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LOST Minisodes
To Launch Monday!!

Must resist.... by spikebad666	Nov 8th, 2007 05:11:02 PM
But I can't...FIRST!!!
Hell yeah by ImperialMarchFace	Nov 8th, 2007 05:11:41 PM
Lost fans need something to hold us over, especially now that the new episodes may not even air in February. The sooner the better. Lost is the best show on TV.
First! by radjac33	Nov 8th, 2007 05:11:44 PM
I am first, right?
In my best Jack Bauer voice. by radjac33	Nov 8th, 2007 05:13:19 PM
Damn It!
id prefer an actual series by aestheticity	Nov 8th, 2007 05:13:53 PM
this webishit fetish tv is on these days makes no sense... they still cost money yet nobody watches them, relatively speaking
I thought by Shivv	Nov 8th, 2007 05:14:36 PM
they had 14 episodes written? If they're not being filmed out of "solidarity," that's just bullshit.
Why has no one told me about this? by Dapper Swindler	Nov 8th, 2007 05:16:20 PM
10 hours a day online and what good is it?
Minisodes? by krabat	Nov 8th, 2007 05:27:14 PM
Three minutes is just a slightly long commercial.
ThANK GOD by BrightEyes	Nov 8th, 2007 05:29:27 PM
Any thing Lost to keep me going
Be kind, Rewind by snowpuff	Nov 8th, 2007 05:30:38 PM
I think we should just start filming our own episodes of these shows, as they did with movies in Be Kind, Rewind. I have a really crappy video camera, so come over to my place and we'll film start filming the next season of 24.
Hold off on the series. by veritasses	Nov 8th, 2007 05:33:55 PM
We've waited this long a few more weeks aren't going to hurt. Ok, it'll suck but not nearly as much as teasing us with 8 eps and then taking another long-@$$ break. One CONTINUOUS run will result in FAR fewer complaints.
First Mobisode has been online for 2 days - OLD news sorry by flubber2008	Nov 8th, 2007 05:35:16 PM
You can see it here http://darkufo.blogspot.com/20 07/11/lost-mobisode-1-missing- pieces-watch.html
Here is the link sorry by flubber2008	Nov 8th, 2007 05:36:15 PM
http://tinyurl.com/3dyzyl
ABC should pull a FOX by AlwaysThere	Nov 8th, 2007 05:43:02 PM
And hold the show off. As a fan, that would be the right move to make. It's better to not leave us hanging, that to run 8 episodes, have the strike go on for months and be waiting and waiting. Season 3 has ended, the DVD/Blu-ray will be out. Everyone can catchup or rewatch it and anticipation can build for a 16 episode consecutive run through.
MOTHERF-ING GREEDY WRITERS!!! by googamooga	Nov 8th, 2007 06:07:55 PM
If I have to wait even longer for Lost, I'm going postal. Strikes are almost always about greed. Yeah, I'm a member of a union, but in my experience, unions are only good at two things, raising the prices consumers have to pay for goods/services, and protecting worthless a-holes who would have been fired in a second for their attitude/performance, were they in a non-union job.
Googamooga by mraig	Nov 8th, 2007 06:36:35 PM
Do you see nothing ironic about calling the writers greedy while at the same time whining "gimme gimme gimme" about the TV you want NOW NOW NOW? Yes, the strike is about money. Writers write for a living, and they want to get paid as much as they can for it. So do I. Don't you? Even if they are already getting paid more than most of us, it's because they are creating a product that generates a lot of income. The producers are getting rich off of the writers' creative output on a whole order of magnitude higher than the writers are, and they're not just going to spread the wealth around out of the goodness of their hearts. If you love Lost so much that it's driving you crazy having to wait for it, then doesn't that mean the writers are doing a job worth getting fair compensation for?
Kent McCord as Jack by Blood T Cat	Nov 8th, 2007 06:37:10 PM
and Barry Van Dyke as Sawyer
Late Breaking Lost News by Napoleon Park	Nov 8th, 2007 06:42:05 PM
preposted from Jump The Shark] Man oh crap, the casual fair-weather Lost fans who were already b*tching about the planned 2/3rds sized 16 episode season format are gonna love the new unresolved 8-episode story arc that begins in February and ends with a cliffhanger sometime after April Fools Day. This is going to alienate so many viewers that the real cliffinger will be whether the show will hold on to enough ratings to actually reach it's planned 3-more short seasons conclusion.
