Groundhog Day 2? Talks collapse between SAG and major studios
Here we go again (maybe). Paying actors for their video clips online is shaping up as a major sticking point in stalemated contract negotiations between the Screen Actors Guild and major studios. Talks broke down last week and are expected to resume in late May. The SAG contract expires June 30.
Studios want to freely distribute YouTube-style clips of old TV shows and movies without seeking actors’ permission and pay them a flat fee rather than bargain on a price with each performer individually.
Where have we seen this picture before? It was just a few months ago that the Writers Guild of America went on strike to raise the level of compensation for their work that is streamed online.
After hearing for three months on end — mostly from (surprise) TV precincts — about the hardships people might face without getting a new dose of their favorite shows, the strike was settled in February when the studios agreed to give writers a certain percentage of revenue generated from the Web.
Is the actors’ strike headed for the same hue and cry, substituting movies for sitcoms and (evening) soap operas? The vision of A-list actors on the picket line reminds us of one of Homer Simpson’s funniest quotes: “Celebrities. Always wanting more.” But that’s too easy. As with the Writers Guild strike, the dispute involving SAG is an issue of fairness. We don’t begrudge Jerry Seinfeld for getting compensation for syndicated episodes of the show that bore his name. So why it should be any different for actors — whether A-list or D-list — whose clips run online?
Hollywood is not the most rational town (just look at the latest treatment of Richard Matheson’s classic sci-fi novel “I Am Legend”) so forgive us for trying to impose some logic on Tinseltown. But without writers, Web pages are just images and without actors, the Internet is just a loop of “American Idol” writ large. Here’s hoping for a quick settlement.
Matthew Schwartz is Senior Editor of ScribeMedia.org and host of the WebTV series, From Print to Digital.
what’s funny is we’ll probably be deluged with reality TV shows about D-list actors like mario lopez….
actually, looking at the hairless chested picture on mario’s site, i feel inspired to post a picture of my hairy chest. since when did hairless men become cool. give me a james bond chest any day.
peter
that’s not exactly objective commentary. if you could tolerate chest waxing, you too might be (come) a “cool hairlessman”
perhaps we should apply the same bodyhair standards to women…