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Narc director Joe Carnahan asked me to run his apology for his recent blog comments which I posted at On The Line: Writers Strike News, Day 3 (see third item down). He tells me I wasn’t the only one who reacted negatively to them:
“First of all, let me clear the air from that obviously ill-timed and totally misunderstood blog entry I dropped the day before last. I was responding to what I saw as a certain portion of the entertainment community’s never ending ability to undercut something as dire and as urgent as an industry work stoppage with fawning and preening and playing for the camera. I found some of that stuff deeply disingenuous and insincere and that’s what I wanted to address. I’m sure there are completely well meaning folks and those who truly empathize with the writer’s plight but I didn’t see them and I reacted (perhaps poorly) to what I did see and it pissed me off. Those folks out there busting their asses and walking that picket line are fighting for something a lot more precious than a few fleeting seconds worth of soundbites on Access Hollywood.
“And in no way, shape or form was I advocating attacking that picket line with bats and/or chains. That passage was intended to be purely facetious. I was trying to squeeze whatever humor I could out of an otherwise horrible situation that is growing more so by the day. I wasn’t around this business to experience what happened with the last big strike in ’88 but that damage remains distinct and indelible and you can see that in the collective shiver of those who weathered it.
“We’re at the tipping point now and resolution is the only thing anybody gives a shit about. The onus on both parties is enormous. People’s creative and professional lives are being marginalized, suborned or shut down entirely and as some point common sense must prevail. For both the WGA and AMPTP, forget whatever apathy, animus or entrenchment exists between you two: Pissing matches and polemics must now yield to practical, progressive solutions. Call me on my bias but what the writers want in the end will wind up being fractional to the amount of money being made by the producers and studios. And let’s never forget that the script is the first brick in any building. It’s the catalyst off which the rest of the creative process fires and without it, we would all be wandering blind.
“So to both sides… shut up and deal. Find a mutually approved place with a lot of leg-room and lock it down… Bolt the doors and don’t emerge until a deal is done and the ink is dry. We all love this business and we’re lucky as hell to be in it. So in the spirit of that, let’s end all this nonsense right fucking now.”
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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HERE HERE!!!!! Lets end this!!!! Those of us at the bottom end of the payscale can’t afford a long “strikatus”. I lose my job as of friday, and am scrambling to find something to do to pay the rent!!! Please, get back to the table!!
AMEN!!!
meh…had me then he lost me. Still sounds like a douche.
“Shut up and deal”? At last. Now that they’ve heard it from JOE CARNAHAN…”what were we waiting for? Let’s deal!”
I accept his mea culpa, at least he had the stones to come out and apologize and clarify what he meant. And what he said about the situation is spot on, both sides need to get over the ego and end this thing…
Negotiation requires give and take – the companies just want to take. Negotiation requires a willingness to compromise – the companies don’t want to compromise. A new contract in times of profit means a better contract – the companies just want concessions. Resolution? You know what resolution the companies want? The end of the Unions! Come on, Joe! Nonsense? Get back to the table? There is no table! There is no door to be locked! This isn’t about a few cents, this is not nonsesne – this is about the ‘haves’ wanting MORE from the ‘have littles’ until they have just enough left to buy their light bulbs, watch their cable news and take their kids once a year on their studio tour and NO MORE. Enjoy what you have, be grateful for your success, and then shut the fuck up. You know not of what you speak.
Signed –
A Worker Bee
I was responding to what I saw as a certain portion of the entertainment community’s never ending ability to undercut something as dire and as urgent as an industry work stoppage with fawning and preening and playing for the camera. I found some of that stuff deeply disingenuous and insincere and that’s what I wanted to address.
No, Joe, that’s not what you said. That’s not what you meant. Without a “Writer” to translate your mean spirited words, you did the best you were capable of. You did what any 1920′s Mine Owner would have done. You Spewed.
I’ve worked for people who act like you did. And I finally came up with an appropriate response. “I am not a bit player in the movie of your life.” Clearly you believe you understand the situation and you also believe that you are capable of making pertinent comments about it. Just as clearly, you are not.
