Celebrity Support

This image conveys the support of actors for the WGA strike. It seems that most celebrities feel the writer's are entitled to higher pay. Shown in this picture is America Ferrara, holding a sign that depicts her involvement in the protest. Viewers are only shown the need for change on behalf of the workers and would be inclined to join the cause. The strike is shown as positive.

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2007/11/05/arts/20071105_STRIKE_SLIDESHOW_2.html

Writers on Strike

This image depicts the enthusiasm of the strikers.

Immediately, the eye is drawn to the man in the center of the picture. He looks as though he is yelling his support for the strike - running about energetically and calling out motivational words to his fellow strikers. He looks as though he is ready to try and persuade others to join the strike - and, from his energy, it looks as though he would succeed.

This image is in support of the strike. It shows that the strikers are still true to their cause. Their desire to attain their goals isn't waning in the least; the opposite, in fact. It is as though the viewer of the image could feel their energy, and be inclined to think positively of the cause.

(http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2007/11/05/arts/20071105_STRIKE_SLIDESHOW_8.html)

Both Sides in Writers’ Strike See New-Media Future at Stake

This is a powerful image that portays the writer's strike. The photographer took this image from a bird's eye view, the face of the writer is not visible, but the picket sign resting over her shoulder is clearly visible. The inteded affect of this is that the audiance's eyes are quickly drawn to the sign. Often time, we never know the faces behind famous sitcoms, talkshows, or movies, and this image is no different. We can not see the writer's face, but we can clearly see her cause. She is walking over the Hollywood walk of fame (which evidently smells of urine), and this has an ironic affect on the viewer. This strungling writer is walking across the names of stars which could have very well been imortalized by members of the WGA. The audience could not help but feel sympathetic.

Writer's strike dulls Golden Globes

Cassie Belek

Issue date: 1/16/08 Section: Scene

The only good that came out of the absence of a red carpet before Sunday night's announcement of the winners of the 65th Annual Golden Globe Awards was that audiences were spared a barrage of crude and stale jokes from comedian Joan Rivers. With the exception of that one blessing, the evening was a bizarre disappointment to everyone but the winners, who didn't even have a stage to accept their award and bask in the glory.

A strike-induced cloud hung over the speedy 32-minute press conference announcing this year's winners in film and television categories, voted on by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). The Globes' typical evening of alcohol-laced celebration was truncated to simple announcements of the winners by an array of entertainment show anchors, who attempted to make witty remarks throughout the press conference. This begged the question of which is worse: Mary Hart's failure to deliver an impromptu joke or the scripted banter that we are usually subjected to at the Golden Globes?

The Golden Globes award ceremony became another casualty of the writers' strike when the Writers Guild of America (WGA) refused to grant the award show a waiver to allow writers to script the show. The WGA threatened to picket the event if NBC, Dick Clark Productions and the HFPA made the decision to go on with the ceremony as usual, and the Screen Actors Guild boycotted in solidarity. The HFPA then opened the event to all media. The end result was a writer - and star-less press conference broadcast on the TV Guide Channel and CNN. NBC chose to broadcast a two-hour Golden Globes "Dateline" special hosted by Matt Lauer followed by a one-hour special telecast announcing the winners, hosted by "Access Hollywood"'s Billy Bush and Nancy O'Dell.

The writer shows how the WGA is needed to run the Golden Globes. Though she mocks the staged conversations between the actors and hosts "spared a barrage of crude and stale jokes from comedian Joan Rivers" she points out how uneventful the Globes are without the scripts.
"The evening was a bizarre disappointment to everyone but the winners" this statement summarizes the general opinion of the audience due to the lack of the usual glitz and glamour."Entertainment show anchors, who attempted to make witty remarks throughout the press conference" there were attempts made to salvage the show by the anchors but the writing was apperently crucial to the event.

http://media.www.ndsmcobserver.com/media/storage/paper660/news/2008/01/16/Scene/Writers.Strike.Dulls.Golden.Globes-3153706.shtml

