Hollywood studios fail to prevent actors striking during writers' strike

AppleInsider

A "double strike" in the entertainment industry hasn't happened in more than 60 years, but following failed negotiations between Hollywood studios and SAG-AFTRA, both actors and writers are now on strike.

Apple TV+

With film and television studios part of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers unable to reach a deal with SAG-AFTRA as of July 12, the strike officially begins at midnight and will impact 160,000 union members.

Negotiations between SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP hadn't been going on for long, only beginning on June 7, with SAG fighting to gain protections against studios using generative AI in films and shows, as well as better overall compensation for streaming films and shows. SAG has said the AMPTP has not budged on any single talking point, which led to the vote for a strike.

The silver lining for Apple, which is just one company associated with the failed negotiations, is the company's size. Apple TV+ only plays a small role in its Services division that rakes in billions of dollars every single quarter.

As the strike goes on, all actors that are part of the union will stop work on projects, from films to TV shows and promotional efforts. Despite the ongoing writer's strike, actors have been working on projects as available as long as the scripts for those films and series were already completed.

SAG-AFTRA's National Board officially called an #ActorsStrike against major film and television companies as contract talks with studios and streamers broke down without a deal on July 12 https://t.co/C1VI1daRRD pic.twitter.com/6keqd4jeI1

-- The Hollywood Reporter (@THR)

July 13, 2023

The writer's strike already hit Apple TV+ pretty hard, especially for notable series like "Severance" and the highly anticipated "Metropolis." But the second season of "Loot" starring Maya Rudolph has also seen production halt due to the strike, and even the third season finale for "Ted Lasso" at the Paley Center in California was canceled over the issue.

With SAG-AFTRA moving to strike, this means any and all productions Apple TV+ has a hand in will be coming to a halt beginning July 14. What's more, there's no telling how long these strikes will go on, so there's no way of knowing when production will begin for new films and series for any studio, not just Apple.

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welshdog

It will be interesting to see what scheme the studios/streamers come up with going forward. So far no one has business model for streaming that works for all parties involved. Unfortunately, any new scheme will 100% means higher costs to consumers. In order for writers, directors and actors to receive residuals from streaming, we will have to pay on a per view basis. And of course that means we will pay a lot more than we pay now for content.

mike_galloway

I've updated John Lennon's fine words to a more modern concept - I hope he approves, or maybe I am totally out of touch.

Imagine there's no TV 
It's easy if you try 
No hell below us 
Above us only sky 
Imagine all the people 
Living for today, I

Imagine there's no social media 
It isn't hard to do 
Nothing to kill or die for 
And no influencers too 
Imagine all the people 
Living life in peace

You may say I'm a dreamer 
But I'm not the only one 
I hope someday you'll join us 
And the world will be as one

Imagine no opinions 
I wonder if you can 
No need for greed or hunger 
A brotherhood of man 
Imagine all the people 
Sharing all the world, you

You may say I'm a dreamer 
But I'm not the only one 
I hope someday you'll join us 
And the world will live as one

ApplePoor

Dust off the library card and actually stimulate your mind with some reading and perhaps discourse with other human beings...

BiCC

OnlyFans is loving this strike.  OnlyFans is COiN.  Who cares about Hollywierd.

mikethemartian

They were saying that the cast of Oppenheimer had to leave the UK premier of the film due to the strike.

Ofer

welshdog said:

It will be interesting to see what scheme the studios/streamers come up with going forward. So far no one has business model for streaming that works for all parties involved. Unfortunately, any new scheme will 100% means higher costs to consumers. In order for writers, directors and actors to receive residuals from streaming, we will have to pay on a per view basis. And of course that means we will pay a lot more than we pay now for content.

Except that the execs and top brass have been getting paid more and more to meet changing times, while the writers and actors (with the exception of A list actors) have not. There’s absolutely no reason they would need to raise prices except for greed. So yeah, on second thought, you’re right, they probably will.

zimmie

I haven’t been following SAG-AFTRA’s negotiations as closely as the WGA’s, but from what I’ve seen, they’re just as fundamental. Really basic stuff like health insurance and pay from streamers even remotely comparable to traditional TV. The Netflix show Orange is the New Black apparently had viewership on the level of Game of Thrones, but the OitNB cast is making basically nothing.

Also the studios are pitching something deeply, deeply creepy. They want to scan an actor and make a digital likeness they can then use in the background forever with no further pay to the actor whose likeness they are using. Basically they want to get rid of the concept of extras or bit parts in anything made by studios big enough to afford the model tech. And as compensation for never getting another paying gig again, they’re offering the actors to be scanned one whole day of pay.

100% in favor of the actors here, too. The studios are up to some incredibly unethical nonsense.

welshdog

Ofer said:

welshdog said:

It will be interesting to see what scheme the studios/streamers come up with going forward. So far no one has business model for streaming that works for all parties involved. Unfortunately, any new scheme will 100% means higher costs to consumers. In order for writers, directors and actors to receive residuals from streaming, we will have to pay on a per view basis. And of course that means we will pay a lot more than we pay now for content.

Except that the execs and top brass have been getting paid more and more to meet changing times, while the writers and actors (with the exception of A list actors) have not. There’s absolutely no reason they would need to raise prices except for greed. So yeah, on second thought, you’re right, they probably will.

Yes execs are over paid, but even if you took their salaries and distributed that to all the lower employees it would not make a significant increase in take home pay.  Right now if some brat watches Frozen 400 times on a streaming platform, no one gets any additional money for those views. There are no residuals for anyone. Either pay them more up front, cut the big star's pay or figure out a way to make some back end. Either way, that money has to come from somewhere.

xbit

welshdog said:

Yes execs are over paid, but even if you took their salaries and distributed that to all the lower employees it would not make a significant increase in take home pay. 

The writers are asking for an extra $75mil a year. Bob Iger, head of Disney, earned $45mil in 2021.

inkling

A double strike makes sense. Actors won't be working when writers are on strike and vice-versa. Striking at the same time gets the same results (better pay) while reducing substantially their lost pay.

beowulfschmidt

Screw the studios.  Stick it to them hard.