I'm done with lost by Pipple	Nov 8th, 2007 06:45:29 PM
I can't stand waiting and I don't even think they know what all the magic mystical shit is. It's a big waste of life.
Juchheee! by AllieJamison	Nov 8th, 2007 07:03:01 PM
maybe we should boycott these, though. there must be SOMETHING WE CAN DO...
It's why I'm waiting for the box set. by Mixiboi	Nov 8th, 2007 07:06:20 PM
Haven't seen a episode of Lost(save the Series premiere) and don't know a thing going on. So when the series is over I can buy the box set and not have to worry about strikes or read that the show doesn't know where it's going.
I didn't realize the minis were ready to go by CherryValance	Nov 8th, 2007 07:10:16 PM
But I'm going to need those new episodes in February. I don't care if there's a break later. It's been long enough as is. Do you guys even realize how much water Jack is probably retaining at this point? If he doesn't have a big ol' cry soon, he'll probably burst.
Well better than nothing by BurgerKing	Nov 8th, 2007 07:15:40 PM
While they'll probably feel just like deleted scenes and be without action, it is better than nothing and can give me geek relief as I'm getting new content. Maybe, if this is successful, it will be an example for everyone in the industry because this New Media is one of the main reasons for the strike right? And ABC and the writers did set out better plans for this which is why they are ready to go, so if these are successful, it could be a good starting point for these negotiations. HURRAY FOR LOST POTENTIALLY SAVING TV!
Hey mraig... by googamooga	Nov 8th, 2007 07:53:23 PM
I get what you're saying, fair compensation is one thing, but raping the hand that feeds you is another. From what I've been reading, some of their demands are simply unreasonable.
Googamooga by Spasmoyltic	Nov 8th, 2007 08:25:18 PM
I agree with you 100 percent. Most unions are not necessary and are looking for a reason to exist. When tradesmen were being forced to work 12 hour days for next to nothing like 200 fucking years ago, unions had a good place.
mraig by Spasmoyltic	Nov 8th, 2007 08:39:59 PM
The difference between the viewer and the writer is that the viewer doesn't get paid for watching television. I run my own business and my employees don't have profit sharing options. They are well paid for the shift they put in everyday. Beyond that, the money goes back into company investment. This same idea should be no different for writers. I'm tired of people talking about how evil and rich producers are. When writers can fund their own fucking shows and have the business acumen required to get their creativity on screen by themselves, THEN they are entitled to more money. If they make a good living and don't have to deal with the responsibilities that come along with actually keeping a company above water, then they should shut the fuck up and stop being puppets for the union.
googamooga wtf? are you kidding? Unreasonable?!! by OrbotCommander	Nov 8th, 2007 08:40:06 PM
Googamooga!!!! Their demands are unreasonable?!!! What coke bottle bong got shoved up your ass? The writers wanted a four fricken cent raise on DVD from the 4 fricken cents they were making off of every DVD sold. And for the internet, they would like an anything raise from the BIG FAT FUCKN ZERO DOLLARS the studios want to offer them. In fact, go here and read RON MOORE's interview he gave for IGN about how he and the writers got screwed over on their Battlestar "Minisodes" last year: http://tinyurl.com/2mk8kh And I betcha dollars to donuts the writers on Lost probably didn't get a single dime for their "minisodes". But yet isn't it interesting how the studios keep saying, "the internet is too new we don't know how to make money off it" but here they are promoting Lost on the net probably with commercials attached to it in some form or another. So tell us how this is unreasonable again and who is exactly raping whom? Educate yourself properly (meaning stop reading the AMPTP's website for information) before you decide to type things you seem to know nothing about.
small gesture by vaterite	Nov 8th, 2007 09:06:16 PM
Hey, shouldn't we take a stand and not watch these things, since in all likelyhood no one creative is getting paid for this "promotional" material?
Not A Word Advert by buffywrestling	Nov 8th, 2007 09:13:33 PM
http://tinyurl.com/2osxcn HACKS!! Hacks everywhere!! Oh how did you all become so rich? sob It was the dental plan, wasn't it?
