Hollywood contracts looking to muzzle Twitter use
Not to long ago we wrote about Washington Post looking to clamp down their employees use of social media services like Twitter. Well it appears that they may not be alone as The Hollywood Reporter has a post up letting us in on the news that Hollywood appears to be getting a little nervous with Twitter use in Tinsel Town.
A growing number of studios are trying to come up with contractual wording in an effort to find a way to curb the use of social media services by actors, directors and other executives in the business. One recent Disney contract that has been seen includes a new clause forbidding the breaking of confidentiality by using “interactive media such as Facebook, Twitter, or any other interactive social network or personal blog.”
At DreamWorks a writer’s deal cautions the writer not to talk about their work before any press releases are sent out. Another agent came across a clause that forbid bashing any element of a production on social media services.
Most film and TV studios say their talent deals do not put any shackles on social media usage that doesn’t reveal confidential information. To the contrary, most studios, particularly in television, openly encourage the practice as a means of getting the buzz on current productions going.
ABC, for instance, has started displaying tweets by its talent on the net’s Web site. But it also circulatated “guidelines” for the practice. “Twittering is of course not mandatory, but if you have a Twitter account we would like you to tweet regularly,” the guidelines read, before listing seven specific no-nos, including revealing spoilers or making disparaging remarks about the show.
