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Jan 12, 2008 5:14 am US/Pacific
Directors Will Begin Talks With Studios
LOS ANGELES (AP) ―
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Details of the deal were not disclosed, though it was believed to be similar to the one signed by Worldwide Pants to allow David Letterman's show to return with union writers. (File)
Bryan Bedder/Getty Images
When the union representing Hollywood directors begins contract
talks Saturday, striking TV and film writers will likely be calculating
how a deal might affect them.
A quick resolution with directors could undercut the bargaining
power of writers by serving as an industry template for the central
issue of new media compensation, observers said.
The Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild issued a
joint statement Friday saying they hoped directors reach a fair deal
that "incorporates principles that will benefit all creative artists."
"The DGA has to do what is best for its membership, but it is
important to remember that they do not represent actors and writers,"
the statement said.
A letter from DGA president Michael Apted to guild members added to
speculation that a speedy resolution with the Alliance of Motion
Picture and Television Producers could be in the works.
"We would not enter negotiations with the AMPTP unless we were
within shouting distance of an agreement on our two most important
issues: jurisdiction for our members to work in new media and
appropriate compensation for the reuse of our work on the Internet and
other new media platforms," Apted wrote in the letter obtained by the
Los Angeles Times.
Both sides in the 2-month-old writers strike have said the central
issue is compensation for programs, movies and other content streamed
or downloaded over the Internet.
That issue also could dominate studio negotiations with directors
and the Screen Actors Guild. The contracts of both those unions expire
in June.
The directors guild has spent nearly $2 million to research new
media issues and the potential revenue from digital distribution
through the next decade. Studios have said it's premature to put a
value on emerging new media.
The directors union had said late last year that it would delay the
start of talks to give writers a chance to come to an agreement with
studios.
But directors, known for conducting early and efficient talks,
clearly lost patience after negotiations between the writers and
studios broke off Dec. 7 and the strike dragged on.
Directors have only gone on strike once. That walkout in 1987 lasted
just five minutes on the West Coast, and because of the time
difference, three hours and five minutes in the East.
The directors union and the producers group announced the start of
this year's talks Friday in a brief joint statement. No further details
were released. Both sides said they would have no further comment.
The directors' chief negotiator, Gil Cates, said a media blackout would be in place during negotiations.
The start of talks between directors and studios was lauded by the
International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, the guild that
represents 50,000-plus TV and movie stagecraft workers who have been
affected by the writers strike.
"I hope that the DGA and the WGA can reach an agreement that puts us
all on the road to getting back to work," stage employees guild
president Thomas C. Short said in a statement.
Meanwhile, independent film company The Weinstein Co. and the guild
reached a deal Friday that would allow writers to return to work on the
production company's movie projects.
In a joint statement with the guild, co-chairmen Bob and Harvey
Weinstein said, "We believe this strike must be resolved now, it's that
simple."
Details of the deal were not disclosed, though it was believed
to be similar to the one signed by Worldwide Pants to allow David
Letterman's show to return with union writers.
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