Boo! Now give me those internet residuals, dammit!
October 22, 2007 12:26 PM   Subscribe

I'm thinking of being the 2007 Writer's Strike for Halloween (because, you know, November 1st will be pretty scary for us WGA members living paycheck to paycheck.) Now-- how to make this snarky, intangible and in-joke-ridden costume idea a reality?

I live in LA and the majority of my friends are screenwriters, so there shouldn't be too much of a problem with people 'getting it.' I just want it to be an awesome costume, with lots of funny little references. (A dartboard with Patrick Verrone's face? A handful of bounced checks to hand out?)

If this is too much of a stretch, I'll go be a sexy {insert any occupation or mythological creature} like 99% of the female population. But I'd prefer to be the 2007 Writer's Strike. (Sexy writer's strike?)

(I'm female, if that helps. And I'm actually pro-strike, not that it matters.)
posted by np312 to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (17 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
Hmmmmmmm. A gigantic piece of paper that's completely blank save for a page number and the words FADE IN:?
posted by kittens for breakfast at 12:31 PM on October 22, 2007


you want to go as an idea as opposed to a person? I think that might be tough to pull off.

what you could do though is go as a blind movie mogul.

get a suit that's way too large, a white cane, the yellow ribbon with the three dots, dark sunglasses, pad the suit so you look like david byrne and stick a cbs logo on the lapell.
posted by krautland at 12:37 PM on October 22, 2007


and don't worry about the sexy part. they already know you are. if you are.
posted by krautland at 12:38 PM on October 22, 2007


Maybe go as a strike buster? Have a zoot-suitish sort of thing put together, black mask, and a baseball bat saying STUDIO STRIKEBUSTING FORCE or the like?
posted by beaucoupkevin at 12:40 PM on October 22, 2007


Why not just carry an extremely overwritten picket sign explaing the terms of the strike?
posted by Bookhouse at 12:44 PM on October 22, 2007


On studio stationary, labeled TOP SECRET:

Shows that don't need union writers:
* Reality
* Sports
* Stuff stolen from the internet
* Documentary (No narration = artsy)
* News (boring! maybe sexy news instead?)
posted by smackfu at 12:52 PM on October 22, 2007


Could you dress up all writerly, with typewritten sheets poking out here and there, a vest and monocle maybe, and also carry a baseball bat with which you'll try to hit objects but keep on missing?
posted by suedehead at 12:53 PM on October 22, 2007


Bowling ball, + Bowling shirt with team name "Writers" on the back.
And wear a ribbon for a perfect score.

It'll take them a second.
posted by filmgeek at 1:08 PM on October 22, 2007 [2 favorites]


You could go as a schedule grid (TiVo Now Playing list or TV Guide page, etc) filled with horrible reality show ideas.
e.g.:

8:00 9:00 10:00
ABCAmerica's Fattest People Lost in the supermarket Dancing with the Dancing with the Stars Dancers
CBS Rock Star: Grand Funk Railroad Survivor: New Zealand Survivor: Alabama
Fox World's Wildest Explosions 100 Monkeys, 100 Typewriters
NBC Deal or No DealMILF Island

posted by andrewraff at 1:16 PM on October 22, 2007


(well, the grid table looked nice in the Live Preview, but AskMe filtered out the HTML table tags.)
posted by andrewraff at 1:21 PM on October 22, 2007


Go as Howie Mandel. He'll be on NBC 12 hours a week if they strike.

Or a Deal or No Deal girl! That's sexy! Suitcase and all. Open the suitcase: A Variety front page with some Variety-esque headline (WRITERS: "MORE PAY," STUDIOS: "NO WAY") . You've probably read it more than me so there's gotta be something more clever.

Maybe be a DOND girl with a button saying "Ask me why I'm on TV 12 hours a week starting tomorrow."

My apologies for simplifying the WGA strike, but I'm sure that's how the media would portray it anyway.
posted by ALongDecember at 1:39 PM on October 22, 2007 [1 favorite]


L.A. is like a parallel universe. This is the only city where people at a party would actually appreciate your costume and obscure reference to a union boss. I like the idea of dressing like a reality TV star who doesn't need a script and wouldn't be able to read one anyway (Chyna anyone?).
posted by HotPatatta at 10:12 PM on October 22, 2007


Me, I'm thinking "actor with no lines". (Use a celebrity actor mask.) Or "TV screen with static", Teletubby style.
posted by dhartung at 10:21 PM on October 22, 2007


A biological scab!
posted by brujita at 10:51 PM on October 22, 2007


I was gonna suggest utilizing a picket sign, but someone beat me to it. Still, theres so many ways you could go with this... dress up like a hobo, asking for handouts, all the while maintaining your demand for residuals. Or, in lieu of the hobo outfit, wear a Trader Joes or Starbucks uniform while diligently picketing.

OR

Ue a sandwich board to make yourself look like an issue of TV Guide - maybe the Emmys issue, showing a crappy reality or game show winning it all.

OR

Go as an out of work brass brad salesman, or a layed off brass brad.
posted by Unsomnambulist at 2:36 AM on October 23, 2007


I saw a photo of a picketing writer from the last time there was a TV strike.

It was simple and perfect and has stuck in my memory.

Just carry a blank picket sign.
posted by Sallyfur at 8:39 AM on October 23, 2007 [2 favorites]


This guy did a pretty good job, just to follow up.
posted by incessant at 12:34 PM on November 3, 2007


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