WOO HOO...I hope Nikki and TAS guy get a minisode by JeffManSixtyFo	Nov 8th, 2007 10:04:18 PM
Just joking...but I do wonder since they been on that island for about 3 months...any Oceanic toilet paper woulda ran out fast. The heck with the Dharma Initiative,what are they using to wipe themselves clean?? Maybe the could use all the notebooks piled up from the Pearl Station
CHARLIE HAS SOME HEROIN AND CHEETS ON GOTH CLAIRE by Pound Sand	Nov 8th, 2007 10:08:19 PM
That's easily a 180 second Webisode right there.
bacci40 by Spasmoyltic	Nov 8th, 2007 10:16:12 PM
Actually, My business is product and service oriented. Yes, what we offer is sold several times before it reaches its final owner. Maybe I should refuse to do work for my customers until I get a percentage on each transaction?
bacci40 by buffywrestling	Nov 8th, 2007 10:48:02 PM
The old contract is undeniably out of date. Retorts are amusingly useless..
CW should make Webisodes of Veronica Mars FBI... by Prof. Pop-Cult	Nov 8th, 2007 11:28:44 PM
I watched the pilot presentation for the fourth season and think that Rob Thomas should look into continuing the storyline online and maybe The CW would go for it. Sure, the Webisodes wouldn't be promoting an actual show, but The CW might be able to use them to drive traffic to its website, and to plug in advertising and promos for its regular series. Rob Thomas, if you're reading this, I hope you consider it (you are, after all, working to revive Cupid on ABC). You can finish writing the season 4 pilot presentation, and then break it up into 3 minute installments. It doesn't seem like Kristen Bell would need to do much work for it, since it would be the equivalent of just one regular episode.
ABC Should really stick it to the writers by Turd Furgeson	Nov 8th, 2007 11:58:55 PM
and put these episodes online NOW, for a fee, before there's a new contract so the writers don't get a piece of that revenue!!!!! Muuuuooooaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!!!! ! This thing may ruin LOST, it is sad.
Raise your hands.... by buffywrestling	Nov 9th, 2007 12:00:49 AM
If you know what "irony" is. Forsooth! A Quote: "Meanwhile, speaking out in opposition of the strike Wednesday, former Disney chief Michael Eisner called the protests "insanity" and "too stupid" while warning writers they were giving up real income in the hopes of securing digital revenue that studios do not yet have. "For a writer to give up today's money for a nonexistent piece of the future, they are misguided, they should not have gone on the strike," Eisner said at the Dow Jones/Nielsen Media and Money conference in New York. "I've seen stupid strikes, I've seen less stupid strikes, and this strike is just a stupid strike." And how meta is it that I'm posting this quote re: "non-existant piece of the future" in a webisode TB? Eisner should have gotten someone to write a statement for him.
here are my 2 cents by emeraldboy	Nov 9th, 2007 03:05:32 AM
This strike is a smokes screen. there is a global recession coming. World wide, companies will have to majorly tighten thier belts the world over and tv and film companies are no exception. Film and tv companies will have to lay people off. The businessmen and women who run hollywood, know there is a global recession on the way. This New media arguement is cover to say to the writers, look we cant pay you. The writers want a massive chunk of change from new media. But the Studios know that a financially cold wind is coming and fast and studios simply cant afford to pay out. Meanwhile in Modern Ireland, Bertie Ahern is giving himself 38% pay increase. making him the highest paid leader in the world. even our finance minister says the days of the give away budgets are over. The belt tightening days are back. But that 38% pay hike for Bertie is very badly timed. Then there is the cancer scandal.
Give to zim! by red_weed	Nov 9th, 2007 03:06:29 AM
I need some new lost content. I've gone through my dvd set 3 times and i crave more
So if... by rbrog77	Nov 9th, 2007 07:09:05 AM
So if there's no money being made from web content, why are the studio's opposed to giving up a higher percentage of zero? Seems to me 1% of zero is the same as 100% of zero. So I think we've found the first lie in that the executives say there's not money in the web and/or they don't know what's to come of it. Look, everyone is greedy. So what's a fair share of greed? Seems to me the real arguement is more in line with patents. If you invent something, you retain the rights for a period of years no matter how it's sold. Writers invent scripts. 'nuff said.
Maybe not nuff said after all... by rbrog77	Nov 9th, 2007 07:24:13 AM
If you invent something while employed by a company, the company retains the rights...I think. So maybe it's a 2-headed coin after all. Seems the arguements I have with myself are the most level-headed ones.
