Voices of Uncertainty (video)

• Erin

  +1

  I almost didn't watch this one - but it's worth it. Clips of interviews with the studio heads talking about how much money there is to be made online. If instead of striking the writers were suing, it would be the smoking gun -- in the movie version at least.

  Posted 11/13/2007 [reply] [flag]

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So Wait, Maybe There is Money To Be Made In This Internet Thing --
Published 11/12/2007 by Scott the Reader at ALLIGATORS IN A HELICOPTER

Writers Strike: Moguls Impaled On Their Own Words Like Liar Satay
Published 11/12/2007 by Joel Brown at TV with MeeVee
The single most potent piece of WGA agitation I've seen since the beginning of the strike is this brief video in which Les Moonves, Robert Iger, Rupert Murdoch and other Hollywood moguls boast in one forum or another about how much $$$ they've going to glean from the Internet and other forms of digital delivery. Provided by United Hollywood, it blows away all the corporate bleating about how the net is too new for them to share a slice with the writers, or how there's no money to be made. Other late items: "High School Musical" ...

WGA 07 Strike Week 2
Published 11/12/2007 at mediabistro.com: FishBowlLA
AMPTP bravely soldiers on, despite heavy fog of uncertainty. Deadline Hollywood Daily , where Nikki Finke sees a glimmer of hope. Doris Egan of House , writes on writing for a living. James Surowiecki , in the New Yorker , explains the whole thing, sort of: The paychecks and the profit-and-loss statements may indicate that the writers and the producers should be able to resolve their dispute quickly. But in labor relations the bottom line isn't always the bottom line.

Two New Videos & A Picture
Published 11/12/2007 by The CineManiac at The CineManiac
Here's Two New Wonderful Videos from over at United Hollywood: First from a Striking Writer: Next from Joss Whedon (Thanks to Shea for the heads up on this one): ...

Digital
Published 11/13/2007 by Logan Gawain at GALACTICA SITREP
Sometimes the studio and network bosses do seem to understand the internet and digital revolution... just not when it comes to paying the writers. Also, Mark Verheiden notes that the Friday events are for fans of all shows to come out and show their support for the writers.

Video featuring media moguls explains the gains in new media earnings
Published 11/13/2007 by DB at No Fact Zone
If nothing else depresses you about the stand of the AMPTP in their non-understanding of the growth of New Media, this will.

Great strike video. Plus, panic on the streets of Hollywood?
Published 11/13/2007 by tgoodman@sfchronicle.com (Tim Goodman) at Tim Goodman. The Bastard Machine
Great strike video. Plus, panic on the streets of Hollywood? Or assorted city streets of greater Los Angeles? Interesting times as the strike heads into Week 2. Tons of stories. But one that might get glossed over is from TV Week on a topic - ads and the make-good ads when the networks can't deliver an audience - that could have the biggest impact - just follow the money ...

AMPTP Dedicated To Feeding Delicious Content To Hungry Screens [Short Ends]
Published 11/13/2007 by Mark at Defamer
· If the heads of the studios and networks have said it once, they've said it a million times: The internet is just a fad that may never generate enough money to share with the writers. Are you people deaf? Do they need to have Nick Counter take out a full page ad in Variety tomorrow to remind you one last time? · Silver Lake hipster car fire! Run for your lives! · Satriale's Pork Store has been whacked, and will be replaced by a condo complex called "The Soprano." Will the Bing be razed next to make room for the Ralph Cifaretto ...

Burn Off: Strike and Non-Strike
Published 11/13/2007 at James Hibberd
Monday, November 12, 2007 Burn Off: Strike and Non-Strike Strike: Another way writers are getting out their message through online communities … Damon Lindelof writes “I have little doubt that the tide will turn against us” … More on whether TV critics press tour will survive … Adult Swim mocks the strike … Kid Nation, writers strike edition … It really is incredibly handy . Non-strike: How to fix “Reaper” … How to fix “Heroes” … Thumbs down for NBC Direct … Like running up a bar tab on an expired credit card, FX orders two seasons of “Damages” during ...

