Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Shawn Ryan the creator of The Shield is on The Strike Team?! No, not THAT Strike Team...


Well this is some lousy news. The Shield is by far my favorite show, of course the annoying part being that it takes a little over a year between the Season Finale and the Season Premiere. but of course, I won't have to worry about that anymore since the new season coming up, is the shows final.

But how is it effected by the strike going on? Here is Shawn Ryans thoughts and ramblings on where he stands with the strike.

"As you all know by now, we are on Strike. It's sad that we have arrived here and I don't know each and every one of your opinions, but I wanted to share my personal plans for what I intend to do until we have a fair contract.

I am currently quoted in today's Hollywood Reporter as saying that I will do some producing work, but won't do any editing as I consider that to be writing. While I said something similar to that earlier last week (I've learned you can't trust a word of what these trades report), that was before I went to the Showrunners Meeting yesterday and became very crystalized in what I need to do. Like many of you I have spent the last week contemplating what to do in case of a strike. What are my responsibilities to my writers, my cast, my crew, my network and my contract? How do I balance these various concerns?

At the Showrunners Meeting it became very clear to me that the only thing I can do as a showrunner is to do nothing. I obviously will not write on my shows. But I also will not edit, I will not cast, I will not look at location photos, I will not get on the phone with the network and studio, I will not prep directors, I will not review mixes. These are all acts that are about the writing of the show or protecting the writing of the show, and as such, I will not participate in them. I will also not ask any of my writer/producers to do any of these things for me, so that they get done, but I can save face.

I will not go into the office and I will not do any work at home. I will be on the picket line or I will be working with the Negotiating Committee. I will not have an avid sent to my house, or to a new office so that I can do work on my show and act as if it is all right because I'm not crossing any picket lines.

I truly believe that the best and fastest way to a good contract is to hit these companies early, to hit them hard and to deprive them of ALL the work we do on their behalf.

How do we ask our staff writers to go out on strike as we continue collecting producer checks? How do we ask the Teamsters to respect our picket lines if we won't ourselves or if we're sneaking around to do the work off-site?

Just so you all know what I am prepared to give up....

Tomorrow, we begin to film the Series Finale of The Shield. I think it's the best script our writing staff has ever written. This is the show that made me. This is the show that is my baby. If the strike goes on longer than two weeks, I won't be able to step on set for the final episode of the show. I won't have a writer on set, as I have had on every episode since the fourth episode. I won't be able to edit this final culminating episode. I won't go to the wrap party that Fox TV and FX are paying for. You can't tell me that any episode of television is more important than this one is to me, and I am ready to forego all those things in order to strengthen my union.

Tomorrow, we begin filming a new pilot, The Oaks, that I am Executive Producing. It's an amazing script that David Schulner wrote and I signed up to help him make this show. Until we have a fair deal I cannot do that now and it kills me.

We are currently filming Season 3 of The Unit, a show that does fairly well, but against House and Dancing With The Stars, usually finishes in 3rd place. We have no guarantee that we will back for a 4th season. I just gave a director friend of mine his first TV directing gig. I'd like to see him succeed. He'll have to finish the show on his own now without a writer on set, or my help in the editing room.

Some people have made the argument that if they don't do this producing work or this editing, that someone else will do it, and this act won't hurt the companies. I respectfully disagree. If we ALL stop ALL work tomorrow, the impact of this strike will be felt much more quickly, much more acutely and it most likely will end sooner, putting our writers, our cast and our crews back to work sooner!

I spent nearly 12 hours today in the Negotiation Room with the companies. I watched our side desperately try to make a deal. We gave up our request to increase revenue on DVD's, something that was very painful to give up, but something we felt we had to in order to get a deal made in new media, which is our future.

I watched as the company's representatives treated us horrendously, disrespectfully, and then walked out on us at 9:30 and then lied to the trades, claiming we had broken off negotiations.

I can't in good conscience fight these bastards with one hand, while operating an avid with the other. I am on strike and I am not working for them. PERIOD.

You will use your own instincts and consciences to decide your own actions. But if you would like to follow in my footsteps (and those of many, many others who made this pledge at the showrunner's meating on Saturday), I encourage you to sign the trade ad that the WGA will be putting out on Tuesday by the dozens and dozens of showrunners who will simply not work at all beginning in the morning."


So good news for Shield fans, unlike most shows, The Shields finale season is still set to air and go and film as normal. Sad news is, the creator and brains behind the show won't have anything to do with the finale.

I am still in shock that they killed off Lem, even though it happened 2 years ago.... GOD DAMNIT! LEM!!!!!!



10 comments:

  1. I can bet 100 dollars this blog gets more interest in it than a blog about ROSIE O FUCKIN DONNELL.

    Only you would be following the life of Rosie O Donnell. LMFAO

    ReplyDelete
  2. Really? Every news outlet I've been to today is carrying the story about her and MSNBC.

    So go laugh your FAT ass off about that.

    ReplyDelete
  3. So youre just posting news that is already all over the internet...

    Wow, good job there buddy.

    ReplyDelete
  4. D just brought up a good point. How about on just this page alone. Go through and see how has more Diggs on their blogs.

    NOT COUNTING YOU DIGGING YOUR OWN SHIT.

    OR THE ONES D HAS DONE.

    From the looks of things, your blogs have NONE.

    While the 2 new ones that are less than an hour old, already have 1 each.

    ReplyDelete
  5. That's pretty much the idea of an entertainment news site, Einstein.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I really like how I straight up blasted you in the fact with nothing but facts in your DVD RELEASE blog, you attempt to come over here and talk some shit in which I blast you in the face worse than that dude did the other night with his hot gooey jizz with even MORE facts.

    Now go get your friends to sign up on digg to digg your stuff, and go make some fake accounts. Cause I know thats exactly what you're gonna do. LOLLLLLLLLLLLL

    ReplyDelete
  7. You love that hot slimey gooey jizz dont ya Devmo. Ima call you Devmo from now on, ya know, takin your name, and the word homo, and mashin them together.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Devmo im going to invade your e fed role playing kiddie boards soon and mess it all up. I wont tell you when, where, or how. But itll happen. So go get paranoid about it.

    ReplyDelete