WGA & SAG Strike of 2023

[Jerroddragon]

AI as a tool is fine imo. But it should only be that, really. A tool that is there for writers or whoever to use to assist them. But even then, I feel like creativity will be lost, especially once studios find the writers who are really willing to lean hard on AI.

I lost something recently in a Lyft ride. I bring this up because Lyft is a company (like many) that has completely replaced human customer service with an app where you need to jump through hoops to try to talk to an actual human. I never did get back my lost item due to the terrible customer service that Lyft offers. Not even their social media team responds.

AMC has a similar thing where it’s impossible to talk to a human when I had an issue, but at least their social media team was great about it and not only resolved my issue, but just essentially gave me $20 for my troubles. It’s great AMC helped me, but it honestly is terrible to cut corners and for there to not be a human customer service agent to talk to. Just makes it feel like the customers are not valued in any way.

Thats a feature

I feel like what companies loveeee about AI is it's cheaper and since it's just a system it will give out the minimum in terms of benefits to customers

AMC is a great example, talk to a human and you 9/10 times get the help plus something for your trouble but with an automatic system you might get zero help

 

[Cup_Of_Coffee]

Since the pandemic I’ve worked a “low level” tech support job. AI and ChatGPT scare the crap out of me.

 

[AlexanderMBush]

 

[rageofthegods]

Picketing at Uni is genuinely miserable if you're not doing it at the main gate and they seem to be making every effort to make it worse. Glad they're escalating the issue.

 

[Nick]

Somewhere at the Sun Valley Summer Camp for Billionaires, Bob Iger and Ted Sarandos are looking across the table at Brian Roberts and giving him an evil smirk as if to say, "Your turn".

Glad they aren't putting up with the BS fighting it.

 

[OhHaiInternet95]

I love that they’re playing hard ball like this and not messing around.

With that said, RIP to any Chris Stuckmann or Dan Murrell reviews for the foreseeable future. Two of my favorites.

Oh god, you mean we'll have two fewer movie reviewers who aren't reactionary culture war scumbags?

 

[Lucky Planet]

Oh god, you mean we'll have two fewer movie reviewers who aren't reactionary culture war scumbags?

but, but.....but Chris Stuckmann or Dan Murrel are like THE Least political or controversial youtubers! they are literally the nicest on youtube.....Chris Stuckmann is such a sweet guy and Dan Murrel is the most level headed......

 

[Clive]

Picketing at Uni is genuinely miserable if you're not doing it at the main gate and they seem to be making every effort to make it worse. Glad they're escalating the issue.

It is rough. Warner Bros. manages to allow picketing without too much interference, I don't understand why Universal is making such a fuss. (Also, if you're out picketing sometime, we should say hi!)

 

[PerceptiveCoot]

It is rough. Warner Bros. manages to allow picketing without too much interference, I don't understand why Universal is making such a fuss. (Also, if you're out picketing sometime, we should say hi!)

To be fair to the studios, the conditions seem better than their film sets if those lacked negotiations are to be believed.

 

[Nick]

I love how *coincidental* it is that their construction caused the sidewalk to close the second the calendar flips over to strike season. They really think we're just a bunch of dummies, don't they?

 

[rageofthegods]

It is rough. Warner Bros. manages to allow picketing without too much interference, I don't understand why Universal is making such a fuss. (Also, if you're out picketing sometime, we should say hi!)

Hell yeah. I'll DM you.

 

[Nick]

So is there a list of locations where picketing/protests will occur? I ask because i'll be in LA in roughly 2 weeks. Semi-last minute trip, have a day with no real concrete plans and would love to take part this if at all possible while i'm there, especially as someone who has literally lived years of my life simply off the backs of background acting checks (which involved renting out a room in Atlanta for awhile).

Background actors put in a lot of work with long days on set, forming good relationships with PAs to try and continue working on a show or movie. For example, I was in a TON of episodes of TWD and a few of Stranger Things because both shows always needed to fill the scenes out to make it look real or in the case of TWD, if you were a background walker, it's not like your face ever got to be too noticeable so if they liked you as a walker with how you moved and did the role, then you got rescheduled. There's also a bunch of scouring the internet to lineup a schedule for yourself.

It's really long and grueling days and a fairly thankless job, but it IS something that you can (barely) live off of if you know what you're doing and are willing to dedicate a ton of time to it. So what i'm getting at is - to diminish all of this down to paying someone like $300 to use their likeness in perpetuity? Obviously I get financially why the studios want to do that, but also, kindly screw off with that.

 

[TheCodeMan95]

So is there a list of locations where picketing/protests will occur? I ask because i'll be in LA in roughly 2 weeks. Semi-last minute trip, have a day with no real concrete plans and would love to take part this if at all possible while i'm there, especially as someone who has literally lived years of my life simply off the backs of background acting checks (which involved renting out a room in Atlanta for awhile).