I'd prefer they hold off on airing the show too by sapno_krei	Nov 9th, 2007 07:42:32 AM
Come on. It's not like we'll be twiddling our thumbs, drooling over a pot while we wait. People wait years between movie sequels. Yeah, it won't be fun waiting, but the excitement when the show does come back will be huge.
Hell... by Kid Z	Nov 9th, 2007 07:59:53 AM
...I hate these low rez webisode things. They're just little blurbette ads. And DAMMIT this TV seasons been stinking up the world like a 3-day old, maggot infested turd squeezed out by a crack whore dying of MRSA on a rendering plant loading dock next door to an open-air sewage treatment facility. And now we don't even have Lost to look forward to clear the stench a little. Give the writers a cut of the residuals on DVDs and the net stuff! Fuckin' suits!
All Figured out. by Chevron_Engaged	Nov 9th, 2007 09:27:30 AM
I think I have it all figured out, except hwy that damn bird said Hurley's name. What the hell?
hopefully a bus would hit those exec's by Maximus Prime	Nov 9th, 2007 09:53:39 AM
now where is Richard Alpert when u need a well timed bus????
They're going to break the internets by CherryValance	Nov 9th, 2007 09:55:40 AM
with this strike. It's bad enough now with people like Prince suing his fans, but if they're going to want revenue from the internet then the studios are going to come down even harder on fansites. Then you're not going to be able to type "lost" or "24" without getting sued for copyright infringement. 'I lost my umbrella', and you get sued. 'I baked 24 cupcakes for the school's bake sale.' SUED. sigh I just want to watch the damn show, but if I get used to it not being on, I might get a life and throw my TV out the window.
rbrog77 by buffywrestling	Nov 9th, 2007 10:58:08 AM
Intellectual property has a chance of making infinite amounts of money; there is no fixed amount even if it's popular or not. That is why the form of payment is residuals. Scripts get put into syndication, on DVDs and the internet. They get a percentage of the two former but no percentage of the latter. The studios get all of the money from internet bought advertising which is in fact more lucrative because you can't skip past them. Guilds want a percentage of the new delivery system (internet). Writers, who had the unfortuante luck of being "first!" - I seriously wonder if there would be so much bitching on here if the Screen Actors Guild were first. I have a feeling the majority would be praising, "You're the man, Sly! Go Rocko!!" - where was I? Writers even took their bargining chip of a raised percentage (2%) on DVD residuals off the table to get it. The next step in the negotiation was to the studios but they refused to budge from their generous offer of nothing. They refused to negoiate further on the matter. /Door slam, execs scrabble back on top of their pile of money and hiss threateningly.
Herc... by -guyinthebackrow	Nov 9th, 2007 11:07:26 AM
Incorrent. These are not EPISODES. They are PROMOTIONS. For an episode the actor, writer, and director gets paid a residual. For a promotion the actors, writer, and director get no residual. It's an interesting difference.
isn't this why they strike? by Naf	Nov 9th, 2007 12:46:55 PM
i bet they aren't getting paid a penny for these minisodes.
buffy by rbrog77	Nov 9th, 2007 12:52:05 PM
So basically scripts are more similar (not exactly though) to a patent you own personally than a patented item you created for a company that they own. So from what I see you saying, it seems the reason the execs wouldn't budge for the writers is they knew the actors et al would be next. Correct? So we're back to original lie. "There's no money in it." If there's zero money in it, why are the execs making such a big deal out of a percentage of nothing? BTW, love your thought process. If you are a fan of the show, we'd love to have you had the link provided below. Please come hang with us. http://www.aintitcool.com/ node/32774
Look, here's my thing... by googamooga	Nov 9th, 2007 02:27:05 PM
Writers get paid fairly well. From what I've read, regular writers on a number of hit shows get somewhere in the neighborhood of $30,000 PER EPISODE, not even counting residuals. Even guest writers get around $7000-$8000 per script. Why should they even get residuals? Why not just ask for more pay up front? Shoot, I know a few people who make just over $20,000 a year, and these people make more than that for one episode. Like I said before, it all comes down to greed. If I manufactur something, anything, and then sell it, my interest in it is gone. Should I track down the current owner of my former car and demand compensation beyond the purchase price from him for all the upgrades I installed that he's currently enjoying? No, because I was paid. Or what about the photographs I sold at our county fair when I was in college? I created them, I sold them, should I track down everyone who's viewed them since and demand a 5 cent viewing fee? If they want more money, they should stop bitching about residuals and just ask for an increase in their initial fee.
