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but I really don't feel very sorry for people who are making millions of dollars from writing going on strike. I've known a lot of writers in my years in the industry, and there are very few people "above the line" that would elicit anything more than a huge "ho hum" from me.
For some writers who only sell one script a year, that's still about $25,000 for a show in the middle of the revenue stream, although this might have changed in the past ten years since I've been out. One of my old bosses (who wasn't a writer but an exec producer) made $250,000 for three months work--that certainly doesn't make him a pauper.
The core of Hollywood writers is just that--a core. It's surprisingly sheltered from outside interference--the same writers write about 65% or more of the main television shows, while some others do scripting on "reality" TV which is more scripted than people suspect. There are very few shows which give a break to outsiders, and even fewer which invite outsiders to join in on the writing. It's a very rare scripted show that you see without the usual writing staff.
Years ago, when Jack Klugman was working on Quincy, he was increasingly frustrated at the lack of fresh writing talent in Hollywood, and he made many pleas to industry insiders to allow new writers into the pool. For his efforts, he made an enemy of many of the "usual gang of suspects" writers in Hollywood. But he had made his point. Hollywood was a "closed set" in many more ways than people expect.
In fact, if you look at most of the older dramas in TV, every episode follows a rigidly defined format: you can just change the city (locale, etc., the names of the characters and you could write or alter any script for almost any show. Statistically, this has changed only to a minute degree, and there are, as a result, a lot of dull TV shows out there.
In film, there are at least 1000 scripts rejected for every script in development. Picking another script from the slush pile to develop is likely what will happen--a first time writer would sell his soul to be the one selected--what does he/she care if there is a strike going on?
Entertainment is a lot like sports or music: people making incomprehensible amounts of dollars for their work, which rarely requires a Herculean amount of effort. Going on strike might raise a few eyebrows, but even if it continues for awhile, isn't going to stop the cogs turning in the industry.
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