The strike will cripple the town. The strike will affect the L.A. economy.

These are cries we hear every day regarding the pending Writers Guild of America (WGA) and Screen Actors Guild (SAG)/American Federation of Television & Radio Artists strikes.

Speculation is gyrating through every studio and Starbucks in the city. SAG, just beginning to gear up to ask for more wages and new work conditions, is weary from its commercial strike of last year. The Directors Guild of America is watching the WGA for signals for its negotiations in 2002.

Aren't the writers and actors deserving of what they are crying about? Or are producers stalling for time hoping that the guilds will weaken soon?

One writer thinks studios will use the strike to clean house on their bad deals by implementing the "force majeur" clauses in writers' contracts. Some studios have threatened not to distribute projects of independent producers who sign interim guild agreements. The fur is flying on both sides, and speculation arises daily.

Is a strike really necessary? "The costs are too high," say the producers. "Actors and writers are asking for more money when the cost of making a project is high enough." Actors and writers are only asking for what they believe is fair - wages and respect. They do not determine how money is spent on films, so if that is an issue, maybe producers should look in their own backyard to find ways of holding down costs.

Years ago, you saw one producer (or maybe two) to a project. And today? Well, how many producers does it take to make a movie? Apparently it's as many as can be crammed into a budget without anyone noticing. Where are the self-imposed restrictions and limitations? Where are the producers who are creative within those limitations or make spending decisions relative to creativity when producing a film? And where are the producers who respect the production process, knowing that everyone involved is creative in their own way?

The strike is coming because writers, actors and producers may neither trust nor respect one another for their individual contributions to the industry. They each are worried about their own creative egos and finding fault for cost overrides. They blame one another for the ills and problems they face in an economy that is clearly heading toward a recession. Common sense and working together are needed.

The recent Academy Awards telecast showed the world that the industry is a family who loves to get along with one another. When producers, writers, actors and directors can sit down at the same bargaining table and intelligently approach the matter as one problem that affects everyone, they might be able to look at it in a different light and never think of a strike as a solution.

If the strike happens, one thing is for sure. Randall Arney, the artistic director of the Geffen Playhouse, will have his choice of wonderful actors and writers.

Myrl A. Schreibman is adjunct associate professor in the Department of Film, Television and Digital Media. He is a member of the Directors Guild and author of "The Indie Producer's Handbook: Creative Producing From A-Z."

Editor's Note: As of press time, negotiations between Hollywood producers and writers were continuing.