ALPHA AND OMEGA

This writer believes that the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike will only serve to create a more distinct dichotomy in the entertainment we consume 

- SUFFIAN HAKIM

I WAS A SCREENWRITER for a couple of big production houses in Singapore before taking on my current role in Augustman. It was a tough ask at times. In our relatively fledgling media and entertainment industry, screenwriters are paid a decent wage – with CPF – by our employers, but due to the nature of the industry, most do not receive residuals for the works that they create. Screenwriters aren’t even allowed to fully focus on scripts – most production houses demand that their writers also serve as producers or directors (or best boys even).

It’s frustrating but it mitigates risk for the production houses and keeps overheads in check.

As a result, we don’t always have time to think out expansive stories, resorting instead to tropes and overused storylines. These methods help when turnover times are short, and budgets are low. Done well, we don’t notice it; executed clumsily, it feels like a cheap knockoff of something familiar.