Product placement is simply putting a branded box of cereal on the kitchen table in a show. Product integration is having the characters talk about the crunchy deliciousness of the cereal or provoking them to go out and tell their neighbors to buy that cereal.
They started doing it in reality TV, where writers don't have union protections and are easy marks for getting this kind of material in there. You're less likely to find it on network prime-time series, but the creep is moving in that direction. It has become intrusive and overwhelming to us as a union of writers.
ABC's unilateral decision to pay digital download residuals at the home video rate is a violation of our contract and an insult to our hard-working members. It is unacceptable and we will aggressively pursue all legal options at our disposal.
For actors and writers who are being forced to shoehorn products into their work -- whether they fit or not -- there are critical issues of creative rights, consultation and fair compensation. For the public, there is the serious matter of disclosure. Consumers, parents and all viewers have the right to be told when we are being sold.
Ours is a business based on personal relationships and social contacts. This requires a social integration within the professional community and a personal access to company decision-makers that is too often lacking for our colleagues who happen to be neither male nor white.
It's an impressive list based on the subject matter, and it includes a lot of writers who've never been nominated before. I think this list is going to be reflective of what the Oscar list will ultimately be because we covered all of the movies this year.
This list and the films on it are meant to be scrutinized and criticized, dissected and collected, viewed and reviewed. They are the literature of our industry and the legacy of our union.
We're trying to get the attention of our employers, the companies that own and operate show business. But they're managed so far to avoid us.
Make no mistake, that formula (which significantly discounts the revenue streams upon which the residual is based) is clearly not applicable in this case.
Where are the voices of the creative community in this debate? Out here on the street.
We have to learn more about the actual technology. I'm thrilled by the notion I can watch my shows in the palm of my hand, but I also want to make sure we are paid appropriately.
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