Hollywood Strike: Delayed Productions and the Future of Artistic Ownership

Today, 141 days have passed since the screenwriters in Hollywood, later also the actors, went on strike.

The strike leads to delays in all productions. From anticipated cinema films such as Dune 2, to episodes of popular series such as Stranger Things and Euphoria. (See an overview of several postponed films in the fact box)

There is still no solution in sight, but after three weeks of complete standstill, the parties have agreed to meet.

This is written by The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMP-TP), which represents Paramount, Warner Bros., Discovery, Netflix and Amazon, in a press release.

– All members of AMP-TP are eager to reach a fair agreement, says the short press release.

The initiative for the meeting comes from the Writers Guild of America (WGA), which represents the screenwriters. They are striking with the actors of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) for the first time in 63 years.

– I know that this strike is difficult. In the future, it will become even more difficult. But the reason we are having the biggest strike in our history is because we are at a crossroads, says Fran Drescher, head of the actors’ union SAG.

Fran Drescher, perhaps best known from the TV series The Nanny, is the head of the actors’ union in Hollywood.

Photo: AP/NTB Scanpix

Want to own your own creativity

The strikers believe that the business model for the entire film industry has been changed following the introduction of streaming, digitization and artificial intelligence.

They want an increased basic salary to compensate for the income that has been lost, but perhaps most importantly: the right to own their own voice, body and creativity in the face of artificial intelligence.

The fear is that the new technology will be able to reproduce voices, images and stories, without the people behind them being paid.

– We have already heard synthetic versions of our voices. We know that our voices are used to train algorithms, says voice actress Linsay Rousseau.

The fronts became even steeper then Deadline recently published a case that revealed that the major film studios planned to wait until the actors ran out of money before they began negotiating.

Sells dog walking and private video calls

Although the parties have not met for almost a month, there has been no shortage of news from the strike.

Actress Lena Dunham has auctioned off a mural to raise money for those affected by the strike.

Facsimile: Screenshot from Instagram

Among other things, several actors have teamed up for an auction to raise income for strikers who are now struggling.

You have been able to buy there dog walking from Parks and Recreation actor Adam Scottmural from Girls creator Lena Dunham or a private video call with comedian Sarah Silverman.

As the strike drags on, the strikebreakers have also received more attention.

Drew Barrymore said she wanted to continue doing her talk show, but ended up resigning and praying crying for forgiveness.

Talk show legend Bill Maher has been critical of the strike, something many of his friends and colleagues are reacting to.

Photo: AP

Bill Maher calls the demand of the strikers “pretty crazy”, and says he will continue to record “Real Time With Bill Maher” as before. It has caused strong reactions, including from Keith Olbermann in the podcast “Countdown”:

– I’ve known you since 1978: Fuck you, Bill, you selfish unfunny piece of shit, says Olbermann.

Could lose $50 million

The economic repercussions of the strike in Hollywood have become so great that the state itself has begun to falter. If the strike extends into October, the damage could already account for a loss of between 40 and 50 million dollars, says professor Todd Holmes ved California State University.

This week, Fiona Ma, chief financial officer for the state of California, sent a letter to several studio executives.

– Their inability to come to an agreement threatens the industry’s ability to ensure that writing, acting and other jobs are seen as sustainable careers in California, writes Ma.

The longest strike in Hollywood history remains the screenwriters’ strike of 1988, but in a few weeks this could become the longest strike in the film district’s history.

2023-09-19 19:29:54
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