WGA, SAG, DGA Strike Over New Media Could Cripple Hollywood

This photograph shows how the hollywood sign is getting destroyed by the media. It means that because of the media-strike, Hollywood is going to get destroyed ! A monster looms over the Hollywood sign, and it could do more damage to Tinseltown than any rubber-suit lizard or CGI nightmare. It's the dreaded megastrike -- a work stoppage next summer that could cripple the entertainment industry if three major unions join forces and picket at the same time for a piece of the "new media pie."The Writers Guild of America, West (or WGA), the Screen Actors Guild and the Directors Guild of America each want to tap the new revenue streams. If they decide on a simultaneous strike, the entire entertainment industry -- movies, TV, videogame shoots, online productions, etc. -- grinds to a halt. Careers and companies could be ruined. In talks underway between producers and the WGA, the guild is looking to seal a new three-year deal were supposed to be before Oct. 31. The current contract was put in place in 2001, narrowly averting what would have been the first WGA strike since 1988, when a 22-day walkout cost Hollywood an estimated $500 million. The two sides waited until the zero hour in 2001 to settle their dispute, finding middle ground in a last-minute deal that upped writers' pay for cable and DVD outlets. At the time, speculators said the guild settled because its rank-and-file membership was reluctant to vote for a strike.

Directors Reach Deal With Studios

"Directors Reach Deal With Studios"

This article headline comes from the Washington post. The article has a photo next to it that shows television writers outside Warner Brothers Studios on Monday January fourteenth in Burbank California. In the photo it shows writers protesting, still filled with fatigue, and anger. Although today on January 18th directors created a contract deal, which settled their 2 month walk out that harmed the entertainment industry. The executives said they hoped the agreement would signal the end of an "extremely difficult period for our industry."
In my opinion the photographer chose this picture for this article because he wanted to tell imply to us that although the strike for the directors is over, for the writers it is still not completed. The thing that attracts the attention of the reader most is the zoomed in sign that takes up half the picture. The photograph shows that the strike is not over and it is compromised mostly based on the signs that people are holding up rather then the facial expressions of the actual people themselves. The people hold up the signs in hope to come up with a resolution.

Fun Stuff

(I'm not sure if this counts, but...)

This image is against the writer's strike.

It shows the strikers/writers as chipmunks, therefore hinting that the strikers are just pesky rodents. This picture is turning the cause into a comical one, telling the viewer that it shouldn't be taken seriously and is not worth paying much attention to.

The fact that there are other chipmunks surrounding the one in the center says that the strikers are just mindless drones. Since they are 'rodents', they are only out to cause trouble and don't know what they're talking about.

(from www.writers-strike.blogspot.com.)

Writers Guild of America

The picture to the left shows the experience of the individuals participating in the writers strike. It illustrates the commotion and the hardships those individuals are facing. Their countenances clearly display their fatigue and displeasure which provokes the viewer to empathize with them. Not only are they facing the challenges brought upon them by halted income, but they are also contending with the daily hassle of picketing outside in the frigid January weather. The central figure in the photograph is an elderly man whose facial expression clearly depicts his agitation and exhaustion. The creators of the article undoubtedly chose to include this picture in the article because it presents the strikers as ordinary people who do not by any means want to be on strike. (None of the individuals in the picture are looking directly at the camera and the central figure in the picture (the elderly man) gives off an aura of fatigue and vexation.)

One Man Against a Monologue

This image seems to glorify the writer's strike.

The camera signifies that the cause is important, and it is getting positive attention. The background, too, is decorative and attention-grabbing. It seems as though the strike is something to celebrate and be happy about. All the little lights in the background add significance to the people in front.

The people on stage are also happy. The man in the center looks confident and influential, almost as though he is trying to persuade the viewer to join his cause. He is well-dressed and looks as though he knows what he is talking about.

