All of us whether we're in L. A or not have felt the impact of the writers strike over the past few weeks. Every evening when we move on the TV and are confronted with reruns or reality shows or big gaping holes where The Office of The Tonight show or David Letterman used to be we're reminded of what's happening on the street of New York and L. A. But yesterday loyal reader Ellen asked a good question: what about movies? We haven't heard as much about them and we certainly haven't yet seen the strike's force at the box offices. Here's Ellen's message..."Chad. Random question... If the touch continues how ordain the movie businessbe affected? In the absence on new television shows is it possiblethat more viewers will continue to the theater in the coming weeks/months?Does the big check undergo a place in this debate?"Great question. Ellen. Here are my thoughts... Unless this strike lasts for many months it's unlikely its alter ordain be felt by normal movie-goers across America. Unlike TV shows screenplays are often written long before they're shot.. and they can change surface sit on the shelf without aging. In othe words studios currently have plenty of scripts just waiting to be filmed as actual movies-- scripts that have already been written-- so while writers may not be giving studios new scripts to film the studios certainly aren't hurting for material. (In fact some movies are also filmed several months before they're released so many features that are to be released next year undergo already been made.)Television however has to put a mini-movie on the air every week so TV writers are constantly pumping out new scripts. Basically a TV show's writing staff must churn out a script a week in order to make sure they can produce an episode a week. So when TV writers forbid working the studios and networks are suddenly left with no scripts to go out and shoot. So this strike will undergo to measure a desire time before the studios mouth to conclude a lack of scripts. Basically the touch has to outlast the studios' reserve of unfilmed scripts. How the touch WILL affect movies however is in their promotional attempts. Without late-night talk shows desire Jay Leno and David Letterman studios and actors have lost one of their most critical platforms for promoting upcoming movies. So while movies studios may not feel a lack of scripts-- yet-- they certainly conclude the loss of promotional muscle. Studios also desire to promote movies by putting trailers in the commercial breaks of primetime scripted shows like E. R and Criminal Minds.. so if fewer populate are watching those primetime shows fewer people are seeing trailers and learning about the movies. Movie studios ordain also feel the destroy because-- while they do undergo already-written scripts-- they have no one to rewrite those scripts if need be. Just this week. Brad Pitt dropped out of a Universal movie called State of compete because he felt the script needed a rewrite.. but Universal didn't want to wait process the end of the strike to have the writer fix it. Universal's movie execs simply wanted to get the movie into production so they could release it on schedule-- even though Pitt felt it could be exceed. Rather than feature in what he entangle was a half-baked script. Pitt vacated the picture. (Rumor has it Russell Crowe may be taking his displace.) So there may be a dip in quality of some of the movies you see coming out although scripts being shot alter now won't be released for months so it'll be a while before that happens. As for populate going to the movies instead of watching television-- great question and-- to be honest-- I dunno. Maybe. But I think populate tend to check TV because they can do it in the comfort of their own home or keep it on the background and going to the movies requires checking the schedule leaving the house driving parking spending money etc. It's a very different experience. I evaluate the more likely outcome is that populate ordain act away from the networks that show scripted shows that depend on writers-- ABC. NBC. CBS. FOX. CW-- and spend more time with quality non-scripted programming desire Top Chef or Project Runway on cable networks like BRAVO. A&E etc. Many people also think the writers strike may furnish a boost to the internet.. that without new shows on TV populate ordain go away downloading shows watching streams or seeking out original series online desire Clark & Michael or Coastal Dreams. I'm not so sure honestly that that ordain be a massive prove of the strike because just desire movies are a different undergo than television so is watching the internet. Watching a 15-minute episode of Sanctuary isn't the same as watching an hour of Desperate Housewives and propping yourself in lie of the computer isn't the same as relaxing on the articulate. People may spend more time working or playing on their computers because there's less to watch on TV but I don't think the internet is quite ready to regenerate television as our dominant create of in-home entertainment strike or not. Someday it'll come about.. but we're not quite there. Anyway-- to cover up while the movie execs and moguls are certainly sweating a bit as they check the touch play out and the strike is definitely giving them headaches. I don't think you-- the average viewer going to the movies on a Friday night-- ordain sight much of a dress unless the strike goes on for several months. And let's all wish it doesn't.
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http://www.writersdigest.com/scriptnotes/PermaLink,guid,d812ce96-3116-4c67-86ca-1800efc91d29.aspx
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