I have a tiny little question for you. Imagine, if you will, he says Rod Sigerly, a world in which the movies you make were entirely your product. You make the movie, you get all the money every time it is shown. 100% yours. Now imagine that you’ve had to take in Financiers to help you make the show… They take a huge chunk of the money, but you don’t care because you are wealthy beyond reason with what is left. Now, one of your Financiers discovers that he can make and sell copies of your performances on devices that sell for $34.95, but everybody usually buys them for $15.95 AND they cost less than $2.00 for him to produce (AND he discovers a method of making exact duplicates in his offshore factory that nobody ever counts.)
How do you convince that man, (deeply embroiled in skulduggery) to negotiate a fair payment percentage for you? And what do you think about someone who advocates that the Financier hire baseball bat wielding thugs to dissuade you?
Seriously, to echo what “BA” said above……there are way too many people that have nothing to do with this strike about to lose their jobs (if they haven’t already) as a result of it! This is ridiculous! Both sides need quit with this petty posturing and lay down your egos so we can go back to some semblance or normalcy in this town.
Sounds like post reaming wailing. “But what I (oooouch) meant to say was…”
“So to both sides… shut up and deal?”
No. I want my Guild to HOLD OUT for what’s right, not “deal” away our demands if a fair offer from the producers isn’t immediately forthcoming, as has apparently happened with our DVD proposal.
Amen, Joe. Amen.
What I don’t think Joe Carnahan understands is the fact that the WGA wants to negotiate but the network heads are the ones who are unwilling. They’ll talk only if DVD residuals and online residuals are not on the table. They’re willing to offer everyone, like, a CBS mug and a peacock pin. And a FOX News hat, which I would burn.
aj, you don’t know what the hell you are talking about. I am getting really annoyed with the perception that the writers are somehow at fault here. there are not two sides to this story unfortunately. There is no “posturing” by the writers. Writers want to get back to work, writers want to negotiate, they have said numorous times “come back to the table.” writers even gave in on many things to keep the talks going. The producers have stopped talking. The producers walked out. The producers have shown that not only do they want this strike but they want to humiliate us. Did you know that one of the things they came back at writers with was a plan to take our names off the advertising of there film? Why? I’ll tell you why. It’s only purpose is to humiliate. What writers are asking for is soooooo little it is sad. “Lost” made over 50 million in DVD sales. you know what one of it’s creators got for CREATING that cash cow? $7000. It isn’t about starving millionaires. It’s simply being paid for creating the things that are making fat billionaires more billions. Nick Counter is an alcoholic douchbag. And as for Joe. His arrogance is transparent. Maybe if he valued the writer more, “Smokin’ Aces” would have been at least half way tolerable.
No good movie is made with a bad script, yet many a great script has turned into a shitty movie. Please support the people whose talents make good things good… the person who sat down and made something out of nothing… the person who without them NONE of the great films and television shows would have ever existed. If the American public really valued talent and greatness they would follow Robert Towne around a Gelsons not Eva Longoria.
I don’t know why Joe & others treat the producers & the writers as if they had equal clout, and the onus is on the writers to be ‘reasonable.’
On the producers’ side: Gazillions (sorry, don’t know the technical name – this is just my first person observation over 47 years as a film buff), I mean GAZILLIONS of money individually/personally, gazillions more collectively (heh) as AMPTP, even more gathered in their war chest to fight the writers, stockpiled scripts, the creme de la creme of lawyers – whose annual cleaning bills are more than the majority of writers’ salaries, Big Media (same corporate owners), Big Political Clout, their network of contacts, those desperate enough to cross the line by working in secret, plus Sauron & Emperor Palpatine.
The writers: the power of withholding their work if they’re not paid, a small war chest, resolve of 90% of membership (democracy in operation), support of showrunners, actors, some politicians & other public figures, the part of the public who understand what’s at stake, the internet (especially UnitedHollywood, this site & YouTube).
Clearly, the writers are David to the producers’ Goliath.
Things are tough now, we’ve had over 50 years propaganda against unions (not perfect, I know, but in general more a good idea than bad) which isn’t helped by a society with ADD.
Some of the discussions going on now are probably analogous to the discussions at the birth of the Civil Rights movement – the accommodationists (things will get better if we just don’t rock the boat) and the activists (“I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore!”).
Writer’s Mom/TV Viewer/Movie Geek/New Media User
Here’s my proposal: The writers aren’t happy with the DVD residual rate. But it is what is, it’s never going to change. We all know that. No one’s complaining with the current wages for writers. The next issue is the Internet. Pay that at the same scale as DVD plus a small percentage. I mean small. Like a 10% bump. That way the writers get a little more, the studios don’t give up the farm. And everyone goes back to work.
A 10% raise (plus continued residuals) is a fair deal. And every day that goes by is income lost that no one on either side is either going to see.
Let’s push this “DVD + 10 PROPOSAL.”
Please. It can all be done in 48 hours.
WRITERS CANNOT NEGOTIATE WITH THEMSELVES!!!
We want to get back to work; pressure the AMPTP to get back to the table.
The willful ignorance of facts + egomaniacal need to make opinionated statement = douche bag.
Thanks Joe. You’re a real prince.
DVD+10 PROPOSAL, that’s what the WGA tried to do. IIRC, during the eleventh hour negotiations last weekend, they took the DVD residuals off the table and a lot of people were confused as to why at first. It wasn’t enough for the AMPTP. They weren’t willing to negotiate re: online stuff, either. I mean, how far does the WGA have to bend?
This isn’t a case of the WGA being unreasonable, greedy bastards. The AMPTP wants to send a message. SAG is up for renegotiations this summer as well, and if they’re not careful, they’re going to have a mutiny on their hands. Alan Rosenberg, God bless him, has been very vocal, even before the strike. SAG + WGA + strike = scary mess fro the AMPTP. All they’ll have is the DGA on their side, and stupid Carnahan with his crazy eyes and less-than-mediocre movies. I really don’t think the moguls know what they’re dealing with. Idiots like Carnahan who take what the AMPTP says as fact just think it’s a typical case of both sides wanting too much money, but for anyone with a brain who can dig a little deeper (and who read Nikki Finke), it’s obvious which side is not playing fair.
…”the script is the first brick in any building.” Uh…Joe, maybe you should stop directing and go back to staring in the mirror. The script is the FOUNDATION of the building, the BLUEPRINT… No script, no building. It’s not one little brick in a skyscraper. Let’s see..cinematographers can’t shoot without a script, actors can’t act without a script, directors can’t direct without a script.. BUT writers can still write, because writers are the true creators, the designers, the architects. Directors EXECUTE the script and try not to screw it up… That’s it. Yeah, there are exceptions, but not many. Not Joe.
Screenwriting is only a hundred years old… hopefully in the next decade, screenwriters will get the recognition and respect they deserve. Novelists, playwrights and TV writers are all at the top of the creative pyramid. In film, it’s just a matter of time before we will be talking about the screenwriter rather than directors like “shut-up-and-deal” Joe… who is just a little brick in his own little crumbling building.
“In film, it’s just a matter of time before we will be talking about the screenwriter rather than directors like “shut-up-and-deal” Joe… who is just a little brick in his own little crumbling building.”
“Without a “Writer” to translate your mean spirited words, you did the best you were capable of.”
“Maybe if he valued the writer more, “Smokin’ Aces” would have been at least half way tolerable.”
You guys do know Joe Carnahan is a screenwriter and a member of the WGA, right? No matter if you liked “Smokin’ Aces” or not, he did write it, along with “Narc”. He has experienced this business on boths sides of the coin, as a producer and a writer. I don’t think there is an ignorance of what is going on, but instead a knowledge that things can not go on as is. I, myself, greatly believe the writers are in the right, but, unfortunatly, the producer have the money, they can afford to be stubborn. What money they lose in waiting this strike they know they can make back in the next coming years. This is always the problem with dealing with big business, and hollywood is a hell of a big business. I hope the writers get what they asked for, it’s reasonable. But to get this they will have make the producers lose a ton of money, problem is the producers will put the burden on the “little” people first, people who would be hurt a great deal by the lose of their income. Alot of hard working people are caught up in this web. It’s going to get very dark before any light is likely to leak into situation. As a writer, Joe has a lot on the line, but he also employs many people that work with him that can’t ride this out as long as he might be able to finacially. Getting people back in to talk would be the best option. In the real world, who knows when that might happen, but it would be the best thing.
