Tag: WGA

No comments

Disaster Has Been Avoided: WGA Reaches Deal, There Will Not Be A Writers Strike!

  By

The past few weeks have been intense, and for a while, it looked like we were headed for another writers strike, but thankfully at the last minute a deal was reached.

Writers Guild of America reached a tentative deal early in the morning on Tuesday for a fresh contract with the major Hollywood studios. The deal still needs to be ratified by guild members, but it’s all expected to go smoothly.

In a memo to its members, the WGA explained the contract is packed with several upgrades. This new contract gives writers the respect they deserve in the industry.

“In it, we made gains in minimums across the board – as well as contribution increases to our Health Plan that should ensure its solvency for years to come. And we further expanded our protections in Options and Exclusivity.

We also made unprecedented gains on the issue of short seasons in television, winning a definition (which has never before existed in our MBA) of 2.4 weeks of work for each episodic fee. Any work beyond that span will now require additional payment for hundreds of writer-producers.

We won a 15% increase in Pay TV residuals, roughly $15 million in increases in High-Budget SVOD residuals, and, for the first time ever, residuals for comedy-variety writers in Pay TV.

And, also for the first time ever, job protection on Parental Leave.”

This is wonderful news for everyone in Hollywood. Studios don’t have to shut down production, crew members will still have work, writers get better contracts, and the audience will still have content to consume.

It’s a good Tuesday, folks. And I think we should all listen to the best song about a Tuesday ever produced…

No comments

‘Annie Hall’ Was Just Voted Funniest Screenplay By WGA Members, Check Out The Top 10 Inside!

  By

sup

You have probably had this debate with some of your friends: what is the funniest screenplay ever written? Well, today we finally have the answer. Okay…maybe not THE answer since “funny” means something different to everyone, but at least we know where members of the Writers Guild Association of America stand.

Woody Allen and Marshall Brickman’s Annie Hall was named the funniest screenplay by the members. This shouldn’t be too surprising considering everyone in the business loves Woody Allen, plus, the film did win the Best Original Screenplay Oscar at the 50th Academy Awards.

In total, Allen had seven scripts in the WGA’s 101 Funniest Screenplays. The six others were Sleeper (60), Bananas (69), Take the Money and Run (76), Love and Death (78), Manhattan (81) and Broadway Danny Rose (92).

As you can see below, the top 10 featured mainly classic films. The most recent film in the top 10 being the 1993 comedy Groundhog Day. But there were some recent comedies that made the list, including The Hangover (30), Meet the Parents (85), The 40-Year-Old Virgin (31), Bridesmaids (16) and Superbad (68).

The top 10 films are featured below. If you want to see the full list, click on this link.

  1. Annie Hall (Woody Allen and Marshall Brickman)
  2. Some Like It Hot (Billy Wilder & I.A. L. Diamond)
  3. Groundhog Day (Danny Rubin and Harold Ramis)
  4. Airplane! (James Abrahams & David Zucker & Jerry Zucker)
  5. Tootsie ( Larry Gelbart and Murray Schisgal)
  6. Young Frankenstein (Gene Wilder and Mel Brooks)
  7. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb ( Stanley Kubrick and Peter George and Terry Southern)
  8.  Blazing Saddles (Mel Brooks, Norman Steinberg, Andrew Bergman, Richard
    Pryor, Alan Uger)
  9. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle,
    Terry Jones, Michael Palin)
  10.  National Lampoon’s Animal House (Harold Ramis & Douglas Kenney & Chris Miller)
No comments

Jurassic World Of Drama: Writers Guild Battles Universal Behind The Scenes

  By

worl

Dinosaurs and drama. Jurassic World has not experienced an easy ride to theaters. After important details of the plot were leaked from set, it appeared that everything had settled back down.

But now there is more drama going on behind the scenes, and this time it’s Universal vs. Writers Guild of America.

According to sources connected with Deadline, the studio wants director Colin Trevorrow and his writing partner Derek Connolly to share a written by screen credit. The late Michael Crichton would receive a “based on the novel by” credit.

Seems like a good deal, right? Not according to a three-member arbitration panel. Last week, they ruled that Connolly and Trevorrow should share their writing credits with Amanda Silver and Rick Jaffa. They are the husband and wife team behind an earlier draft of the script.

Jaffa and Silver were asked to write the Jurassic Park sequel back in 2012. They completed a first draft, but things just weren’t working out. That’s when Trevorrow and Connolly entered the picture.

Even though Connolly and Trevorrow claim their draft wasn’t based on the previous draft, Silver and Jaffa filed a protest with the guild. And as we now know, the arbiters agreed with them, even removing the “written by” credit completely. They believe all the writers should share a “screenplay by” credit.

Connolly and Trevorrow have appealed one last time. If they are denied again, then the game is over. All four writers will share a screenplay by credit, and Jaffa and Silver will also get a “story by” credit added on.

Why is this a big deal? Well, because if the original credits had stayed in place, Trevorrow and Connolly would have received 50% of the future residuals. If this new ruling stands, they will only take home around 20%.

We’ll keep you updated. By the way, Jurassic World hits theaters June 12, 2015.