2 different things, I think by rbrog77	Nov 9th, 2007 02:53:46 PM
But the writers created something that's being sold/used in a different way than what was originally agreed. I agree with Buffy...it's intelectual property. The execs had basically nothing to do with the intellect behind the writing. I agree that if you have a company that sells a product with employees making a fair amount that they shouldn't get residuals off what you sell/make. But, if we are looking at this from a company perspective, I think we have to see who owns the property. Is LOST, for example, copywrited by the execs? No. The execs bought the TV and DVD rights and are now using the shows on another medium. Then they say there's no money to be had, but if you think about it, everything we watch on the internet these days has advertisements in them. If I'm watching TDVR I can skip those commercials. I can't do that on here. So it would seem eventually there's more money here in the future than revenue from TV or DVD. If that point is true, the writers would seem to be protecting their future revenues by striking. That's a valid reason to strike...IMHO.
So the money comes from the ads right? by CherryValance	Nov 9th, 2007 03:49:44 PM
So let's just all vow to never click on the ads. :D No clicking = no money on internets = no problem.
not all internet ads require clicks by INWOsuxRED	Nov 9th, 2007 04:06:08 PM
most of the shows you watch via network sites force you to watch one or more complete comercials. The network gets the ad revenue no matter what you click on.
I'm willing to wait by DKT	Nov 9th, 2007 04:33:37 PM
a few extra months until the strike is over to watch all 18 episodes back-to-back. I did the hiatus thing last year. I'd prefer to not do it again.
rbrog77 by Spasmoyltic	Nov 9th, 2007 06:26:11 PM
You make some good points. I guess my problem with the whole thing is that if I were a writer and had the opportunity to do a little extra work to help promote a show that gives me 30,000 an episode, I would happily put in the extra work to ensure I have a job. If someone handed me a 30,000 check for an episode and said, "hey, good work we will take care of all marketing, pr, and financing, but we may need a 3 minute webisode or two to keep our audience interested during the off season." I wouldn't hesitate to accept it.
Please ABC, listen to Damon and Carlton! by MrFloppy	Nov 9th, 2007 07:14:45 PM
I don't want just eight episodes. This wait is killing me, but I prefer to wait even longer, just to see the seasons as Damon & Carlton want us to see them. If you forced them to do three 16ep seasons, and now they already planned that 48 episodes that way, don't f*ck them, and let them to air the seasons uninterrupted.
This was all an elaborate orchestration of Abrams, Cuse and Lind by Sick Fixx	Nov 9th, 2007 07:33:30 PM
To further avoid providing closure or plot resolutions for ANYTHING. Fisher "Woodstock" Stevens is going to advance the plot? Are you kidding me?
googamooga by necgray	Nov 9th, 2007 08:55:59 PM
This has been explained by others closer to the matter than I, but essentially the reason that they don't ask for more money upfront is because the studios won't GIVE them more money upfront. And they won't GIVE them more money upfront because of risk. There's no definitive way to tell if a TV show or film is going to make money, so in return for fronting the money to produce the show or film, the writers (and actors and director, et al) ask for a one time fee plus residuals. Obviously big name stars/writers/directors/etc. get a bigger upfront fee based on the assumption that their product is going to sell like proverbial hotcakes. But the residuals are the price that these artists pay to have their art produced. They accept a smaller share of profits because they aren't taking the upfront risk that the studios are. Some people have suggested, rather vulgarly (really, does the word "fuck" have to appear THAT many times in your post?), that the writers should fund their own projects. Not a bad idea, except that most writers make for bad accountants. The JOB of a writer is to write. The JOB of a producer is to produce. Producers worry about funding so that writers, actors, and directors don't have to.
also, googa, your photo example doesn't work by necgray	Nov 9th, 2007 09:11:24 PM
because you made ONE photo and you sold that ONE photo to ONE person. Think about this and be honest with yourself. If you made a photo that you really cared about and sold that photo to a guy who then blew up the photo, made 8,000,000 copies, and sold those copies for $5 each, wouldn't you feel entitled to some of that money? At the very least, you would NEVER sell another photo to a guy in an OfficeMax uniform.