Oops - The Internet Bites the Networks in the Ass
Published 11/13/2007 by Give Me My Remote at Give Me My Remote
Many of the networks have been fighting YouTube since Day One because they aren’t able to monetize their content on the site. Here’s another reason they should be against YouTube…it allows their words to come back and bite them in the ass. Interesting how the networks and the moguls are claiming that “new media” (aka digital content, the internet etc) is just too new to properly understand the economic impact. Check out the video below. Are these network moguls lying to the WGA, the viewers or perhaps their stockholders?

'The Heartbreaking Voices Of Uncertainty'
Published 11/13/2007 by Nikki Finke at Nikki Finke's Deadline Hollywood Daily
All of Hollywood is talking about this video. And the reason why is because of the growing phenomenon in this strike that the Big Media moguls keep talking out of both sides of their mouths. I've posted previously about how, one minute they're using the media to plead that gross participants or deficit financing in the entertainment business is bleeding them dry, and the next minute they're boasting to Wall Street about their incredible earnings and the unlimited future of the Internet. What the fuck?

WGA Strike: Hypocrisy in Streaming Digital Video
Published 11/13/2007 by Neil Miller at Film School Rejects
The strike is all about new media, DVD and internet royalties. On one side we have the writers, who are asking for additional pennies on the dollar for the advertisement gains that studios are making thanks to shows being hosted on the web for millions of viewers. Studios have in the past looked at the internet as a vast realm of opportunity, where the possibilities (and the bankroll) are endless. But now, in the wake of the Writers Guild of America going on strike, they are doing everything the can to downplay how much money is made from the internet. All so they don’t have to pay royalties to feed the families of the ...

Voices of Uncertainty
Published 11/13/2007 by dave at Chained to the Cinémathèque
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FOLLOW THE MONEY
Published 11/13/2007 by Scott Macaulay at Filmmaker Magazine
At her Deadline Hollywood Daily , Nikke Finke says "everyone in Hollywood is talking about" this YouTube video put together by the folks at United Hollywood. # posted by Scott Macaulay @ 11/13/2007 12:21:00 AM

Writers Strike: These Are The Heartbreaking Voices of Uncertainty
Published 11/13/2007 by Alex Billington at FirstShowing.net
So by now you should understand why, on a basic level, the Writers Guild is striking. We just ran an update on the strike yesterday with some videos that the writers have made to explain the situation and build awareness. Another new video titled Voices of Uncertainty hit earlier today and its really rattling the cages of the media. The studios are trying to use the media to show that gross participants or deficit financing is killing them and yet also exclaiming that they're earning a lot from the digital market - the same one which the writers earn nothing from and are striking about. Basically, you need ...

Writers Strike Video: The Heartbreaking Voices of Uncertainty
Published 11/13/2007 by slashfilm.com at /Film
The good guys at United Hollywood have edited together yet another video which nails home why the writers are on strike. The following video is titled “The Heartbreaking Voices of Uncertainty”. The videos that have come out since the strike are a great example of just how creative and clever the writers are when no restrained. Check out the video after the jump. ...

Jon Robin Baitz: Damning Evidence In Their Own Words
Published 11/13/2007 by Jon Robin Baitz at Huffington Post Entertainment Blog
Read more about the strike on the Huffington Post's writers' strike page. In the matter of the WGA v. AMPTP, or David v. Goliath, Part 1 billion -- here is a useful bit of video [via Deadline Hollywood Daily]. If this were a trial, the clip you are about to see would be the sine qua non of smoking guns, the glove that fits that won't acquit, the alpha and omega and the silencing final word in the matter of "the Internet and downloads and online content are for promotion only." But of course, it's Hollywood, and the gentlemen on the tape who have been caught blatantly contradicting ...

