WGA & SAG Strike of 2023

[Nick]

This is going to be rough for awhile, but it’s needed.

 

[GAcoaster]

Hopefully they get it settled quickly.

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

Get ready for a lot of reality tv next fall and winter!

 

[Mad Dog]

On the ironic side, it's positive news, in a strange way, for the film/streaming companies. If they can't produce new properties, which are generally money losers, they won't lose as much money as they've been consistently doing......Using catalogue properties to fill in the gaps are a much cheaper option.

 

[Nick]

On the ironic side, it's positive news, in a strange way, for the film/streaming companies. If they can't produce new properties, which are generally money losers, they won't lose as much money as they've been consistently doing......Using catalogue properties to fill in the gaps are a much cheaper option.

That’ll only last so long before people get sick of it. The WGA was being taken advantage of by a pre-streaming era contract and thus pay wasn’t near the level it should’ve been.

 

[Grabnar]

Critical support for the WGA

 

[Mad Dog]

That’ll only last so long before people get sick of it. The WGA was being taking advantage of by a pre-streaming era contract and thus pay wasn’t near the level it should’ve been.

Yes, the writer's are the good guys in this battle. Good report in the NY Times last week on how hard it is for writers to get a steady income with the streaming platform of 8 shows vs. the former 22 TV season, and the problem with residuals.....But the entire industry is so out of whack that the red ink flows like a raging rapid, but that's not the fault of the writers. The film/media industry execs. are out of touch with reality. The profit model is broken, and it's never been that strong to begin with. The allure of film/media has always been stronger than the bottom line financial reality, since day one.

 

[Grabnar]

Yes, the writer's are the good guys in this battle. Good report in the NY Times last week on how hard it is for writers to get a steady income with the streaming platform of 8 shows vs. the former 22 TV season, and the problem with residuals.....But the entire industry is so out of whack that the red ink flows like a raging rapid, but that's not the fault of the writers. The film/media industry execs. are out of touch with reality. The profit model is broken, and it's never been that strong to begin with. The allure of film/media has always been stronger than the bottom line financial reality, since day one.

A lot of the red ink issue is "Hollywood accounting" to make it so that the studios don't have to pay anyone on the backend.

 

[MrBlonde]

A lot of the red ink issue is "Hollywood accounting" to make it so that the studios don't have to pay anyone on the backend.

I remember through Hollywood accounting, (not the Hollywood movie "The Accountant"), the movies aren't profitable include
Forrest Gump, Return of the Jedi, and Lord of the Rings. It's insane.

The money for the studio is the longevity of the properties in perpetuity. That's why residuals made so much sense.

I'm looking forward to the moves 2 years from now if this drags out.

 

[Jerroddragon]

At least this year I'm not too worried on content we have a backlog of covid films but hopefully it doesn't last too long.

Also with rumors of this a while I'm sure many shows did what Mando did and write the next season early to get ahead of this.

I hope they win all they want and hope it doesn't last too long

 

[Viator]

 

[Clive]

The writers need to win this. It's an existential crisis, and the AMPTP didn't even bother to negotiate in good faith. So many reasonable measures were rejected without a counter. (The WGA has shared a full breakdown, and I encourage you to review it to see how badly this went.)

Unfortunately, I would expect this strike to last for several months. It is deeply necessary, and our first thought should not be "but what about my favorite films/TV shows." The majority of people creating those works can barely afford to live, and the quality of those films and shows will absolutely continue to become homogenized if not outright deteriorate if these trends continue.

See you on the picket lines.

 

[Viator]

Spoke on this on the Theme Park Stop discord, and I'll add in that this is a deeply necessary and important moment. I really hope the Directors Guild and SAG-AFTRA join in (As it sounds like things are starting to show their ugly head there too); to just show how needed it is for things to get better.

Rooting and hoping for the best out of those at the lines.

 

[rageofthegods]

Hope SAG joins in and f's these guys up. Insulting response by the AMPTP.

