tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19034584.post2733287336373472361..comments2023-12-30T19:09:57.035-08:00Comments on A Curious Life: On Writers & StrikesRoss Prudenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14674352553567302954noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19034584.post-60383320228108280392007-11-01T22:32:00.000-07:002007-11-01T22:32:00.000-07:00Well written and thoughtful analysis.Here's one wa...Well written and thoughtful analysis.<BR/><BR/>Here's one way to look at your piece of the pie concept. Since 1985, the producers have kept control of 99.67% of the video/DVD profits, giving (approximately) .33% to screenwriters.<BR/><BR/>This is in exchange for owning copywrite (writers have to give that up). It was a bad deal in 1985, but the excuse was that videocassettes was a young market and they needed help to get it off the ground.<BR/><BR/>Now, the writers would like to change that formula ... and let the producers instead keep only 99.34%. Yup that's correct, nobody at any point of the negotiations, not even the writers, are proposing that the studios ever end up with less than well over 99% of the profits. Truth be told, I bet the writers would accept moving from .33% to something like .45%.<BR/><BR/>And for this the producers decide to shut down the industry?<BR/><BR/>What other labor group is ever willing to accept no increases (on a bad deal) for even 3 or 5 years, let alone 22 years, and into the foreseeable future?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com