Four Cents: Understanding the Strike
Published 11/13/2007 at Trial and Error
Still struggling a bit to understand what exactly the writers strike is about? Don’t worry, you’re not alone! The issues are complex. But the Writers Guild of America has created a simple, easy-to-understand, three-minute primer video on its YouTube channel. For the skinny on DVD and Internet residuals, check out this video: At the heart of the impasse is whether studios will pay writers when shows run online. The WGA says the networks claim online video is simply promotional. But one striking writer cobbled together a chilling video featuring soundbites from television executives Robert Iger, Sumner Redstone, Ben Silverman, Rupert ...

Writers' Strike, 11/13.
Published 11/13/2007 at GreenCine Daily
First, a string of online viewing tips. Ze Frank: strike #2; via Filmmaker's Scott Macaulay, "Voices of Uncertainty"; via Nikki Finke, "A World Without Writers"; and Ray Pride's got "Phil Robinson's 4-minute history of the Writers Guild." Continued reading Writers' Strike, 11/13.... Comments (0) Comments on this Entry:

THE LATE SIFT - Vampy Studio Heads, In Their Own Words
Published 11/13/2007 at Radar: Fresh Intelligence Blog
Tale of the tape : A group of striking writers assemble a montage of their sworn enemies swearing to pillage every last dollar from the digital battleground on which the picket war is now being waged. Butt out : Angelina Jolie 's Versace leather pants may have split at the Beowulf premiere, but what girl wouldn't endure some lame wardrobe malfunction if it meant Brad cupping her buns for the rest of the evening? Warning signs : Dr. Jan Adams , who operated on Donda West shortly before her death, was embroiled in two malpractice suits and faced two DUI charges before this recent tragedy. California's Medical Board ...

Allow me to be the last to recommend this
Published 11/13/2007 by Ken Levine at By Ken Levine
This has been going around industry circles and some of you have commented on it, but since I have a lot of non industry viewers I thought I'd point it out. This video is really all you need to know about why we're striking. ...

No money from new media?
Published 11/14/2007 by Liz at Glowy Box: Basking in Television's Friendly Radiation
Well, it's been a crazy few days of coordinating, but I think we can call the TV Blogger Strike a resounding success. And stay tuned- we've got great plans to continue our campaign in support of the WGA! I'll be back tomorrow with more, but for now I'll leave you with this video of network execs making clear just how "uncertain" they are about the profitability of new media. Watch and be amazed...at how they manage not to choke on all the hypocrisy. (I somehow managed to miss posting this one in the craziness leading up to the strike.)

GMMR SUPPORTS THE WRITERS GUILD OF AMERICA
Published 11/14/2007 by Give Me My Remote at Give Me My Remote
We at GiveMeMyRemote.com support the WGA and its members to be fairly compensated for the work they create. TV as we know it has and will be affected and you should understand why. Throughout history Unions have fought for rights they believe in and have helped shape some of the rights and basic ways of life they we enjoy without notice everyday. I understand that it’s hard for some to garner sympathy for those who some think are living the glamorous life, but I urge you to educate yourself on the issues, and the facts and understand that the WGA is not made up of just millionaires living the dream but more so by writers, who like ...

Strike Watch: Poll says much of the public thinks the writers are right
Published 11/14/2007 by Tempo at The Watcher
According to a new poll, 63 percent of the public supports the writers in the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike. Four percent favor the producers’ side and 33 percent were unsure, according to the Pepperdine University study, which the Los Angeles Times wrote about Wednesday. "It is not uncommon for the public to be sympathetic toward the side striking in a labor dispute," David Smith, a labor economist at Pepperdine, told the paper. "However, it is somewhat surprising to see overwhelming support from Americans for the creative side of the industry." One reason for the ...

Family Guy Without Its Creator, and More Strike News
Published 11/14/2007 by BuzzSugar at BuzzSugar -- Entertainment hourly.
Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane is not pleased that Fox is planning to complete written episodes of the show without his input, calling it "a colossal d*ck move" by the network. He admits, though, that Fox is within its legal rights to do so. Ellen DeGeneres, who's been under fire for crossing picket lines , has canceled plans to tape her show in New York next week. What we'll be watching if the strike continues: a whole lot of game shows and a Supernanny spinoff called Supermanny. There's a small (so far) movement to send unsharpened pencils to the networks. This new ...

