Copywriting in Spain: A risky undertaking even if you are successful
The recent strike of US film and television writers assembled at the WGA opens up many unknowns that also affect other countries. How is this situation seen from here where screenwriters of all kinds have made their claims in an industry that prides itself on its strength? To get a panoramic view, this newspaper contacted six screenwriters who were asked the following two questions: Could something similar to this strike happen in Spain? Could the strike in Hollywood have direct or indirect consequences here?
They answered this brief questionnaire Borja Copiagaboss Etarras faithCo-author of Eight surnames Basque and president of DAMA, the association that manages copyright in audiovisual media. Isabelle Penaregular screenwriter for Rodrigo Sorogoyen, winner of the Goya Prize for The kingdom and by like animals; Coral crossscreenwriter death And Uncertain glory Creator and writer of the LGTB series to be or not to be; Martha Libertywho was part of the script team for the children’s series Lunis He wrote Europeans And Oswald: The Counterfeiter; Fernando Navarroscreenwriter bullAnd Veronica And Below zeroAnd Aitor Jabilondofounder of the production company ALEA MEDIA and creator of the hit HBO Europe series homeland.
Traditionally, what happens in the US sector is later repeated here and in other countries
As for the latter, “screenwriters legitimately claim their rights and demand a more equitable distribution of benefits from the industry, as well as regulation of the use of artificial intelligence in script creation. Traditionally, what happens in the sector in the United States is later repeated here and in other countries, so we must be attentive to these demands.Cobeaga adds other elements: “What happens in the US usually gets here late. We’re now much more complicated with issues like producers usurping credit as ‘created by’ than screenwriters.” For Cobeaga, one of the screenwriters’ demands concerns Those who are amazed at the residual income from scriptwriting that he receives from the platforms.Here we do not have hangover But copyright, but the conflict is the same: with flow We, screenwriters, earn less, and our work becomes more serious.
We don’t have the same power as the American screenwriters nor are we as well organized
screenwriter like animals Questioning the impact of this hit here. Peña argues “It’s hard for me to imagine, because I think we don’t have the same power as American screenwriters. Above all, we’re not well organized.” For Coral Cruz, “Although the demands of our American colleagues are almost the same as ours, I am of the opinion that a strike of these dimensions in Spain is not possible. The audiovisual sector is not strong and our writers’ unions do not have the same strength as the WGA.” Keep writing the script Uncertain glory: “I think we will never call it up, because we realize we don’t have the power to paralyze an entire sector.”
Lots of reasons
Libertad appeals to the conscience of the sector: “In my opinion, and despite the fact that there are large guilds of screenwriters in Spain, for this to happen there must be a greater affiliation added to a greater awareness of the sector. Ensure that it was possible to paralyze the industry as it was achieved there. Of course , We have a lot of reasons to strike. In addition, we have precedents to know that what happens there will end up in our country sooner or later.
Our industry is fraught with risk even in hypothetical claims
Navarro, for his part, made remarks Notable differences from one industry to another: “I can think of two things more different than the American industry and the Spanish industry. Especially in regard to money: the cost of films, the amount charged to participants, and the sum produced. Our industry is very small, stubborn and unstable, and therefore unstable even in hypothetical claims.” “And this has been said, – the screenwriter continues Below zero– I look with some envy at the loneliness they convey.
The Writers of America strike may have consequences elsewhere. Netflix, for example, is produced in many countries. “I don’t think that without a country-by-country fight, a powerful platform like Netflix would be willing to hire more screenwriters for projects or give those writers more time to work,” Peña says. “But if fellow Americans ask Netflix to disclose their audience data, maybe that could be extended and get here. Such transparency would be very good news for a number of reasons, not just for unlocking the rights issue once and for all. The author.”
It is possible that, with this market crippled, more local projects will start
flow war
“The North American industry is the locomotive in this sector and everything is interconnected,” explains Gabelondo. “What we should not be thinking is that we Europeans will replace American screenwriters or that more series will be produced here to keep the catalog full. This is unsupportive thinking, and it is also useless.” Navarro quotes Kiko Veneno: “Many of our films are produced or distributed from there. As Kiko Veneno said, “Paradise belongs to God, the land of the gypsies, and the great and free Spain to the Americans”. This strike is another chapter in the war flow. Platforms are rethinking their strategy. And there are not a few articles, from economic journals, and not only the nostalgic cinematic, that question the paradigm and advocate, perhaps, a return to the previous paradigm.
They can set important precedents for international law
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Although she agreed to the demands of the United States, Marta Libertad did not think that the Spanish would join in that strike. He adds, “ignoring the careful strategy of the platforms, and it is possible that with this paralyzed market, more local projects are being started in order to compensate for the lack of content.” Cruz sees some change: “Depending on what they get, They can set important precedents for international law Issues such as demanding more transparency in the reproduction of data on platforms or regulating the introduction of artificial intelligence in the sector. One of his main demands is to ban this tool for rewriting works created by human screenwriters. And he is clear about the position of his screenwriters association, ALMA: “We fully support this WGA strike and we are advocating that none of our members should not accept any job offers from the United States while negotiations are ongoing.”
It still upsets that they are offering you a job and that you are asking for money
Cobeaga puts the cards on the table: “What the WGA achieves, we’ll try to make it our own. Another thing is to exploit the union they’re doing with Small roomsText rooms trimmed in people and time for “milk” ideas. Many screenwriters do not charge for their ideas, but only do so when the idea is sold, produced, or broadcast… Incredible as it may seem, it is still very frustrating to be offered a job and ask for money“.
