Great Moments in Fail: The Nerve of Nerve.com's "Film Column"

Undercutting is the biggest problem in media, aside from outlets trying to stop the hemorraging of cash or living in fear of a bigger iPhone. Still, getting paid for work is a tough business. We can blame the economy and record people desperate for work, but it can still be sickening to find out that people just aren't willing to pay for the amount of effort and work.

And Nerve.com is no different.



Don't be too confused, dear reader. This is an instant where we're basically discussing insider baseball. I know most people only care about CRAZY FILM RUMORS or speculation lists built around personal opinion. But being paid for all of that can be a hassle and a half.

A simple Craigslist listing advertises:

Major website seeks film writers for a weekly review. You'll recommend the best new release of the week in 300-500 snappy, well-informed words. The premise for the column is - "If you're going to see one movie this week, see this one, for the following reasons." The tone needs to be enthusiastic but sharp. We're looking for a positive, upbeat voice, although not every review needs to be a rave. It's the best option of the week, but that doesn't mean it's flawless. We're looking for writers with prose that's super clean. You also need to live in a place where you could see multiple screenings per week. If you become a regular writer, you'll be paid $25/week.

At first, that doesn't seem too bad. $25 to write about one movie? That semi-sorta-kinda covers the asking price of even going to a theater. But look back at it and it starts to warp: "if you're going to see one movie this week" means sludging through three or four films depending on the week. Even if you're a credentialed and established freelancer, that means you're seeing four to five films, choosing one and then being paid sub-sub par rates for it.

For a hot second, Nerve was going to be the site for sex, culture and funny writing. It was going to be the next Black Table. It even had an HBO special that fizzled out faster than a prom night "special event."

So how do we know this is Nerve? We're going off a tweet and experience with how the site operates isn't a bad place to start, kids. But do you even know of Nerve? As the years move on, it becomes less and less relevant. A few years ago, Nerve's Screengrab was a daily must-read for those film freaks and connoisseurs. Then, it died.

So why is this a fail?

Because there is no way to pay LESS MONEY for seeing multiple films in order to turn in 500 words than this. Frankly, it's quite sick that any website would do this, but hey, isn't it better than nothing? No? Oh. Re-read that one segment: "If you become a regular writer, you'll be paid $25."

There's an implication that you're writing for free until you are a "regular writer." Which is the same as saying, "fuck off and die we can use your content and let you go without ever having to give you money."

Way to FAIL Nerve.