a writer's perspective

On the picket lines, there’s a phenomenon I like to call Gate Pride. Most of the writers at this point have been wedged firmly into a niche, and few stray from their perennial patterns. We tend to work the same gates and the same shifts every day. Even then, we tend to break off into the same mini-clusters.

Sure, there are Drifters. Displaced nomads who wander from gate to gate, studio to studio. Many of them are screenwriters, who slipped through the cracks when Strike Captains were assigned. Whenever I ask one if they’d like to be hooked up with a Strike Captain, they always say “no”. They prefer the freedom that comes with being a Drifter.

The first week of the strike, I wrote fondly of my time at Warner Brothers Gate 7. Last week, when my captain reassigned me to Gate 3, at first, I resisted. But quickly, I found a new group of Strike Buddies to replace the old ones.

From time to time I found myself wondering how things were back at Gate 7. A friend said he knew someone who did her time there, and that things had turned kind of militant. Picketers were being admonished for crossing the street too slow or too fast. Excessive break time was firmly discouraged. I had always thought of Gate 7 as sort of an isolated, out of the way, satellite outpost, and it wasn’t hard to picture a Lord of the Flies atmosphere taking over in that environment.

Part of me was excited when I checked in at Gate 3 this morning and was asked if I could go lend a hand at my old gate.

I saw Larry Willmore, the Daily Show’s “Black Correspondent”, flipping through the picket signs, looking for “the right one”. He found one that said “Fade To Black” and grabbed it excitedly. He tells me that usually, when he’s writing a script, instead of “Fade To Black” he writes “Fade To African-American”.

I grab a picket sign, and sign in. Before I make the long walk to Gate 7, I’m approached by a KNX reporter. He introduces himself and says, “Can I talk to you about the mood on the picket line? Especially now that you know that negotiations are starting back up next Monday, and that today you are going to be joined by a lot more members of other unions, like SAG?”

For whatever reason, I say “sure”, and he starts his tape. “How’s the mood on the picket line? Especially now that you know that negotiations are starting back up next Monday, and that today you are going to be joined by a lot more members of other unions, like SAG?” I repeated a lot of the same things I’ve been saying since Day One. The mood is great. People are incredibly supportive. We know we’re doing the right thing, and we’re optimistic this will get resolved soon. Anytime someone who isn’t a member of the WGA joins us on the picket line, or brings us pizza or donuts, or honks, it makes us feel good, and it really means a lot to us. We’ve been clear about what we’re asking for since the strike began, and it’s the producers who’ve been unwilling to sit down with us.

The reporter stopped the tape, thanked me, and ran off as quickly as he could. I guess he didn’t need a second soundbite. (Or maybe he found out that KNX news writers have just authorized a strike as well.)

Over an hour of my shift is done by the time I make it to my old gate. There are a few familiar faces, but a lot of new ones as well. There is a case of Tasty Cakes. Literally 144 cupcakes for a group of about 20 people. They sit untouched for most of the shift, but by 9:30, pretty much everybody’s eaten at least one.

Most of my linemates today work on the Sarah Connor Chronicles. At one point, an actor, in full costume and makeup runs by on the way to his car. One of the writers realizes that the actor is probably working on the Sarah Connor Chronicles and gets excited. The episode he wrote is being shot right now. When the actor walks past again, the writer introduces himself. He asks if he can get a picture with the actor, who politely declines, raising the ire of everybody marching.

They day goes fast. It was nice visiting Gate 7, but I realize that I’ve moved on. It was like when you see an ex-girlfriend, and it makes you feel good because you realize you’re in a better place now. Sure, you never forget your first, but me and Gate 3 have a good thing going. I don’t know how long it’s going to last, but it’s nice to know that me and Gate 7 will always be friends.

photos from Friday's picket by Heath Biter for LAist