Why aren't the Writers Guild getting any respect?

It's almost funny to me. Hollywood makes all this money off these movies and you'd think they would at least give them a piece of the action.
A screenplay hardly sells for a million while it produces a movie that grosses over hundreds of millions. (Including showings overseas.)

So, shouldn't they get a little more since, in part, it is their creation?

Ryan: Did you know that if a SP sells for a million, it doesn't necessarily mean you get it. Variety could report that so and so got a million for his script, but actually, it was about 750 thousand dollars at best. Compare that to the paycheck of an actor.

I disagree with Ryan. The story is one of the most important pieces of the movie. Without it, there's kinda no movie. What are they going to do, show random video clips of random things happening at random times? It is a bit true that even the best story can be ruined by terrible actors, but even the best cast can't make up for a storyline that just sucks. Anyone see "I Know Who Killed Me"? My point exactly. Not even the title made sense, and I wanted to gouge my eyes out with a spork for the entire 105 minutes. The plot went nowhere...and stayed there.

As to no one needing 300 million dollars, then why are actors getting paid so much? Acting is easy compared to writing. Do you know how hard it is to come up with something original? Pretty much NOTHING is original anymore, so you have to come up with a new way to spin an old idea. And then actually write it. And then actually sell it. Scripts sometimes take years, a lot longer than the movie takes to film. And does anyone ever really take the time to find out who wrote the awesome film they just saw? They know who the actors and director and producer are, but the writer? No.

So yes, writers should get a lot more than a million (IF that) for their hard work.

(Edit- About those contracts. Writers sign contracts for as much as they can get. It's kind of a take-it-or-leave-it deal. Most writers work other jobs to support themselves between projects because they don't get paid enough to only write. If they were being offered more, they'd take it. Unfortunately people with low IQ levels will still go see a crappy movie as long as it has a name they know in it and Hollywood knows that.)

Because Storylines or only a bit of the movie. You could have the greatest story ever and it could be ruined bu actors, producers, etc.

If Adam Sandler was Anakin in Star Wars, movie would of sucked cause he doesn't fit the role. There is a lot more work to a movie then just writing it, thats the easy part. And movies make hundreds of millions, but they have to spend a lot of money. And really who is going to buy a story for 90 million dollars???

Writers get millions of dollars to write this stuff, the fact that they are complaining and not appreciating how much money they have then they are greedy A-holes. Im poor, and if someone bought a story from me for 4 million, went around and made hundreds of millions, I would just be happy for the 4 million I got. People don't need 300 million dollars. Company's sort of need it more then we do. They should just be happy they have millions of dollars and stop complaining.

As I see it , scripts are a job by job contract in most cases. If a writer is not getting paid what s/he is worth then s/he should do something else with their script.

As I read it, this has a lot to do with the internet. Writers want a piece of a pie that if you read the questions here is filled with rats wanting free movies. How do you treat the cost of closing down such thefts? Should the writers not have to take on some of the risk as well? Should they not have to pony up some money to see their word immortalized?

I guess the reason the writers get so little respect is because the ones on top make a lot and the ones not on the top sign those contracts to write at those prices knowing full well that the risk is now in the hands of the producers and directors.

Not to mention. There are writers in other countries. they are not part of this strike. I can't say they are any better or worse but they are out there and they are not nearly getting as much as US writers.

Greed my friend. Hollywood figures it doesn't matter. They figure people will go see low rated and second rate films just as they do the good ones. But I'll tell you now, 2008-2009 will be filled with bad, poor quality films. I won't go see a one of them. TV is looking good at this point in time.