Saw this on tvguide.com

Slightly off topic, but does anybody know if the WGA has a position on whether consumers should buy new TV-on-DVD sets during the strike?

Well this was sort of a given anyway, because writers/producers typically dominate all the extras of a TV DVD. Not unexpected at all.

Only if you shop in California or New York, right?

Of course, if you buy DVDs online the WGA could intercept all orders to Amazon and send you emails designed to look like picket signs.

It was my understanding that writers will still receive their usual cut of the take, part of the strike is they want a bigger piece of that. I wouldn't lose any sleep over it personally.

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Dammit, I really wanted to hear the commentaries on season 11 of The Simpsons because I want to know what went through their heads as they wrote some of the most-hated episodes of the series thus far (not to mention listen to the awkward silence during Britney Spears' guest appearance).

Still, there remains the possibility that they recorded all of the season 11 commentaries well before the strike.

Well at least Fox's Blu-ray releases are completely unaffected by this news.

im sure that they've probly got up to season 13 covered in terms of clips and recordings. i wouldnt worry

Writers for animated shows are in a different union and are not on strike as a rule. But that doesn't mean they might not want to cross picket lines.

I can understand that you want to be paid for writing that you do and providing material, but he wants to be paid for an interview? I mean, yea, they're making money off of having the interview as bonus material on the DVD, but all he has to do is TALK ABOUT HIS WORK. They're not asking him to actually write anything. He just has to talk about his experiences and reminisce. That just seems weird to me that he feels he should get paid for that. You would think he would do it as a courtesy to the fans.

If he told his story at a Sci-Fi convention he'd get paid for it, so why should Warner get it for nothing?

Haha. I wonder if the "just give me the movie" snobs on AVS will be celebrating over this news.

BTW, does this affect movies as well? I really hope the features for the awards season titles were already done (though I doubt it). I'd hate to see There Will Be Blood or Sweeney Todd not get extras because of this. What would really suck is if they don't do features, but by the time the titles are released the strike is over.

I suppose that is true, but at the same time, I kinda think he shouldn't get paid for that appearance either. Obviously his fans have already made the show successful by watching it, therefore allowing it to be re-run, allowing him to get residuals from those re-runs. The appearance would then just be another "thank you" to the fans for their continued support. And I'm pretty sure that's happened before. If I'm not mistaken, the actors from The Office went down to the Office Convention in Scranton recently and, as far as I know and I could be wrong, they weren't paid for their appearance there. They went for the fans. Granted, I don't work in the industry, so I'm not aware of how the business works, but it just bothers me that everyone wants to get paid for everything. If I were ever a writer/actor/whatever, I would hope my feelings would be the same and that I'd try to give back to the fans as much without expecting something in return every time.

For a DVD, and many conventions, they are produced in order for someone to make money. The people they sign to attend, or to be a part of the special features on a DVD act something as "draws", and because many people will attend or purchase a DVD because of their appearance, that ends up equaling money for someone.

I don't see a problem with the people being paid for it at all, and that should be the standard if you ask me. Then, if certain people want to do it for free, they would then be allowed to decline payment.

That said, I suppose that could mean higher prices for DVDs, but there ya go.

shyguy1083, for me the relevant factor is that everybody else involved is making money. Warner will charge for the box set and advertise the interview as an extra. It should therefore pay for it. On the other hand, if there was a non-professional or charity fan event in which nobody was paid for anything and nobody profited, then there'd be a strong case for him providing the interview gratis. Of course, that's just my opinion, and I'm not disparaging yours.

They should quit striking already, no way they're ever gonna make up all the money they've lost during the strike with the measly increase in paycheck they're asking for. They've LOST more money than they can win with this strike already.

With that kind of thinking nobody should ever strike.

Of course. It's a matter of general principle now, something I can fully well understand, being a man of principle myself...

But it's still really annoying that we, the consumer, will be the losers as long as this strike goes on. Adding insult to injury, this strike means even more reality TV...

^It probably also means that television is going to permanently lose a segment of viewers who find other things to do with their time and will not return when the strike is over.

Looks like we'll be seeing lots of near bare-bone TV on DVD releases this fall. Will this stike also affect movie bonus material as well? How far in advance are movie DVD's and bonus materials produced?

It's tricky with prime time animation. The Simpsons, Family Guy and American Dad are all WGA shows. South Park isn't.

They're not just asking for an increase in DVD rates you know. They're asking for a decent percentage of new media. And "new media" isn't just the internet, but literally any new media, now or in the future. This basically means this is the strike to end all strikes, since if they win this one, they'll never have to negotiate to get a cut of the revenue for a new media format again. The WGA would gladly toss aside the DVD revenue increase (and they already have once) if they could get the AMPTP to agree to that provision.

Also, I saw a video online where LOST writer/producer Damon Lindelof essentially said that he was willing to take a bath financially on this strike to ensure that future writers get a better deal because he felt it was the least he could do to the past WGA members who did likewise in previous strikes. No granted, I don't know how common his viewpoint is, but it seems like a lot of the writers are taking the long-term view on this, and thinking that having a constant revenue stream through retirement, along with health care etc, is better than making a quick buck now.

That was true before the strike happened, and would've been true even if the strike hadn't happened though. The fact that network television is hemorrhaging viewers is part of the reason studios, and now writers, are so interested in internet revenue.

I seriously doubt that.