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CAST: David Schwimmer, Kate Beckinsale
CREATIVE TEAM: Rod Lurie
MUSIC: Anthony Marinelli
TECHNICAL TEAM: Joel Marshall, Clint Bennett
This is the sixth of the Writers Guild Of America member-conceived Internet videos for Project "Speechless" featuring A-list Screen Actors Guild talent. They are being hosted exclusively by DeadlineHollywoodDaily.com over Thanksgiving Weekend. For the first time in the TV and movie industry, high-profile SAG actors are together taking their talents directly and exclusively to the Internet, the very medium which is at the center of the current WGA labor strike against the Alliance Of Motion Picture & Television Producers. The project, conceived by director/writer George Hickenlooper and writer Alan Sereboff, will be releasing three videos here in the morning, afternoon and evening throughout this weekend. See them all!
(Mac users, the problems with Safari have been fixed.)
[In the interest of fairness and objectivity, I would be pleased to also debut a similar campaign conceived by members of AMPTP. But, as a journalist with a journalism outlet, I couldn't pass up any opportunity to have an exclusive.]
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This is better than most of Schwimmer’s spoken work.
These are great. One problem: they’re kind of perpetrating the myth that writers only write dialogue… eh, you win some, you lose some…
Sean Penn Rules!!!!
How true. David Schwimmer has been silenced. Oh, the humanity!!!!
Ironically, the WGA and these actors are leveraging for political value the very technology that has them, the studios, and the networks terrified. The Internet, more so than any studio entity or “greedy” capitalist producer, is going to destroy the business model and union structure that have outlived their usefulness. Whatever attributes unions possess, responding well to change is not one of them. I’m confident that the writers will be the real winners in the long run, able to finally receive the merit they deserve when their product can circumvent a decayed distribution system. For that omelette to be served, a few eggs have to be broken, in this case the unions and their childish, destructive posturing.
This whole campaign leaves me speechless.
Aside from reminding me that Richard Benjamin is in fact alive, it does absolutely nothing for me.
…diminishing returns now. These spots are starting to feel like film school projects. What’s the point? They draw attention to the actors (and creators) rather than our cause. Sandra Oh’s speech at the rally had much more of an impact.
Let’s stop “writing” these spots and just get back to the bargaining table… Is it Nov. 26th yet??
I love the motivation behind these ads, and I’m extremely grateful to these very talented actors and directors, but… to me, these pieces speak more about the absurdity of the possesory credit in film than they do about the writers’ legitimate claim to real participation in revenues from new media, which is the main issue of this historical strike.
In the 50’s TV was the up and coming new medium, and the studios tried their damnedest to diminish writers’ involvement in TV from what it had been in radio. Another generation and a half, and here comes the internet. Now they’re trying it again. It didn’t work then, and it won’t work this time.
As much as I love and appreciate the support behind this particular campaign, I think we need to stay focused on what the real issue is.
I didn’t realize how positive the strike could be until David Schwimmer didn’t speak. The studios might be onto something.
I kid, I kid. He was awesome in Band of Brothers and 30 Rock and…nope, that’s it.
Anonymous above: that’s nice… the guy lends his support and you slam him.
Alright, already! We get the point! Isn’t there another way to convey the fact that these actors can’t do anything w/o a writer? Where the real creativity?
I appreciate these ads. However, I worry that the “Speechless” tag reinforces the usual misapprehension about our work: we screenwriters DO NOT merely write dialogue. We originate or contribute theme, concept, story, scene structure, character design, visual description and ideas, i.e. EVERYTHING – not just the spoken words. (Admittedly, it would be damn difficult to make an ad with no narrative at all – but that would be an interesting point to make!)
The nuances of dialogue vs. creating a whole narrative aren’t lost on me (and I’m not in the industry). But I think those complaining miss some of the point: any truth with a dependent clause will lose in the marketplace of ideas. All the general public will see is that faces they know aren’t able to actually do their movies or tv shows. That could be enough.
Also: geez, c’mon, slagging people who are on your side, who are working to get your message out? Can’t we all just get along, especially with the people who *already* get along with us?
Regardless of the motive, these ads are lame and pretentious.
Pretentious would be a better name here.
A few spots too far I fear. I’m WGA and the idea here was noble and kudos to the people who did the chore… but one great execution would have done the trick and been better than this forrest. They seem increasingly precious and most strike me as actually stapled to the nose, let alone on it. Best to declare victory on this caper quickly, before Vin Diesel shows up in #68.
You all can trash David. I don’t care. I never watched Friends. But the expressions on the faces was very moving. I really wanted to hear the dialog. Isn’t that the point of this all. Do you really want to take time showing us how cool you are? What happens next year if you want to watch tv and you are stuck watching “When sharks attack Regis.”
Now THIS is more along the lines of what I was expecting when I first heard of this campaign. It appears to be a real scene where the two characters seem ready to have a conversation with each other, but nothing comes out because there is no writer to write the dialog for them.
Whistling and contacting tech support, just don’t seem to get the desired message across as effectively. And having an actor mouth words without hearing what he is saying makes it seem more like an ad for a sound mixer’s strike than a writer’s strike.
Okay, stating my 100% support for the WGA again. But I really hope most writers have a better attitude than this. Progress is made? “Well, the AMPTP won’t care”. Negotiations are scheduled? “They’re just there to improve their image”. And now actors are supporting the cause? “Ugh, how lame”/”Who care’s if he’s silent?”/”What’s the point?”. Seriously, guys, you bite down anyone who opposes you and then you come to these comments and just whine. I’m not saying you should be bowing down to the actors or talking about how amazing the ads are. But it’s hard to support people who are pessimistic about everything and critisize anyone that comes to their aid. Thankfully, the people I actually see on the picket lines appear to have a much better attitude. If they acted like some of the people here do. . .well, I’d still be on your side, because I beleieve this is a good cause and that the AMPTP’s position is pathetic. But I don’t know that I’d be as proud about it.
Note: I know that there are a good many people here being positive and still making intelligent points. I’m not saying any critiques of the ads are bad. But much of what I’m seeing is just depressing. To the members keeping a realistic but faithful and hopeful perspective: thank you, and I can’t wait to see you win this war. To those who gripe endlessly: I still hope it goes for the best, but but please stop giving me a headache.
These actors are trying to help you crybabies. Be appreciative you jackholes.
Schwimmer was great in Duane Hopwood, which got the shaft from it’s distributors and producers. Again, what swell people.