AFP
End clap in Hollywood in the face of a historic strike
End clap in Hollywood: after the screenwriters, who have been on hold for more than two months, the American actors have launched a strike movement which risks constituting the worst paralysis of the film industry in more than 60 years. The strike has began at midnight, Los Angeles time, or Friday at 07:00 GMT, in accordance with what the actors’ union SAG-AFTRA had announced after the failure of negotiations with studios and streaming platforms. “We had no choice . We are the victims. We are the victims of a very greedy entity”, lambasted Fran Drescher, the president of this organization which represents 160,000 actors and other professionals of the small and big screen. “It’s a moment history”, insisted the ex-star of the series “A nanny from hell”. “If we don’t stand up now, … we all risk being replaced by machines and big corporations that care more about Wall Street than you and your family.” pickets, the actors cause a double social movement never seen since 1960 in Hollywood, which threatens to completely freeze the production of series and films. The two trades are demanding an increase in their remuneration, at half mast in the era of streaming. They also want to obtain guarantees concerning the use of artificial intelligence (AI), to prevent the latter from generating scripts or cloning their voice and image. industry. Their union “chooses a path that will lead to financial hardship for thousands of people” tackled the Alliance of Film and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents studios and streaming platforms. The organization claimed to have offered “historic salary increases (…)” and “a revolutionary proposal concerning AI that protects the digital image of actors”. Disney boss Bob Iger blasted the “unrealistic” demands of actors on the CNBC channel.- Productions stopped -Without actors, filming is now impossible in Hollywood, even on the basis of scripts completed before spring, as the Amazon series “The Rings of Power”, prequel to the “Lord of the Rings.” Only a few talk shows and reality TV shows will continue. The actors are also banned from promotion, even on social media, according to guidelines released by SAG-AFTRA. What put in difficulty the summer blockbusters, like the highly anticipated “Oppenheimer” by Christopher Nolan. At the film’s premiere in London on Thursday, the cast of the film left the event in a show of solidarity, according to Variety.Comic-Con, the high mass of American geeks and comic book lovers, should also take place without stars starting July 20 in San Diego. The absence of American actors is also bad news for major international festivals, such as the Venice Film Festival. Even the Emmy Awards ceremony, the equivalent of the Oscars for television, scheduled for September 18, is threatened. The production is already considering postponing the event to November, or even to 2024, according to the American press. Because no one knows how long the movement could last. Actors have not gone on strike since 1980. The last writers’ strike, which dates back to 2007-2008, lasted 100 days and cost the sector two billion dollars.- Existential crisis -This double strike confirms the existential crisis that is hitting currently Hollywood. In late June, hundreds of famous actors, including Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence and Ben Stiller, signed a letter saying their industry was at an “unprecedented inflection point”. the advent of streaming has upset the “residual” remuneration of actors and screenwriters, resulting from each rerun of a film or series. Interesting with television because calculated according to the price of advertisements, these emoluments are much lower with the platforms streaming companies, which do not disclose their audience figures and pay a flat fee, regardless of success. Without this essential income to absorb the periods of inactivity between two productions, the many workers who do not have actor status star author denounce a precariousness of their profession. The rapid development of AI, which threatens to replace them, only adds fuel to the fire. Disney, for example, used it to produce the credits for its new Marvel series launched in June, “Secret Invasion”. In New York on Thursday, several actors were already on the picket lines. “It’s painful and it’s necessary “, told AFP Jennifer Van Dyck, a unionized actress. “When the boss of Disney is making $45 million a year and we’re just asking for a living wage, I think they’re the ones who can be accused of being unreasonable.”amz-rfo/cha/pz
2023-07-15 22:13:13
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