It would be instructive for the present generation of writers (and everyone else) to read the article on Page One of the Opinion Section in Sunday’s LA TIMES. Perhaps then there will be an understanding of why we (the WGA) are always going to get the shaft. In the Beginning, the top earning writers sold out on owning our own creations for big bucks — unlike the Dramatists Guild in 1919. (Hard to argue that the paradigm is different. Producers still have to invest in a play as well as a movie). By giving up authorship or our own work, we rendered ourselves perpetually powerless, because back then (and now) we looked upon ourselves as competitors rather than comrades…(and I use that word with a small ‘c’). A few exceptions like James Cain and Dudley Nichols knew better, but were either ignored or marginalized or called Commies. So 3000 or 4000 pickets a day are not going to change that particular bit of history. Now it’s a matter of how many crumbs the ATMP chose to throw at us…and it’s our own fault for being in this position. Essentially, the issue is whether we take the crumbs now or wait 9 months and live with the attendant collateral damage. Because as a veteran of four strikes, I assure you there will be plenty.
Jesus H Christ, this is why people don’t apologize anymore.
In a town where NO ONE admits their wrong, I tip my hat to you, sir.
One thing I have noticed since I began reading this site is that so many writers can’t spell, punctuate correctly, or use words properly (“their” instead of “they’re”, etc.). That’s truly astounding for those who pride themselves in their professionalism. For Pete’s sake, re-read your post before clicking on the Submit Query button. It makes us all look like uneducated dolts.
In the Beginning, the top earning writers sold out on owning our own creations for big bucks — unlike the Dramatists Guild in 1919. (Hard to argue that the paradigm is different. Producers still have to invest in a play as well as a movie).
Curious that you are in the position that you “believe” that you’ve sold your “new media” ownership in your product. I’d guess that you only sold the ownership for presentations extant at the time the deal was made. The new copyright laws are quite clear on my ownership of everything I write; and “their” ownership of anything I write “for hire.” I guess if I signed a contract I would only lose my “new media” ownership if it was explicitly stated in the contract. Is it in your contract? Because it is my understanding that when a new use for a copyrighted piece of work is discovered, the copyright for that use devolves to the author, not to the copyright owner… But I’m probably wrong. That would put a whole different twist on this situation though, wouldn’t it.
I wonder if that “new media ownership” clause is in the boilerplate for all the contracts? It would only take one where they left it off.
Also, I’m curious, do you get residuals based on copies produced? Or based on an accounting entry listing some count of sold copies?
You see, I ask these stupid questions because I’ve spent five of the last seven years as a truck driver. You know, one of those people who make just a tiny bit more than waitresses… and lots less than all of you. (At least I get all of my withholding tax back every year, buy a 6-pack, have a party… 8*) ) Anyway, the reason I ask is that there is a chain of “outlet” stores all across the country. Huge chaln. Most of these “Outlet Malls” have a combined CD&DVD store in them. They do a good business, sell a lot of product.
Did you know that those malls only have one receiving dock for the entire Mall? And that the only trucks docked there are Container Trucks from China (which doesn’t have copyright laws). Who gets the royalty from those DVDs? Don’t pick on the computer types when the real crooks are much closer to hand.
~~~~~~~
And no, I didn’t know that Joe was a Writer. I guess that means that he knew precisely what he was saying.
never said I was a writer sweet cakes.
Let’s see..cinematographers can’t shoot without a script, actors can’t act without a script, directors can’t direct without a script.
Um, reality shows aside, what about Secrets & Lies?
Now CAN YOU GET JAMES WOODS TO DO THE SAME? He had the worst quote of the week… in the LA Times, he’s quoted today as saying that the writers are a bunch of millionaires.