 

[Clive]

Hope SAG joins in and f's these guys up. Insulting response by the AMPTP.

Reading between the lines, I don't think they have a choice. Wall Street is forcing their hand to play hardball. They're going to have to sustain considerable damage before they can reverse course and make meaningful concessions, which is why I'm convinced this strike is going to be on the longer side.

 

[belloq87]

HUGE AND IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: I support writers' efforts to be paid enough to make a living.

I do, however, hope this is resolved quickly. Coming after the pandemic closures, I fear for theatrical exhibition in the latter half of next year if this stretches on for long (and if the other guilds strike). I've been in a position to talk with small/independent theater owners and managers, and the drought of films from last August through March of this year (AVATAR aside) made for pretty dire conditions for them. The box office may have mostly recovered from the pandemic, but the actual health of a lot of theaters hasn't fully gotten there yet.

Just something to keep in mind. The strike may well result in good improvements for the lives of writers, and I hope it does. But it may also affect other corners of the entertainment industry that are still struggling after pandemic conditions (again, if it gets to a point where nothing is in production later this year).

 

[Clive]

HUGE AND IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: I support writers' efforts to be paid enough to make a living.

I do, however, hope this is resolved quickly. Coming after the pandemic closures, I fear for theatrical exhibition in the latter half of next year if this stretches on for long (and if the other guilds strike). I've been in a position to talk with small/independent theater owners and managers, and the drought of films from last August through March of this year (AVATAR aside) made for pretty dire conditions for them. The box office may have mostly recovered from the pandemic, but the actual health of a lot of theaters hasn't fully gotten there yet.

Just something to keep in mind. The strike may well result in good improvements for the lives of writers, and I hope it does. But it may also affect other corners of the entertainment industry that are still struggling after pandemic conditions (again, if it gets to a point where nothing is in production later this year).

Unfortunately, what you're describing is what probably needs to happen to compel the AMPTP to make a fair deal. It has to hurt.

 

[belloq87]

Unfortunately, what you're describing is what probably needs to happen to compel the AMPTP to make a fair deal. It has to hurt.

But I'm not talking about movie and TV producers/execs being hurt. I'm talking about small chain and independent theater people, who are much more akin to small business owners.

I suppose one would hope that the AMPTP will be looking out for theater owners (small and otherwise) because they know how important theatrical distribution still is (after the pandemic has pretty well shown that streaming alone is not a sustainable and profitable model)... but those studio execs are not going to feel the effects in the way a guy who owns four theaters (and their employees) in Iowa will, for example, if there's nothing to show in the auditoriums in fall of 2024.

 

[Jerroddragon]

I hope Theaters don't get hurt but that's on the Studios not the writers.

If the Writers strike affected no one they could not strike and studios need to pay more for the people writing the films we all like.

I hope it doesn't come to that but the writers can't not strike because of other's they have been struggling for a while and need this or else be able to pay rent

 

[Clive]

But I'm not talking about movie and TV producers/execs being hurt. I'm talking about small chain and independent theater people, who are much more akin to small business owners.

I suppose one would hope that the AMPTP will be looking out for theater owners (small and otherwise) because they know how important theatrical distribution still is (after the pandemic has pretty well shown that streaming alone is not a sustainable and profitable model)... but those studio execs are not going to feel the effects in the way a guy who owns four theaters (and their employees) in Iowa will, for example, if there's nothing to show in the auditoriums in fall of 2024.

You need the larger theater chains to feel the pinch so that they can put pressure on the AMPTP to deliver a fair deal. Unfortunately, you can't throw away the WGA's leverage and bargaining power for the benefit of more vulnerable exhibitors. The small and independent theater owners will have to do what they can to adapt in the short-term - targeting niche but passionate audiences through repertory screenings is one way to go about that. I'm not saying there won't be depressing casualties, but that is ultimately the fault of the AMPTP, not the WGA. Without the writers, there would be no films to exhibit in the first place.