All in all, the image makes the viewer want to join the strike.

http://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/42618/

The Writers' Strike: Still in Reruns

This image shows strength and unity. It shows that the writers involved in the strike are standing strong and still working for their cause. The image shows many determined-looking people gathered together; those who will not budge until they get what they want.

The up-raised fist at the front of the image suggests strength. It alludes to fighting and standing up for a joint belief.

Thus, the viewer of the image is led to believe in the writers' strength and determination.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/81089

"The Writers' Strike: Still in Reruns"

An article on the Newsweek website (linked to the picture) has a headline that reads "The Writers' Strike: Still in Reruns
But Leno, Conan and other late-night comics are scheduled to deliver some industry drama this January." The simple use of the short word "But" implies that the WGA is struggling with their strike. It seems as though Newsweek is not giving the writer's guild any respect, as it focuses on late night shows delivering some "industry drama", a phrase that's sure to interest viewers looking for some relief from constant re-runs. The caption under the image reads "War over Words: A Writers Guild of America picket line in Burbank, Calif., where the group's members tried to point out that so-called unscripted programs are actually written." The discription seems to contrast the actual image. the phrase "tried to point out" implies that the writer's guild is struggling, yet in the picture we see tons of pickette signs displaying some surprising information and some quick wit. Directly in the center of the image is a clentched fist raised high in the air, a triumphant symbol.

Amid Hollywood Writers Strike, Golden Globes to Quietly Announce Winners

'Films and performances have taken a back seat to the business side of show business -- intractable management and unyielding writers, the latter taking a hardball stance that forced Globe organizers to scrap their swanky telecast for a humdrum news conference to announce winners.'

'Sunday's event was recast as an hour-long announcement that would feature TV news personalities disclosing the winners in between clips of nominated movies and shows. The news conference format was a far cry from a ceremony whose star wattage would have been powered by the likes of Julia Roberts, Tom Hanks, George Clooney, Denzel Washington, Cate Blanchett, Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie, who all had acting nominations.'

Words such as 'scrap' and 'humdrum' manipulate the readers of the article.

This article seems to suggest that too many organizations rely on writers and, with the strike going on, events like the Golden Globes are weak and disorganized. Overall, they aren't as 'professional' or entertaining as they should be. Instead of a grand event to announce winners, this article suggests that a boring news report with lack of celebration was the best that the Golden Globes could come up with.

Even the title of the article - the fact that the Golden Globes are set to 'quietly' announce winners - suggests meekness and uncertainty. Without writers, such organizations suffer a loss of confidence and are uncertain of what to do.




http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,322429,00.html

Can Golden Globes shine without stars?

"Can Golden Globes shine without stars?"

Editors Choice: I chose this article from "ABC 6 News" because of its intriguing headline. It interested me because of its wit and rhetorical nature. The author of the article wants to captivate the reader by asking him/her a question. Many articles inform the public about the various aspects of the writers strike. If the author presented his information/standpoint in an article with a bland headline, (ex."Actors and Actresses are unsure of whether or not to attend Golden Globe Awards") it would not attract people's attention and the author would fail in his attempt to provide information to the public. Fortunately the author's title does draw the reader in and doesn't stop there. The author provides information about popular actors' and actresses' opinions in regards to whether or not they would attend the Golden Globe Awards Ceremony with the Writers Strike in progress. For example, he quotes Denzel Washington saying that he had hoped the strike would have been resolved before the ceremony took place, and that he was unsure of whether or not he would attend. Denzel Washington is a very popular actor and has a myriad of fans. And if Denzel is depicted as hesitant, it will cause people who are fans of him but who were uninterested in the strike, to support the people striking. In addition to including popular actors in the article, the author also uses specific language to get the reader on the side of the strikers. He said the actors/actresses "couldn't" cross the picket lines, implying that they couldn't cross in all good conscience.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080104/ap_en_tv/hollywood_labor_awards_shows