Background actors put in a lot of work with long days on set, forming good relationships with PAs to try and continue working on a show or movie. For example, I was in a TON of episodes of TWD and a few of Stranger Things because both shows always needed to fill the scenes out to make it look real or in the case of TWD, if you were a background walker, it's not like your face ever got to be too noticeable so if they liked you as a walker with how you moved and did the role, then you got rescheduled. There's also a bunch of scouring the internet to lineup a schedule for yourself.

It's really long and grueling days and a fairly thankless job, but it IS something that you can (barely) live off of if you know what you're doing and are willing to dedicate a ton of time to it. So what i'm getting at is - to diminish all of this down to paying someone like $300 to use their likeness in perpetuity? Obviously I get financially why the studios want to do that, but also, kindly screw off with that.

This is a perfect example of something people need to read about the strike. People I know saying "yeah like they need more money" seem to think that everyone who has ever worked in a movie gets paid like Tom Cruise.

 

[Michael S]

This is a perfect example of something people need to read about the strike. People I know saying "yeah like they need more money" seem to think that everyone who has ever worked in a movie gets paid like Tom Cruise.

It’s really about the working actors, not the celebrities, like you said. What people who say that need to understand is that these contracts, generally, are not affecting people like Tom Cruise or any A list talent. They get paid way above minimums and have special contracts written up for them to star in a project. The fight is to help the actors who really have no negotiating power attached to their name and those making minimums who are at the mercy of the studios for work.

 

[Nick]

39 Indie projects getting special waiver to shoot. None of these studios are AMPTP members, so WGA and SAG aren't striking against them which is why the special waiver is granted.

 

[Nico]

39 Indie projects getting special waiver to shoot. None of these studios are AMPTP members, so WGA and SAG aren't striking against them which is why the special waiver is granted.

Wow they’re doing Mark Ruffalo’s plan.

 

[MrBlonde]

Wow they’re doing Mark Ruffalo’s plan.

Nice to see A24 in there.

Maybe it’ll incentivize studios to make a side deal to get productions up and running and ultimately weaken their collective might. One can dream.

 

[Nick]

I like how this essentially is a middle finger to the AMPTP, but also SAG saying we WANT to work. They don’t want to be striking, their hand has been forced by the studios.

It’s also not like the big time actors need to strike. What they are striking for is their younger selves. Many of the stars we know and love were once struggling actors so they can sympathize with the position that so many actors are in. The ones who have to have side jobs to get by and are constantly auditioning.

While there is a nepotism issue on Hollywood, many at the top still understand. The most famous example of background extras turning into major stars are two Boston boys - Matt Damon and Ben Affleck - who were both background extras in Field Of Dreams. They both were random background extras in a scene filmed at Fenway Park. You wouldn't even know they were in the scene if I didn't tell you as the focus is really only on Kevin Costner and James Earl Jones. Photo below of said scene where the two are in. Try to find them.

If they had been AI scanned and their likeness owned, then it’s very possible that these are two academy award winning actors (and director in Affleck’s case) may have never broken through due to giving up in the business, because as I understand it, once you've had you're background likeness scanned, you would be agreeing to give your likeness over to say Universal and that's it. You couldn't go around giving your likeness to everyone and if you would even be able to become an actual actor in a movie, outside of the company whose likeness that you sold to, is a bit murky.

 

[Andysol]

Great conversations in this thread.

I'd like to point out that it's also well beyond the writers and actors as casualties of the strike.
The "non-working" actors still have their side jobs.
The writers can't create with group writing but can still create individually at home.

For me, It's the carpenters who are building sets. The costume designers. The makeup artists. It's the grips. The caterers. The florists. It's the blue collar folks in the industry that are even lower wages on average than the actors/writers.

I know it's the writers/actors vs big CEO/Corps that get all the press, but its the "little man" thats working with their hands that is truly the most impacted on a day to day level.

 

[Clive]

Great conversations in this thread.

I'd like to point out that it's also well beyond the writers and actors as casualties of the strike.
The "non-working" actors still have their side jobs.
The writers can't create with group writing but can still create individually at home.

For me, It's the carpenters who are building sets. The costume designers. The makeup artists. It's the grips. The caterers. The florists. It's the blue collar folks in the industry that are even lower wages on average than the actors/writers.

I know it's the writers/actors vs big CEO/Corps that get all the press, but its the "little man" thats working with their hands that is truly the most impacted on a day to day level.

Trust me when I say the actors and writers are very cognizant of the impact this is having on other below-the-line film/TV workers. I'd also point out that *many* in the industry were supportive of IATSE, the union that represents many of these workers, striking during their last inadequate contract negotiation. (They only didn't because of an electoral college-like technicality in how the proposed agreement was ratified.) There's a good chance IATSE will strike during the next negotiation cycle, and you better believe the actors/writers will be out to support when and if that happens.

Furthermore, it's worth reinforcing that the *reason* the writers and actors are striking is because they are not actually making enough to sustain a living. They were in many ways already in the same position as the other below-the-line workers now being impacted. Remember, a shocking majority of SAG members did not meet the threshold of $26,000 of earnings to trigger union insurance. Many writers are on food stamps. It's bad out there.