JUST TO keep things mixed up, today we're going to talk about how you can send in your letter to the CRTC about their ridiculous task force report, by old style stampy-mail! How fun!
If you like, write it with a fountain pen as they did in olden times! Make it a craft.
(the sample letter below is courtesy of InkCanada's Karen Walton.)
Remember, you only have til Friday for public comments. You don't have to be a Canadian writer or have credits -- you just have to care about having a tiny bit of what happens on your TV not coming out of L.A.
HERE'S A SAMPLE LETTER YOU CAN CUT/PASTE/SEND...
(fax or email details would be available at CRTC site mentioned prev)
Date
CRTC Public Notice 2007-70
Dear Robert A. Morin
Secretary General
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A ON2
RE: Broadcasting Public Notice CRTC 2007-70 – Call for comments on the Canadian Television Fund (CTF) Task Force Report.
1. This is my written intervention regarding the CRTC’s call for comments on the CTF Task Force Report.
2. Tell them who you are, where you live, and in what your capacity you work in industry and your TV credits to date.
(KW EDITOR'S NOTE: IF YOU DON'T WORK IN THE INDUSTRY YET, YOU CAN CERTAINLY TALK ABOUT ALL YOUR TRAINING & PLANS TO)
3. Then tell the CRTC why you do not believe that our country has or will achieve commercial success by being any thing less than 100% Canadian.
4. Writers – use your experience in a story department or as a freelance writer to explain why it is essential to be Canadian when writing stories “that reflect Canadian experiences.” Writing stories that “reflect Canadian experiences” is a new criterion as listed in the new recommendations. Previously, the criteria regarding content was far more detailed, and included the requirement that a program be set and shot in Canada.
KW EDITOR'S NOTE: LACK OF EXPERIENCE WRITING TELEVISION DOES NOT MEAN YOU DON'T HAVE AN OPINION ON THE ABOVE. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT WHY YOU WANT TO TELL CANADIAN STORIES, WATCH CANADIAN MADE MATERIAL, HAVE AN INDUSTRY TO WORK IN, IN YOUR OWN COUNTRY. AS FOR 'CANADIAN EXPERIENCES...' WELL THAT'S ANOTHER TOPIC. I HOPE THEY DON'T MEAN OLDER WHITE ANGLO MALES IN OTTAWA'S STANDARDS OF 'RECOGNIZABLE CANADIAN EXPERIENCES'.
5. You should also include that a professional writer (one with experience) can write a cultural program that is also commercially successful. The CRTC Report is defining “cultural” as 100% Canadian.
KW EDITOR'S NOTE: I THINK EXPERIENCE IS GREAT, BUT THERE HAS TO BE AN INDUSTRY LEFT TO GET ANY, RIGHT NEWBIES?
6. Also you should explain why development is essential to any program’s commercial success. This Report now recommends cutting development funding by allocating it only to the Heritage portion of the funding - $100 million. Currently development is 3.2% of the entire $230 million CTF.
7. KW EDITOR'S NOTE RE. POINT #7/ORIGINAL SAMPLE: THE WRITERS GUILD - CANADA IS CURRENTLY WORKING ON A FORMAL SUBMISSION ON THIS ISSUE. YOU MAY OR MAY NOT WISH TO CITE THAT, AND/OR THAT YOU ARE A MEMBER OF THE WRITERS GUILD - CANADA (ONLY IF YOU ARE, OBVIOUSLY) AND/OR MENTION YOUR SUPPORT FOR THE GUILD'S SUBMISSION/GUILD IN PRINCIPAL ON THE MATTER IN GENERAL.
Signature
Writer
KW EDITOR'S NOTE: I PERSONALLY ALWAYS SIGN WITH MY JOB TITLE "Screen & Television Writer', BETTER KNOWN CREDITS, FULL HOME ADDRESS & POSTAL CODE. I ALSO CC EVERYTHING I SEND TO OTTAWA TO MY LOCAL MP, WHICH YOU CAN FIND BY GOOGLING CANADA - Member of Parliament, or going to the Feds' Parliament site.
YOU ARE WELCOME TO CC YOUR LETTER HERE ON INK, BUT YOU MUST POST IT YOURSELF.
1 comment:
I slept with a Canadian writer. I think she was female. As such I think that gives me locus to comment. Possibly more so if he was male. Those French names are so confusing.
It seems to me from reading your blog that Canada and the UK have a lot in common TV wise.
A bottleneck of highly paid dickheads at network level.
Post a Comment