Welcome to this weeks edition of Fred&Dan Blog! We have an update on the WGA strike and a fun preview of what’s coming up at Fred&Dan!

Hiya, it’s Dan here! Before we get into it, we wanted to give a quick update on what’s going on with the WGA strike.

Most recently, the DGA (Directors Guild) reached a tentative agreement with the AMPTP (Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers) so they will not be striking. The strike authorization passed for SAG-AFTRA (Actors Guild), which means that if the union leaders can’t reach an agreement with the AMPTP they will strike starting July 1st. What does this mean for writers? Well. If the WGA had the full support the DGA and SAG it would probably result in the AMPTP coming to an agreement with all the guilds faster. But since now it is just SAG, and the strike in general seems to be losing some momentum, it looks like we are in it for a long haul. It’s predicted that SAG will reach an agreement after a couple weeks and the writers strike will last into the fall. No matter what happens with the other guilds, writers are standing strong and fighting for their contracts. For more info on the strike, you can read this article!

Now onto some Fred&Dan news! We had such a blast creating our zine Subversive that we are bringing it back babyyy! Issue 2 of the Fred&Dan zine will be called Subliminal. Here’s each of our take on what that means:

Dan: Subliminal is something happening below the surface. Things that are constantly occurring that we might not consciously be aware of. As a writer when I think of subliminal my mind immediately goes to the writing term of subtext, or what is happening within the dialogue or action of a script. What are the characters saying and revealing without putting it into words? There are so many things we do subconsciously every day that reveals a deeper truth to what we actually say and do. For the visual part of my brain, when I think subliminal I think, “what’s lurking underneath?” I imagine bold colors that are hidden right beneath the surface. I hope in this zine we can delve deeper into our psyches and encourage anyone who reads it to look closely at what’s actually being presented. There might be something else there.

Fred: A frog dropped in hot water will jump out, but a frog placed in lukewarm water that is slowly heated up will boil. I truly hate that sentiment but that’s what subliminal means to me. IIt’s a continual consumption of something that overtime we become conditioned to accepting, praising, or even numb to all together. I find the concept of subliminal messaging incredibly interesting because it can be hard to see, but once you do, you can’t unsee it. I do feel somewhat lucky that we live in a time where critical thinking is more (sort of) the norm than it isn't. What I love the most is that with effort, we can unlearn and relearn things. It gives me a sense of power knowing the subliminal messaging we see everyday from ads, to society norms and generational traditions hasn’t fully brainwashed me. As artists we not only capture the human experience but we aim to help process, and sometimes rage against it in an effort to push society forward. Certainly a lofty goal, and not one I’m particularly striving for, but it’s a nice thought anyway. And it makes you think a little doesn’t it?…

We want to ask you, our dear readers, when you see the word subliminal what do you think of? It could be one sentence, an image, or a full meditation on the word.

(Or if you just want to pop into our inbox to say hi that’s cool too. We love messages.)