Here's what's left in the bullpen for the networks by Pennsy	Nov 9th, 2007 09:27:01 PM
as a whole, courtesy of the GoldDerby Primetime Emmys forum as of earlier tonight. Number of episodes remaining, and season-ending date as shown: ABC Desperate Housewives - 4, last episode airing 12/9 Grey’s Anatomy - 3, last episode airing 12/6. Brothers & Sisters, Ugly Betty, Big Shots - 6 Boston Legal - 8 Pushing Daisies - 4, last episode airing 12/12 Cavemen- 7 Men in Trees - 14 Dirty Sexy Money - 5 Samantha Who, Lost- 8 Private Practice - 4, last episode airing 12/5 CBS CSI, Criminal Minds - 5, latter's final episode airing 12/12 Cane, NCIS, CSI: Miami - 6 Jericho, CSI: NY - 7 The Unit - 4, last episode airing 12/5 Shark, Numb3rs - 5 Moonlight - 4, last episode airing 12/7 How I Met Your Mother- 4 episodes left, last episode airing 12/10 NBC The Office - 2, last episode airing next Thursday My Name Is Earl- 4, last episode airing 12/6 Law and Order: SVU- 8 30 Rock- 5, last episode airing 12/13 Medium, Friday Night Lights - 9 Scrubs- 7 Journeyman - 5, last episode airing 12/10 Chuck - 6 Heroes - 4, last episode airing December 3rd. Bionic Woman- 3, last episode airing 12/5 The CW Everybody Hates Chris - 16 Gossip Girl- 6 Smallville - 9 Supernatural- 10 . Reaper- 4, last episode airing 11/27 Fox House, Til Death, Prison Break, Bones - 6 Back to You - 3 K-Ville - 5, last episode airing 12/10 Family Guy - 14 King of the Hill - 17 The Simpsons- 17 American Dad - 19 Some are better off than others, but Newton Minow is going to be proven right yet again by the middle of next month. Vast wasteland, anyone?
nice post Pennsy by INWOsuxRED	Nov 9th, 2007 10:26:36 PM
unfortunatly it only confirms that my favorite shows will end quickly (or won't start on time in the case of Lost), while shows I wish would just go away will be the only new TV on, with the exception of a massive glut of rushed reality and game shows.
Necgray by Spasmoyltic	Nov 9th, 2007 10:33:08 PM
If you sell that one photo, it is no longer yours. That is the price you pay for selling your property. Your selling it to a source that has the knowledge and resources to sell thousands of that photo and make money. It's called business. When Clive Barker sold his rights to Hellraiser, he no longer has the legal right to make money from the franchise, but he made a large amount of cash in the initial sell and was well aware of the consequences. What is wrong with this? Thats how both writers and producers make money. Fair game. When I see writers working 12 hour shifts 365 days a year and can barely support a family, then they should be going on strike.
Spasmoytic by buffywrestling	Nov 9th, 2007 11:44:40 PM
Selling your rights to intellectual property up front - if it ever happens to you - is your decision. But the writers already have a contract in place, and a very specific one at that, based on a residual payment form. Are you suggesting that they go backwards? It is a business, I agree; so please explain to me how it is good business for them to go backwards? Good business for the studios, I think you meant to say, not the writers.
Buffy by Spasmoyltic	Nov 10th, 2007 09:17:46 AM
From what I have read, writers are not being cheated from their residual payments. Studios claim there is no money in them. I would be easily convinced that the advertising that these little three minute webisodes give is enough to cover the technology required to air them and help with the show's promotions. You ask how it is good business that these are made for free. Honestly, I think the long term benefits they offer (keeping the show interesting) lets everyone benefit in the long term. Regardless, I am officially interested in seeing the outcome of this strike and I think writers will be kicking themselves in their own asses in a few weeks once the public gets irritated enough.
What I just don't understand... by seanny_d	Nov 10th, 2007 11:03:34 AM
is what so many people have said before. How could you possibly say there is no money in something and then not attempt to give you a percentage of that nothing. If the studios GENUINELY believed that there was no profit to be had in the internet, they'd go "Sure, you guys can have 50%. Idiots." But obviously there is something there. That's just what I don't get.
