The strike is the “final argument”, union chief executive and chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland told a press conference on Thursday. “But they left us no alternative.” SAG President Fran Drescher, on the other hand, blamed employers for greed. “What’s happening to us is happening in all spheres of work when employers prioritize Wall Street and greed, forgetting about the essential contributors that keep the machine running.”
The strike will begin at midnight California time (at 10 am Latvian time).
About 160 thousand actors will take part in it. During the strike, the actors will not film, participate in advertising campaigns, participate in premieres and conduct various ceremonies. The actors will not give interviews or post news about the films on social networks.
The strike is expected to affect the filming of hundreds of films, TV series and mini-series across the US territory, affecting such giants as Fox, Disney, Netflix, Paramount, Universal, Sony , “Warner Bros.” and others.
American union members filming or participating in events in other countries will also strike. For example, according to Variety, the London premiere of The Oppenheimers was moved up an hour to allow the stars to attend, but Cillian Murphy and Emily Blunt walked out after learning of the strike. The film was scheduled to premiere in New York on Monday, but these actors will not be there. There is a possibility that the Emmy Awards will be postponed due to the strike. International events such as the Toronto and Venice Film Festivals will go ahead as planned, but this time SAG actors will not be participating.
The previous three-year contract between the actors’ guild and the production companies expired on June 30, but was extended for a consultation period until midnight on July 13. Even before the end of the term of the contract, the representatives of the trade union warned that it is likely that the new contract will not be concluded, as the employers do not show a desire to discuss the proposed conditions.
Although the demand for an increase in fees applies mainly to supporting and mass actors, many Hollywood stars support the strikers and call on the unions not to accept the unsatisfactory conditions. Such stars as Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, Jennifer Lawrence, Rami Malek, Bob Odenkirk, Mark Ruffalo, Quinta Branson have expressed their support.
On the other hand, the Alliance of Film and Television Producers AMPTP, which represents the studios and streaming platforms, stated that the unions had been given generous offers and that the responsibility for the failure of the negotiations lies with them. “They rejected our essentially historic offer to increase royalties, pensions and insurance deductions. [Mēs piedāvājām] improved conditions for film rehearsals, reduced working periods in series, innovative capabilities of artificial intelligence that can protect digital images of actors and much more,” the statement said.
“The strike is certainly not the outcome that was hoped for, as studios cannot function without the performers who bring life to TV shows and movies,” the AMPTP said after the decision to strike. “Unfortunately, the union chose a path that will cause financial hardship for thousands of people who depend on the industry.”
Several television companies have already announced that they will postpone the screening of new drama and comedy series, which traditionally begin in September. Fox and ABC, on the other hand, will fill the broadcast program with reality shows that are not affected by the strike, as well as show reruns of comedy series.
Independent production companies that do not have union contracts will not be affected by this strike. In addition, the Directors Guild of America, DGA, which successfully negotiated a contract in June, will not participate in the strike.
It is the largest shutdown of Hollywood studios since March 1960, when actors and screenwriters went on strike. The screenwriters went on strike for 21 weeks, and the actors for six. At that time, the president of the union was the actor Ronald Reagan, who was destined to become the governor of California in 1967 and the 40th president of the United States in 1981.
The last SAG-AFTRA strike took place in July 1980 and lasted 10 weeks, costing about $100 million, the equivalent of about $370 million (331 million euros) today, according to The New York Times.
In 2007, screenwriters went on strike for 100 days, with the industry losing about 2 billion dollars (1.79 billion euros).
2023-07-14 01:35:00
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