibly cost them millions of dollars but they are holding out until the strikers loose their passion and fire for their cause. But the writers strike in 1988 lasted 22 weeks and there are more people rallying behind the writers today. According to the article in the LA Times a single episode of a drama costs about $3 million to produce, employs 300 people and takes eight days to shoot. An episode of a half-hour sitcom costs $1.5 million, employs an average of 88 employees and has a five-day shooting cycle. If the strike continues 15,000 jobs will be lost and millions of dollars. The strikers have withdrawn their proposal for double DVD pay, which was the biggest road block in negotiations, but still want producers to grant the union jurisdiction for most new-media writing and they also insisted on a proposal that would allow them to reuse movies or TV shows on any platform for promotional purposes and gain residual payment.
The strikers aren’t asking for much of these billion dollar studios and in the end the strikers will be the ones hurting, the guild will only be able to pay them for so long and soon enough they will loose their cars, their homes and won’t be able to simply support their families. Christmas is right around the corner and maybe the Ghost of Christmas past should give these Ebenezer Scrooge aka studio heads a look into the lives of the writer’s families, those they are truly affecting