Why are Hollywood writers and actors on strike?
The downfall of Hollywood has been decried by critics for decades, with people becoming fed up with its increased dependency on reboots, remakes and iconic franchises that have already been squeezed for every available penny. Though, despite these petty grievances, the Hollywood train has kept rumbling onwards, blindly ignoring its own problems in the public eye and behind the scenes.
Such has led to one of the most curious years in recent cinema history, with big tentpole franchises suffering uncharacteristic financial losses. The Indiana Jones franchise was once the crowning jewel in the careers of Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, but with the dismal critical and commercial release of The Dial of Destiny, Disney has been forced into turbulent waters with only Elemental’s equally disappointing box-office numbers for dismal reading material.
The House of Mouse isn’t the only company struggling to tap into the contemporary zeitgeist either, with DC Studios failing with each and every superhero movie they release, whilst others are forced to try and contend with the constantly rising cost of living for audience members. But, when potential punters know that these ‘cinematic experiences’ will be available to watch on streaming platforms mere months after their release, can you really blame them for not shelling out the absurd cost for a theatre ticket?
This volatile commercial situation has been exacerbated by the recent strikes by the Writers Guild of America (WGA), who walked out on May 2nd due to pay concerns and the emerging threat of artificial intelligence (AI). Over 11,500 screenwriters are currently on strike, making it the largest stoppage of labour since the last walkout in 2007-2008, which forced countless films and TV programmes to halt production.
Why are Hollywood writers on strike?
Essentially, the main reason why the WGA is on strike is due to a lack of a pay agreement on a new contract between the union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). A large aside to this, however, is the dispute over the residuals from streaming services, with studios failing to share the money from such platforms, cutting writers’ average incomes significantly in comparison to the previous decade.
In addition to these financial changes, the WGA is also requesting more transparency on the use of AI tools such as ChatGPT in the business of screenwriting. The union is demanding that such programmes are used as mere tools for research and shouldn’t be used as platforms to potentially replace their artistry.
Such demands have been met venomously by many studio executives, with Disney CEO Bob Iger calling the recent strike action “disturbing”. “It’s very disturbing to me,” the multi-millionaire stated, “We’ve talked about disruptive forces on this business and all the challenges we’re facing, the recovery from COVID, which is ongoing, it’s not completely back. This is the worst time in the world to add to that disruption”.
In response, the American actress and president of The Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), Fran Drescher, who is also simultaneously leading a strike for industry performers, called out Bob Iger for his comments. “I found them terribly repugnant and out of touch,” she said of Iger’s statement, “Positively tone deaf…I don’t think it served him well. If I were that company, I would lock him behind doors and never let him talk to anybody about this”.
Why are Hollywood actors on strike?
Speaking of Drescher and SAG-AFTRA, Hollywood actors have joined WGA on the picket line, making it Hollywood’s biggest strike since 1960, when the duo last downed tools. During this striking period, actors will not take part in any productions, nor will they promote movies, appear on the red carpet or take part in press junkets of any kind, meaning Hollywood will essentially standstill until the action ceases.
Demanding a more equitable division of profits from television and movie predictions, SAG-AFTRA is equally concerned with the rise of streaming platforms as the WGA is, with residuals being unfairly distributed between the talent.
The lead star of HBO’s Succession, Brian Cox, revealed his concerns regarding this in an interview with the BBC, in which he claimed: “The whole streaming thing has shifted the paradigm…They are trying to freeze us out and beat us into the ground, because there’s a lot of money to be made in streaming and the desire is not to share it with the writers or the performers”.
The strike, prompted when talks of a new contract between SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP broke down on July 13th, has encouraged approximately 160,000 actors to stop working and join the WGA. “We are the victims here,” Drescher told journalists during a press conference on the day the strike was announced, “We are being victimised by a very greedy entity. I am shocked by the way the people that we have been in business with are treating us”.
What do the WGA and SAG-AFTRA want?
Put simply, both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA want an increase in minimum pay rates. Such comes snowballed, however, with increased royalties, improved working conditions, higher contributions to pension plans and an aforementioned guarantee regarding the future use of AI in the industry.
This tension has come about as the goalposts of the industry have changed, with the previous deal regarding royalty payments being subject to the number of re-runs a show has, with this being a redundant value due to streaming services. The TV content such platform offer has also changed, with studios now rarely running frequent, long seasons, preferring shorter seasons that are stretched over longer periods.
There is also great concern in relation to performers protecting their digital identity, fearing that studios wish to take advantage of their likeness using AI. The AMPTP said in a statement that they had a “groundbreaking AI proposal,” which they claimed would protect digital likenesses, requiring consent from actors to use such replicas.
Rejecting the statement, the SAG-AFTRA chief negotiator Director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, stated that the proposal offered one day’s pay to get their likeness scanned. This would then allow the studios to “own that scan, their image, their likeness, and be able to use it for the rest of eternity in any project they want with no consent and no compensation”.
What will be the impact of the Hollywood strikes?
Just like in 1960 and 2007, when such movies as Marilyn Monroe’s Let’s Make Love, and the James Bond flick Quantum of Solace were significantly affected, there are a large handful of films and TV shows that will be significantly hit by the recent WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
Included in this is the forthcoming superhero sequel Deadpool 3, starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, Ridley Scott’s highly-anticipated follow-up to 2000’s Gladiator and James Cameron’s third Avatar flick. TV will take a large blow, too, with shows like The Simpsons, Family Guy, Netflix’s Stranger Things and the second series of HBO’s The Last of Us seeing delays in production.
There are indeed similarities between the 2023 strike and the last time the WGA and SAG simultaneously took to the picket line back in 1960. The historic strike resulted in better residual agreements for both parties, and this largely came thanks to the fact that the WGA and SAG were essentially fighting the same fight, asking for very similar guarantees. Actors bolstered the writers’ demands and vice-versa, and the dual strike led to better working conditions all around. Let’s just hope the same thing can happen six decades later.