Seanny_d by gotilk	Nov 10th, 2007 11:49:58 AM
Sounds to me like you're one of the few who DO get it. If they were not making money off it and they didn't think they would EVENTUALLY make a LOT of money on it, it would be a non-issue. They know this is the future (and NOW) of distribution and this will effect their bottom line from here on out.
it isn't about promotion of the actual show by INWOsuxRED	Nov 10th, 2007 12:19:05 PM
the webisodes exist to generate immediate ad revenue on what is an emerging technology (to network types). The primary promtion isn't for the TV show, it is for the network's website. People aren't surfing the web to find webisodes of shows they don't watch, they go to those sites to see more of shows they already enjoy and that brings traffic to the network's website. From there, those same webisodes are used as extras to sell DVDs, which the writers don't get residuals on. Some of these products are also generating income from crazy cell phone networks. Downloads from itunes are also a fast and clear way of profiting from the show, and they are saying that makes no money, and reruns are where the money is not only at, but will remain at, which is a transparent lie. Most of the arguments against the writers seem to be against the pre-existing idea of residuals at all. It seems alot more like working for commission, then your company carries a new and more expensive product and you successfully sell the crap out of it and then you're told you only get commission on products that were in the store when you started working there.
Next year on LOST... by Deak the Geek	Nov 10th, 2007 03:28:32 PM
enjoy all 8 thrilling episodes of LOST season 4!!...oh well...it's better than nothing i guess
season 5 by Deak the Geek	Nov 10th, 2007 03:29:42 PM
does that mean that season 5 will have 24 episodes?
This Show Better Not Be Postponed by The Ender Smites Foes	Nov 10th, 2007 04:30:20 PM
Because I seriously will turn evil. Real fucking evil.
re: spasmoyltic by necgray	Nov 10th, 2007 10:07:41 PM
I think your response to me was adequately responded to by others, particularly buffywrestling. Still, I'll expand on it. The whole strike is ABOUT the contract. If a writer sells all rights, then of course I'm against them receiving residuals. Because that's against their contract. But let's take your Barker example. He may have sold the film rights, but I'll bet he retains the rights to the original novella Hellbound Heart. So if a company publishes that novella, he'll get money from it. As for your comment regarding working 12 hour days 365 days a year? For one thing, NOBODY works 365 days a year. For another, most working writers DO work 12 hours a day, if not more. A LOT of work goes into writing a TV show or a film script. That doesn't include writer meetings, rewrites, various business-related work (like if you have to pitch to a producer or meet with a director, etc.) I'm not saying it's the most difficult job ever, because it's not. But I've had quite enough of that kind of bullshit argument from people who don't know what the life is really like.
by necgray	Nov 10th, 2007 10:07:55 PM

Spasmoltic by buffywrestling	Nov 11th, 2007 12:21:32 AM
You are correct in saying that the writers are not being cheated out of their residuals - espescially for the internet because there are none. Ad revenue is being generated on the internet for the studios, no matter what they claim. They in fact say that they need time to study how much revenue will be created. The last time they told the writers that they needed to study revenue, it was in 1988 for VHS during the last writer's strike. At that time, the writer's guild believed them and they passed on the VHS residual option and instead took a larger up front payment but the popularity of VHS lost them money and clout. They will not do the same thing this time. Again, it is a business and good business does not go backwards. By the by, I think you are confusing the tiny "webisodes" with the full running time of previously aired episodes on the internet. They do show the full length episodes on the studios websites (with bought ads, of course) but where as they would recieve money if it was syndicted on TV, here they receive nothing. For webisodes (again, with bought ads), they write, act and produce extra work for which they recieve extra nothing. But as long as the studios can "easily" convince you that this is fair, I don't see how we can see eye to eye on this debate. I guess I'll be joining necgray on strike against you now... Dental Plan!!!
