By Synthia Tashfi
UNITED STATES, 14 July 2023: After more than 10 weeks of protests, the writers of the television and film industry in America are now joined by fellow actors voicing the same concerns, marking it the first time writers and actors are simultaneously on strike since the 1960s.
On the 2nd of May 2023, the Writers Guild of America (WGA), a union that comprises more than 11,500 screenwriters, went on strike over disagreements with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). The strike resulted from frustrations over unequal payment, harsh working conditions, and employment insecurities.
Generally, writers of television shows are compensated for their work when a show goes on air and are paid residuals, a payment received whenever a show is on a rerun on television networks or channels, allowing writers to have a stable income.
However, since the introduction of streaming sites like Netflix and Disney+, writers have not been adequately compensated or even paid any residuals despite the shows being streamed countless times. Instead, producers and executives took more than a fair share of the profits for themselves.
Besides payment, American television and film writers face unreasonable deadlines for a large amount of work and instability in job security. For example, Netflix hires contract writers to write a series, leaving them struggling to find another job after the series is written. Writers find it difficult to make a stable career nowadays due to such methods of employment by the studios.
Additionally, the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) has also proven to be a threat to a writer as studios become more interested in choosing AI generators to do writers' jobs, especially since they were on strike due to the dispute. AI might also be a barrier for actors as there has been discussion on its possibility to generate scenes without needing actors to perform them.
There is no doubt actors face the same issues as they are not compensated as well as not given job security. Therefore, on the 14th of July, the Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) union joined WGA in the protests against AMPTP.
While the cast of Oppenheimer left their premiere in support of the strike and the CEO of Disney remarks the demands of the protests as “unrealistic”, it is unclear which direction this walkout will result in.
As of now, the SAG-AFTRA and WGA protests caused the largest interference in American film and TV production since the 2020 pandemic, delaying many productions and halting Hollywood in its wake.***
Comments