Streaming has brought blockbusters, indie movies and series readily available to consumers around the world. But the emergence of new offers also has its downsides. Especially for the screenwriters in Hollywood.
They have been on strike since Tuesday after the Writers Guild of America (WGA) union negotiated with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) for six weeks. The alliance negotiated on behalf of streaming providers and studios – in the end without success. “The responses from the studios have been grossly inadequate given the existential crisis the writers are going through,” the WGA said in its strike announcement.
Ellen Stutzman, as the union’s chief negotiator, represents more than 11,000 authors. “We’re asking for raises and arrears payouts so writers can stay in their jobs and live and work in cities like New York or Los Angeles. We’re asking for very basic working conditions, like a two-tier contract or weekly salaries for screenwriters to change to relieve the pressure of freelance work that they face when writing their screenplays,” said Stutzman. According to statistics from the WGA, half of the TV series writers currently work for minimum wage.
The topic of artificial intelligence was also on the negotiating table. According to the union, one must prevent streaming providers and studios from using AI to generate new scripts from old material. That would devalue the profession and put the writers at risk. “It has become a very important topic. I believe every day there is some kind of news about AI and there is no doubt that these services will continue to improve. And right now they are what some of our members call them, plagiarism machines , and they have no business writing scripts,” explains Stutzman.
Although the strike seems far away, it could also have consequences for Europeans. The last strike of the authors in 2007 proved that. Work was stopped for 100 days. Late night shows in particular were affected, but series also had to be interrupted, including “Breaking Bad”, “Desperate Housewives”, “Gossip Girl”, “Lost” and “Grey’s Anatomy”. Numerous other series were not even continued. According to Reuters, the strike cost the California economy an estimated $2.1 billion at the time.
The writers also receive support from Hollywood stars. As Amanda Seyfried said on the Met Gala red carpet, “It’s necessary. I don’t see what’s the problem. Everything has changed with streaming and everyone should be rewarded for their work. It’s pretty damn simple.” Late-night host Jimmy Fallon said he “couldn’t do his show without her. There wouldn’t be a show without my writers, I support them wholeheartedly.”
“Wanda Vision” star Elizabeth Olsen spoke more generally about the situation in the film industry. “We have to structurally rethink how people at all levels can continue to make a living now that we have these streaming services. Actors who used to be able to live off their wages can’t because they’re only getting paid for a day . And then it goes to a streaming service and they don’t see a penny after that,” she said.
There are angry reactions from authors. “Hollywood is a story-driven industry, period. Without the storytellers, there is nothing,” said Jane the Virgin author Rafael Agustín. The studios and streaming services “insisted on shutting down an entire industry instead of properly compensating the workers who help them make billions.”
Sources: Reuters / Los Angeles Times / Variety