The Great (?) TV Writers Strike of '07: Day 10, and we're serving hot links.
Published 11/15/2007 by tvgal@seattlepi.com (Melanie McFarland) at TV Gal
So, you've probably figured out by now that the strike is going to go on for a while. You should also know that nobody is certain of anything at this point. If you're not in Hollywood, you can only make your best guess as to what's going to happen – a risky business, considering how quickly the situation changes. It really is hour by hour; for example, yesterday we heard that some soap writers were going to cross the picket line. Today, they're not. If you are in L.A., you're pretty much in the same boat, unless you're Nikki Finke, whose reporting is probably the best, most colorful and free of B.S. ...

Writers Block
Published 11/15/2007 at WOW Report
Words come back to bite them in the assets.

Greg Saunders: WGA Strike : Lying With Numbers
Published 11/16/2007 by Greg Saunders at Huffington Post Entertainment Blog
Atrios catches some anti-WGA strike bias on CNBC, a network that prides itself in catering to "business executives and financial professionals that have significant purchasing power". The chyron reads : WHAT ARE THEY FIGHTING FOR? 4,434 Hollywood guild writers worked full-time last year. Average salary: $204,000 Many earned $1 million or more Well, to answer CNBC's question, they aren't fighting for "significant purchasing power". They're fighting for the financial security that would allow their members to remain in the middle class. Middle class? Two ...

The scariest f@#king thing I’ve ever heard
Published 11/17/2007 by DB at No Fact Zone
I got a letter from one of my lawyer friends, who was forwarded this United Hollywood post by a colleague. She said, “Just between you and me . . . damn, that’s an effective letter!” So, in keeping with her wishes, I’ve shared her comment with the blog. Click through to read the whole post - it’s an eye-opener! “Misleading Investors Is a Federal Crime” Thursday, November 15, 2007 Posted by John Aboud at 3:20 AM … Perhaps fired up by viewing a previous video, “Voices of Uncertainty,” an anonymous ...

Lots of people talk and few of them know
Published 11/21/2007 by DJA at Secret Society
Studios = pwned. Via Ezra Klein. Meanwhile, on Broadway, the stagehands union is being sued by theatre owners and producers. Tiger tiger tiger. Sorry about the dearth of recent blogging. Like I said, deadline -- parts will be handed in ...

Moguls boasts about digital revenues
Published 11/22/2007 at Hollywood Elsewhere
How come the only time the internet seems to confuse the studios is when it's time to pay the writers for it? A short video brief starring Bob Iger, Sumner Redstone, Ben Silverman, Rupert Murdoch and Les Moonves . (Originally posted 11.12.07.)

Writers Strike: A Break In Talks Coming
Published 11/29/2007 by Joel Brown at TV with MeeVee
Nikki Finke sez a source sez that the producers are going to put an offer on the table that would give writers a cut from Internet revenue. No word yet on whether it has happened or will happen, but this is one development I suspect we'll hear about despite the otherwise successful news blackout from the talks. This is THE one key issue on which neither side has been willing to bend - and the studios' position has seemed ludicrous to everyone, especially in light of this video. Stay tuned.

This Just In: Internet Revenue Non-existent?
Published 12/30/2007 by Julie Gray at The Rouge Wave

Big Media Does It Again To A Hollywood Guild
Published 7/14/2008 by Nikki Finke at Nikki Finke's Deadline Hollywood Daily
Oops. The AMPTP should have first checked with its bosses in Big Media before making that threat to SAG leadership to lower the employer offer on the table because of the dire outlook in this "deteriorating economy" for Hollywood movies and television. As it happened , a lot of the infotainment CEOs were out of town at the annual Allen & Co. media conference. And they were making statements that were a lot more optimistic than the ones coming out of AMPTP headquarters. It's yet another case of the moguls talking out of both sides of their mouth -- by claiming strong results to Wall Street and pleading poverty to Hollywood guilds. (Remember, ...