Comments on: An Open Letter to Company B from Caleb Lewis

By: Matthew Tucker

Matthew Tucker — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 05:40:20 +0000

Absolutely. But, in this particular case, where the Award is to be given to a writer based on an already-produced work, a blind selection is clearly not possible.

It’s not ideal, but I can’t think of a way around this problem; can anyone come up with a better way?

By: Augusta Supple

Augusta Supple — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:35:52 +0000

What is not actually being said in any of these discussions is that artists in our industry feel that work is not selected on merit or on story or on ideas but on the personality of the artist.
Writers and directors are reacting to this as there is a feeling that if you aren’t given a gig or even given an opportunity to prove yourself, that its because of you- not because of what you can do… so the old saying is true – its who you know not what you know.
If scripts and projects were selected blind- without names attached – none of this would matter. But that is not so. This industry is based on reputation. Programming and awards selection is slightly different. The stakes are higher for one than the other.
And does the creative matter? Or is the work the most important thing? If we didn’t know the story of Sylvia Plath- would her poems still be as powerful? And what of Roland Barthes “Death of he Author?” Is the link between creative and the product inseparable?
And as far as being punished for what you think, what gender you are, who you are and your behaviour- there have been some remarkably badly behaved people I have worked with – who are volitile, nasty, hysterical, selfish and yet they have maintained working in the industry… where as there are some who are sweet and hardworking that can’t get a foot in the door… And who determines which creatives can make mistakes? Who gets to experiment and practice? And all anyone wants to feel is that they are given opportunities because of the work, not because of their gender, sexual preference, their reputation, or because they are friends with so-and-so.
We all want the work to come first. Don’t we?

By: matthew tucker

matthew tucker — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:05:45 +0000

I am not part of this industry, and I don’t know many details about this particular award.

However I note that fine wines are judged without the expert judges knowing which is made by whom or from what. While the choice is subjective, and often controversial, it is difficult to level an accusation of bias (although I’m sure some try).

So why are written works submitted for awards not judged in this way, by respected peers judging works on their own merit, divorced from the link with the gender or history of the writer?

By: Jean Prouvaire

Jean Prouvaire — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:03:55 +0000

> it is hard to feel that programming is fair and transparent when programming comes down to personal taste.

Which begs the question: can programming therefore ever be fair and transparent when it is (or is – arguably – supposed to be) an inherently subjective, even idiosyncratic, process?