'ER' is Still Up and Running, and That's OK With Nagra

While many scripted shows have been forced to shutter production due to the writers strike, those who put together NBC's "ER" continue to cross the WGA picket line at Warner Bros. Studios to shoot the final scripted hours -- this, after having wrapped work on the show's 300th episode earlier in the week. The plan is to finish two more episodes from this point, strike or no strike -- requiring the cast and crew to work through roughly the end of November.

Parminder Nagra, who has been a regular cast member on the series for five seasons, said today that this is a wrenching time for everyone involved in the show but defended the decision to continue production on these final two "ER" episodes.

"Of course we all totally support the writers, believe me," Nagra says. "But the truth is that there are 150 to 200 people on our crew who depend on us and this production. These people live paycheck to paycheck. If we just stop production, they suffer. It puts us all in a weird position. We in the cast have walked the picket line, but it's also about our crew. ... This all just seems like a bad dream.

"We're all in this together. The writers have to know that. The SAG contract goes up next. When I hear that the sides aren't even talking, it infuriates me. The whole thing just seems so cut-and-dried to me. Of course the writers deserve compensation for all of their work. I only wish this whole thing wasn't impacting crew people who so depend on this job for their survival."

Comments

[Ben Hughes]

THE GREED OF WRITERS IN HOLLYWOOD

As someone who works in the film and television industry (yes unfortunately I have to be a union member) I am sickened by the selfish tactics and avarice being displayed by the WGA and it's members.

WGA calls itself a union of workers and is attempting to show solidarity with other unions and liberal organizations across the country.. this makes me sick. If everyone in these organizations knew the full story about WGA members' existing compensation they'd probably ask why they're getting involved to provide a bunch of millionaire fat cat writers even more millions.

In David Young's recent letter to the Membership he says, "This is a paltry amount for work that we have created" (www.wga.org/subpage_member.aspx?id=2572). This is an extremely offensive statement to the rest of the Hollywood creative community who're not nearly as greedy as this union and by your actions you've put out of work.... this statement is repeated in an even more offensive manner in additional rhetoric being issued and supported by the WGA and it's members like the video titled "Why We Strike" (www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJ55Ir2jCxk). It opens with the words "When an author writes a book, they get paid for every copy sold, and a songwriter gets paid every time their song is performed or published". True, but you cannot compare the creative process of books to movies and television! Tom Clancy and Stephen King are the ONLY creative contributors to their work, movies and television programs are a creative collaboration of hundreds, sometime thousands of creative artists... and don't tell me you're going to try and compare yourselves with Lennon and McCartney or Carole King or Bob Dylan? These singer songwriters have amazing talents when it comes to producing, arranging performing and recording their material... talents you do NOT have, talents that you need the rest of the Hollywood creative community for.. a creative community that you seem quite happy to drive away from the industry by putting us out of work with no resolution in sight.

In addition when he announced the strike Patric Verrone said "The companies are seeking to take advantage of new technology to drastically reduce the residual income that sustains middle class writers and keeps them in this business". Really Patric? You call yourselves middle class! Well let's look at that for a moment, for writing 1 episode of an hour television drama WGA members get paid a minimum of $56,653 (www.wga.org/subpage_writersresources.aspx?id=1610) ... so for a series (around 4-5 months work) that's over half a million dollars! I know, I know I've heard the rhetoric, WGA's already on record saying that it takes many years to reach that level of success, it's often months between projects for writers and what sustains them through these dry spells are residuals... you know what? Everyone else in this industry has to battle for years and years to achieve "success" except our paycheck are considerably smaller than yours (for the same episode of television our minimums are less than $2,000) and we do not get residuals to tie us over between projects!

WGA and WGA members; you are going to kill an entire industry with these selfish, gluttonous tactics that you're employing... you're going to drive REAL middle class people out of the industry, people who aren't as disgustingly selfish as yourselves, people who don't have agents and multi-million dollar production deals, people who don't need their ego's stroked to go to work everyday, people who just want to work and are now not able because you decided in your greedy best interests to put us out of work so that one day you can make more millions whilst we continue to struggle with paying mortgages and putting our children through school.