Writers strike takes toll on New York City
Is this the end of film and TV production as we know it?
By Christopher Zara
A few short months ago, New York City’s production industry was boasting
record-setting numbers. Crews for big-budget features, indies and TV shows could
be spotted all over the five boroughs. These days, however, the industry is
experiencing a lull in production activity, leaving a city that looks less like
a bustling entertainment hub and more like the wasteland depicted in Will
Smith’s “I Am Legend.”
Since the Writer’s Guild of America strike began on Nov. 5, the number of
production crews in the city has steadily declined. While there has been much
hype over late-night hosts like David Letterman returning to work, many of the
city’s 78,000 production workers have not been so lucky, and solidarity within
the production industry is quickly fading. “Everyone talks about the writers,
the writers,” said John Ford, president of the studio mechanics union Local 52,
in an interview with Crain’s New York Business. “But there are a lot of other
people involved besides the writers.”
Currently there are only two major films shooting in the city, compared with 11
before the strike began. Television shows have not fared much better, with some
15 series canceling production. Longtime staples like “Law & Order,” have
grinded to a halt, as have newcomers like NBC’s “30 Rock,” whose star Tina Fey
has been repeatedly spotted waving signs on WGA picket lines. With no end in
sight, the strike will likely be devastating to the spring pilot season, which
last year saw a record seven new TV pilots produced in the city.
The WGA continues to battle with the Association of Motion Picture & Television
Producers over revenue for work appearing on the Internet and other new-media
outlets. The last round of talks between the two unions broke down in early
Dec., and no new talks are currently scheduled.
(c)
2008 Show Business Weekly
