WGA strike: Hollywood stars stand in solidarity with writers
D
rew Barrymore has change into the newest movie star to indicate her help for Hollywood writers after dropping out of internet hosting the 2023 MTV Movie & TV awards.
The A-list actress introduced her resolution was made in solidarity with the Writers’ Guild of America (WGA) strike, which started on Tuesday (2 May), after months of negotiations with Hollywood studios over pay failed to succeed in a deal.
“I have listened to the writers, and in order to truly respect them, I will pivot from hosting the MTV Movie & TV Awards live in solidarity with the strike,” she mentioned.
The transfer from the union representing Hollywood writers will derail huge US reveals equivalent to Saturday Night Live, Jimmy Kimmell Live!, and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
On Monday night time, earlier than the strike turned official, a number of different celebrities on the Met Gala pink carpet spoke of their help for the guild.
“Everything changed with streaming and everyone needs to be compensated for their work,” actress Amanda Seyfried advised Variety on the pink carpet. “It’s f***ing easy. I don’t get it.”
Jimmy Fallon mentioned: “I wouldn’t have a show if it wasn’t for my writers and I support them all the way.”
The WGA — which represents 11,500 writers within the movie, TV, and leisure trade — mentioned in a letter to union members: “Dear members, We have not reached an agreement with the studios and streamers. We will be on strike after the contract expires at midnight.
“Your WGA Negotiating Committee spent the last six weeks negotiating with Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Disney, Discovery-Warner, NBC Universal, Paramount, and Sony under the umbrella of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).
“Over the course of the negotiation, we explained how the companies’ business practices have slashed our compensation and residuals and undermined our working conditions.”
Why are Hollywood writers hanging?
Screenwriters have walked out, saying they’re fed up with not being paid pretty for his or her work.
Months of ongoing talks have been held, however the high-stakes negotiations of the previous six weeks went awry late final night time between the Writers’ Guild of America and a commerce affiliation representing Hollywood’s main studios, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
Now, the most important walkout of writers is happening — the primary in 15 years.
A spokesman for the WGA mentioned: “Here is what all writers know: the companies have broken this business. They have taken so much from the very people, the writers, who have made them wealthy.
“But what they cannot take from us is each other, our solidarity, our mutual commitment to save ourselves and this profession that we love. We had hoped to do this through reasonable conversation.
“Now we will do it through struggle. For the sake of our present and our future, we have been given no other choice.”
When is the strike happening?
The walkout began on May 2. The Writers’ Guild of America (WGA) gave three hours’ discover and mentioned it had been a unanimous resolution to name the strike.
The union mentioned in an announcement: “The WGA Negotiating Committee began this process intent on making a fair deal, but the studios’ responses have been wholly insufficient given the existential crisis writers are facing.”
Who will probably be affected by the strikes?
Shows that rely closely on making quips in regards to the newest news are set to be affected essentially the most, equivalent to Saturday Night Live and Jimmy Kimmel Live!. These reveals depend on writers making gags in regards to the goings-on all through the week and now there will probably be no writers to write down the scripts. Late-night discuss reveals are anticipated to indicate reruns this week.
The guild mentioned it will additionally have an effect on streaming sequence and probably some movie productions, as every thing has floor to a halt. The trade has merely stopped working.
Producers of scripted drama and comedy sequence can also be pressured to chop seasons quick, and cease or delay filming whereas the strike is ongoing.
As effectively because the mass walkout, writers are additionally planning picket traces and noisy protests exterior a few of Hollywood’s greatest filming centres.
What do Hollywood writers need?
Writers say they haven’t been paid pretty for his or her companies for a very long time, and say it’s a kick within the enamel when the salaries for prime executives within the leisure trade have ballooned lately.
The WGA says it desires a pay increase in addition to adjustments made to their circumstances, as writers have discovered it “increasingly difficult” to function within the sector. WGA statistics state that “amid the explosion of streaming platforms such as Netflix and Disney+, median writer-producer pay has declined 4 per cent, or 23 per cent when adjusted for inflation.”
The group says writers have additionally been placed on extra freelancing contracts lately and at the moment are lacking out on bonus funds, which was once paid when a present was transmitted abroad, due to the best way streaming platforms have been arrange.
In an announcement, they mentioned: “The companies have used the transition to streaming to cut writer pay and separate writing from production, worsening working conditions for series writers at all levels.”
The guild added that extra writers are “working at minimum regardless of experience”.
In an interview with NBC Nightly News, Raphael Bob-Waksberg, the creator of Netflix’s animated sequence BoJack Horseman, mentioned: “We want more money. We want enough money to make a basic living doing what we love.
“I think we’re getting to the point where it’s going to be that the only people who can afford to try to start a career in television or movies are going to be people who are independently wealthy already, which I don’t think is good for television or movies. I don’t think we want that.”
How have Hollywood studios responded?
The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers say they’ve been working to “reach a fair and reasonable agreement”.
In an announcement, they mentioned: “AMPTP companies have approached these negotiations with the long-term health and stability of the industry as our priority. We are all partners in charting the future of our business together and we are fully committed to reaching a mutually beneficial deal.”
The AMPTP represents main movie studios, equivalent to Disney, Universal Pictures, and Warner Bros, plus prime broadcast tv networks, equivalent to ABC, CBS, and NBC. They additionally symbolize the main streaming companies, together with Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon.