True. But 10 years is a LOOONG friggin’ time. The internet may be the future, but the present is DVD. And that represents millions and millions of dollars to writers, that our leadership just walked away from.

And without asking us.

When we WERE asked, we listed the “hated DVD formula” as our FIRST concern. New media was second.

The WGA Negotiating Committee valued the DVD proposal we took off the table at $57 million. And we should just give that up?

Not according to every other writer I’ve talked to on the picket lines and beyond. Every one. Not a single writer in my well-traveled picketing supports giving up DVDs.

The internet may be the future, but DVDs are still the lucrative present.

– Fly on WGA Wall

True. But 10 years is a very long time. With tons of money at stake for us. Which we just gave up on.

And by the way, it was given up on WITHOUT asking us. When we were asked, we put improving the DVD formula as our FIRST concern. New media was second.

This is worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Which we now won’t get.

The Home Video (i.e. DVD) fight was lost forever in 1985 when we gave it away, thinking the AMPTP would be reasonable enough to give us a fair share later. -These- negotiations are about making sure the exact same thing doesn’t happen to the delivery medium of the future, the internet. DVD sales are declining every year, while internet streaming & sell-through are picking up speed. Neither Blu-Ray nor HD-DVD has caught on with consumers, and most everyone understands that digital delivery via internet is what will replace the winner of that format war.

Refighting an already-lost battle with the AMPTP over the 23-years-ago-surrendered DVD residual is pointless. In 10 years, DVD’s won’t even exist — they’re essentially videotape at this point, with their 720 lines of resolution in a 1080 lines of high-def TV world, and as more American consumers purchase high-def TVs, the fewer and fewer sub-par DVDs they’re going to be purchasing… replaced with 1080p downloads from the internet.

The WGA Negotiating Committee is focusing on the future, not the past. It’s a pity you can’t see that and join your fellow writers on the picket lines, instead of whining about the Guild’s negotiating strategy on a public forum, and sowing the seeds of discontent amongst your fellow writers. I mean, if you ARE a writer, and not just another AMPTP plant.

Good. Now how about modifying your position to move closer to your members on determining fair residuals for DVDs?