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The Associated Press

A striking writer gets to the nub of the matter.

Featured Topic | Posted 51 weeks 48 min ago

Hollywood drama: Directors make a deal -- will the writers follow?

Variety

As the walkout by the Writers Guild of America drags on, the directors guild managed to settle on a new contract with the studios which includes payment for programming that streams on the Internet. Without scripts, of course, the directors have nothing to do. But Thursday's deal could be a good sign: The studios and the unions have long engaged in what's known in the biz as "pattern bargaining." The deal struck with one union sets a pattern for how the other unions will get paid.

Meantime, out-of-work writers are finding other creative -- and potentially lucrative -- outlets online. Which raises the question: Who needs Hollywood, anyway?

Ben likes: Apocalypse now

Roger L. Simon/Pajamas Media

New media is poised to destroy the entertainment industry, as we know it.

People as diverse as television writer Rob Long and Internet guru Marc Andreesen are talking about the end of Hollywood -- and they have a point. Several, in fact. Netscape’s Andreesen wrote extensively on his blog in November about how Hollywood -- or more specifically movie and television writers, directors and producers -- should emulate Silicon Valley and become entrepreneurial. And that this inevitable revolution has only been hastened by the writers’ walkout. Indeed, there is some anecdotal evidence that this is already happening.

Joel likes: A modest suggestion to end the writers' strike

Miles Mogelescu/Huffington Post

Here's the dirty little secret: No one knows how big or small a market the distribution of films and television programs over the internet will be in coming years -- not the writers, not the directors, and not the studios. And that's the nub of the problem. Hollywood runs on fear and both the guilds and the studios fear they will make a mistake in projecting the value of the internet market and that mistake will be locked in for many years to come.