So I'm reading up on the WGA (Writer's Guild of America) Strike that started in November 2007. I know some people will scoff at me for this, but most of the information I was looking for I found on Wikipedia.org. Regardless of the means, all I needed to know was what the strike was actually for; actually, I was trying to find the details as to what the fuss was all about, and as to how the WGA actually worked in the first place.

It's a very selfish endeavour, if you ask me...and I know you're not.
Technically, the majority of the issue seems to be on revenues that come from Internet streaming and sharing of video. And we're talking about the legal stuff here, you know, the stuff you don't actually pay attention to anyway.

Now, I'm not here to discuss the strike in general. Moreover, I'm here to contemplate why exactly these specific strikes hurt show business as much as they tend to do. Slowing down potential movie ideas, or putting a stop to production altogether, and forcing favorite shows to resort to re-runs. This, I could care less about, since I don't watch T.V. anyway, but I am a movie person, as I want to be involved in that business someday, so it is important to me that I understand this dilemma.

But that's the problem...I DON'T understand.

What happens if these people never come to an agreement?
Do we stop movies altogether?
Are we forced to find other ways to entertain ourselves? or maybe we should just go back to the olden days and re-enact all our favorite stories on stage...how about that?

I have a tendency to ask more questions than I should in my blogs, so I'll just cut to the one that really matters. Where are all the people that do this stuff because they LOVE it?

A thought that has been on my mind since talks of the strike were first on the horizon, was that this was going to be a great time for the indie filmmaker. I mean, let's face it, the indie genre has been growing in popularity a lot over the last couple of years, and people are starting to realize the potential of the more artsy and risky endeavours of individual artists.

This can pertain to both music and film by the way. But the reason that these certain projects are able to gain such momentum, is that the person responsible for such a masterpiece, has put everything they have into it.
Feeling.
Budget.
Risk.

They have everything to lose, but so much to gain. There's a certain satisfaction that comes with creating such a thing, and the feeling is definitely there whether you're listening to it or watching it.

So where are those people?
The ones that just want to tell a good story.
Where are the indie filmmakers? The indie writers?
Where are the YouTube Junkies? The Myspace Bloggers? The Forum Drivers?
Where are the people with passion...the ones that love this no matter what type of revenue you receive?

Sure, it's hard to find those types of people nowadays, but technically, if I wanted to write/direct/produce/act in my own indie film (provided I had the means to do so); then trust me, you know I'd be first one up to bat. Not to mention, if we're talking about a strike that is going to cause many movies to be pulled because of lack of writers, then we'd definitely need something new at the Box Office. People would flock, most assuredly, to see a new movie if there were limits to the choices.

That's predicting too much though.

Point being, now is the time for more people to just do the things that they love to do. More and more are we having the option of User Created Content thanks to the Internet and it's ever growing possibilities, and it won't be long before people that make films start becoming more original in their concepts instead of relying on writers to come up with something that will appeal to "Y" Generation...or whatever it is you're into nowadays.

Forget paying pricks who care more about that 2.5% per streaming video than about having fun creating a story for themselves and other people to enjoy. Sit around with a couple of people, bounce around a few ideas, or hire someone who will just do it for ya. Writers are not in short supply, you just have to know where to look to find the right people. Moreover, if you're relying on a good script before you can push forward with a specific project, chances are it's a movie that's being made just for the money anyway.

Go back to doing what you love, guys, and stop worrying so much about the money.
When writers go on strike, it shouldn't break down an entire system. It should only create an opportunity for better, more original and heartfelt material.

If Directors go on strike.
Then the writers can just direct.
If Actors go on strike.
Well, I think I can come up with a couple different people who are more than willing to help with the cause.