Joss Whedon on Writers

Joss Whedon is a talented person. He writes. He directs. He produces. He even, well, sings (or at least composes). He is also showing solidarity for his peers currently on strike, even though the action likely means cancellation of current television shows and could kill a future deal of his own to return powerful snarky women back to primetime.

In a guest post on Whedonesque—a blog for fans of his various creations, like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and Firefly—Joss complained about coverage by the New York Times on Tuesday that portrayed striking writers as wearing arty glasses and fancy scarves. This is an inaccurate depiction, writes Joss:

Writing is largely not considered work. Art in general is not considered work. Work is a thing you physically labor at, or at the very least, hate. Art is fun. (And Hollywood writers are overpaid, scarf-wearing dainties.) It’s an easy argument to make. And a hard one to dispute.

My son is almost five. He is just beginning to understand what I do as a concept. If I drove a construction crane he’d have understood it at birth. And he’d probably think I was King of all the Lands in my fine yellow crane. But writing – especially writing a movie or show, where people other than the writer are all saying things that they’re clearly (to an unschooled mind) making up right then – is something to get your head around.

Leo Lionni characterizes this work best in a pair of children’s books, Frederick and Matthew’s Dream. The former is about a mouse who spends the summer and fall soaking in sun rays, observing colors, and doing things other than collecting food for a long winter, as his brother mice are doing. Once the food starts running low, bringing morale down with the supplies, it is Frederick’s experiences that allow him to create vivid stories of the summer that lift the spirits of the mice. The latter book is about how a budding artist mouse has to overcome influences telling him to give up art. In the end, he stays true to his vision of the world and learns to express that vision through painting.

Good writing takes place away from the paper or computer screen. There is craft to how the words are arranged, of course, but there is a lot of work done in collecting and processing ideas that takes place in between the words.

The WGA explains all in “Why We Fight”

More time for Moonlighting?
Short of a miracle, however, some pretty good shows are headed out in favor of more reality programming. That isn’t even a result of network retaliation or opportunism. The coolest shows on the tube are serials, where season arcs are vital to the attention diverted by viewers from other things. It takes a steady dose of storyline to keep that attention, and it seems unlikely fans of Lost and Heroes will return with the same fervor or numbers. That translates into fresh starts with new shows. Maybe we’ll be lucky and see the arcs finished in movie theatres, a la Firefly/Serenity.

Presumably, writers still write. The picket line experiences are probably only fuel to the creative fires, and the strikers are probably bathed in self-pressure to be productive for the inevitable day when work resumes. By that time, maybe the quality of podcasts, YouTube offerings and blogs will get a bump in quality. Maybe even after writers can contribute to movie making again, it will be the non-traditional entertainment channels—like Second Life—that will will make use of the available talent.

Moonlighting never recovered from the 1988 strike.

Power to the People
Picket locations are getting some support from Whedon’s fans, who are collecting money (email: whedonfanspizzafund@yahoo.com) to do things like buy pizza for picketers. Supporters are also encouraged to contact the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers at:

AMPTP
attn: Mr. Nick Counter, President of AMPTP
15503 Ventura Blvd
Encino, CA 91436
(818) 995-3600

and talk about what impact the strike will have on your personal habits (like canceling cable, etc). You can also follow news of the Writers’ Strike on Twitter.

The AMPTP has an interesting FAQ on the strike, which has an ominous tone about this particular work stoppage. The last time writers went on strike, it cost the industry $500 million and misplaced some key audiences. Let’s hope television wises up before it the damage is too severe.

Maybe the next reality show will be about labor disputes. I’m sure there will be plenty of footage to use from the picket lines.