Could it be? Some actual progress in the talks between the producers and the WGA? The L.A. Timesreports
that the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers has withdrawn its unpopular proposal on residuals. That one key issue was threatening to destroy any chance of a truce before the October 31st deadline.
The action does not mean the two sides are much closer to a deal, but it does remove what had been a major stumbling block in negotiations. The two sides have made little progress since they began talks this summer, leading many in Hollywood to prepare for the first walkout by writers in nearly two decades.
"In the overriding interest of keeping the industry working and removing what has become an emotional impediment and excuse by the WGA not to bargain, the AMPTP withdrew its recoupment proposal," Nick Counter, the industry's chief negotiator, told guild leaders this morning.
However, Counter quickly added that while producers would not scale back residuals, nor were they ready to grant guild demands for higher residuals for home video and digital downloads of movies and TV shows, underscoring how far apart the two sides remain.
For decades, Hollywood studios have made residual payments to writers, directors and actors when their work is rerun on television, or sold for release on home video and in foreign markets. Citing rising production and marketing costs and declining market share, studios had proposed changes in the decades-old system, namely that they would pay residuals only after they had recouped their costs.
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Guild leaders downplayed the concession. In a statement, the guild's negotiating committee said it welcomed the alliance's decision to "take one of its many rollbacks off the table," but stressed that key differences remain. "The remaining rollbacks would gut our contract and will never be acceptable to writers."
October 31st is getting closer and closer. It could be a pretty scary Halloween in Hollywood this year.