LOVE THE FIRST MOBISODE! by DarthMrBelvedere	Nov 11th, 2007 05:10:34 AM
Very well acted I must say. Can't wait
seanny_d by I Hope You Die	Nov 11th, 2007 12:40:45 PM
The writers want a cut of the revenue not profit. You can't give someone a cut of profits because profit is what you have left after you've paid everyone. If the web content is not profitable (and I'm sure it's not, even with ads, it isn't free to deliver stuff online) and they give writers a cut of the revenue, then they'll be losing money. Love 'em or hate 'em, the studio exacts are right about web content: it's not profitable and only exists because they're tentatively trying to explore a new medium. That's why it's considered "promotional" (even free episodes). (Just like it's promotional if they give a DVD of a few epsidoes away free like they have done for 24 before; even if it has a few ads to cover costs.) Giving writers a cut would make it even less profitable.
this thread by lucid dreamstate	Nov 11th, 2007 05:19:28 PM
is very informative as far as profits and residuals are concerned. i am a fan of the show lost and i can't wait for these webisodes or whatever they are called. i think it is cool that abc is at least giving us a taste of some fresh material. there may be some valid clues in these minisodes.
Creator of "Lost" Speaks Out by buffywrestling	Nov 11th, 2007 11:36:37 PM
http://tinyurl.com/3c4x33
Why Writers Get Residuals by buffywrestling	Nov 12th, 2007 12:28:21 AM
http://tinyurl.com/2e2bfd Someone below in the comments section makes an interesting point - INWO was headed in that direction as well - about the "promotional" label the studios slapped on the internet downloads. If it's promotional why not advertise for free on youtube? Because they want you to go to their network site. And watch bought ads that you can't skip past. But the studio continue to play dumb to the writers, while preaching to the shareholders on Wall Street just how financially viable the internet will be. H
First after it "aired" by strangernparadis	Nov 12th, 2007 12:35:18 AM

THAT was pointless by strangernparadis	Nov 12th, 2007 12:36:50 AM
the Chris Walkin watch speech was better
buffywrestling by INWOsuxRED	Nov 12th, 2007 12:36:54 AM
they don't just not "advertise" on youtube, they make youtube take down their stuff. Not just full episodes, but small clips of content...you know, like promotions.
Sort of goes against by buffywrestling	Nov 12th, 2007 01:13:36 AM
IHYD "it isn't free to deliver stuff online" Studio PR rhetoric, doesn't it? I
Shooting on Video... by cuckoo's indian	Nov 12th, 2007 02:20:57 AM
Okay, I understand you want to be cheap and not shoot on film (even though most second year film students can find a way to shoot on film). But if you're going to shoot video, at LEAST do it professionally. You've got real actors doing good work, and this thing is shot and edited so amateurly it wouldn't even get high marks IN a second year film class. That said, I can't friggin wait for Season 4!!!!
Buffy by rbrog77	Nov 12th, 2007 09:41:37 AM
You are becoming my favorite poster...period. Great article that makes a lot of sense. I don't know why (as a former songwriter) I didn't make that connection.
This is about what tv will look like now what it does look like by jccalhoun	Nov 12th, 2007 11:59:58 AM
This is about the future of television. Talk to everyone on classic tv shows like Andy Griffith Show, Leave it to Beaver, and other black and white shows that are still on tv somewhere. Do you know what the people on that show get for those shows? For the most part they get nothing. Why? Because when the shows were made no one thought that reruns would exist. No one thought that a whole cable channel would be built around airing old shows. Now shows are starting to be online and sold as bits over the internet. This strike is about the future. Right now they don't get anything from those shows. Now what happens if internet distribution takes off? They would be screwed just like all the creative people on Andy Griffith. The contracts were written before these things existed and now that they do they want to make sure that they don't get screwed. That is why they are striking.
I still want to know by jivatmax	Nov 12th, 2007 04:50:12 PM
why did they all move from the caves back to the beach>?
Kind words by buffywrestling	Nov 13th, 2007 04:28:46 AM
Thank you for the kind words, rborg77. They are too flattering for someone who cuts & paste. If you wanted to see me really shine, you should have seen me in Vern's "Zoo" TB. I brought "Equinas" the horse relatioship guy (horse-you-know-whatever) to his kness. Which smelt like hay. PS: Lost 2008 TB crashes my computer; but thanks for the invite!!
Crashes some others too by rbrog77	Nov 13th, 2007 09:47:09 AM
We've been getting the white screen of doomlately, but I understand it's not just the LOST S3 finale page. Maybe we'll see you in the S4 talkbacks...if not sooner.
The White Screen of Doom... by buffywrestling	Nov 13th, 2007 10:03:16 AM
...is everywhere, man. I personally think it is a "Mist" promotion.

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