The French Screenwriters Guild Supports American Strike Demands

ENTERTAINMENT – This time, it’s not the French who are on strike! The French Screenwriters Guild called for a rally, this Wednesday, June 14, in support of their American counterparts who, since the beginning of May, have slowed down to demand an increase in their salary, job stability and above all a greater share of the profits generated by the rise of online streaming.

As you can see in the video at the top of the article, Le HuffPost met several French screenwriters who took part in this small event on the Place du Trocadéro. ” I believe they are on a fair strike. We share a lot of their demands », declares Jean-André Yerles, at the HuffPost.

« Clearly, for Americans, [la grève] , it’s the strongest lever they have. It’s inspiring. Then we have to adapt it to our cultures, our local identities. We don’t quite work in the same ecosystem “, continues the one who wrote for the film Tomorrow everything begins, in which we find Omar Sy.

A similar strike in France?

Although the French screenwriters share and support the demands of their American colleagues, a strike in France is – for the moment – not on the agenda. Indeed, the French Screenwriters Guild has just signed an agreement with the producers guaranteeing them a minimum remuneration for the screenwriters of fiction. Such an agreement is unprecedented in Europe, welcomes the HuffPost Marie Roussin, president of the structure.

Moreover, the other crucial point that differentiates the United States from France is that not all screenwriters are unionized. “ At present, a strike in France is not possible because all screenwriters must be united in a union to be able to vote for one. To see in 10 years… “, continues the screenwriter.

French concerns

But then what would trigger a strike on this side of the Atlantic? ” Personally, what could push me to strike would be the questioning of copyright and working conditions in general. That is to say more and more accelerated rates to the detriment of a quality that we try to put forward “, says Laurent Roggero, also a screenwriter.

The question of artificial intelligence also represents a tipping point for Anne Rambach, who has written for the series Engrenages (Canal+) and Candice Renoir (France 2).“ The rogue use of artificial intelligence that would replace authors with robots, it hangs in our face. These are very interesting tools, I think they should remain at the service of creators and not replace them. »

Last May, the HuffPost asked Alexandre Astier about artificial intelligence. The creator of Kaamelott had then underlined that these tools made it possible to ask the question about the role of a screenwriter. ” Considering it’s a guy or a bunch of people coming together to deliver what a channel or platform asks for, then yes, the screenwriter is replaceable. »

He adds : “But if we say to ourselves that he is an author, with a language, a verb, a style, a way, a craft, and that we respect this author’s faults, the fact that he writes with a tear, a suffering, let him show us what he has in his stomach, then the author becomes resolutely inimitable. »

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