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On April 18th, 97.85% of Writers’ Guild of America members voted to go on strike if a new arrangement AMPTP (Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers) was not reached by the end of May 1st, and as you’ve probably guessed by this thread’s existence, an agreement did not happen. As a result, all WGA members are currently on strike, refusing their services to the Hollywood machine writ large, whether that be pitching new shows or movies, writing content for current ones, promoting upcoming products, or whatever else could possibly mean that their labor would provide profits for the managerial class of the media industry. “How does this affect me,” is probably your first question. Well, a lot of your favorite shows and movies are probably going to take longer to come out now if their filmed footage isn’t already in the can. Shows like Stranger Things and Severance are now on an indefinite hiatus pending the resolution of the conflict, showrunners like Boots Riley are refusing to do any promotion or meetups for any upcoming finished work, and picket lines are forming across the country at the office buildings of any media megaconglomerate of your choice. This all may seem a bit familiar to you if you’re the age of the average goon (old,) because the last time the WGA went on strike, the repercussions of this were felt across the entire entertainment industry for almost a decade. While some productions were merely put on hold, the production of other long-running franchises such as Transformers and James Bond hired scabs (non-union workers who attempt to gain employment in the vacuum of striking union workers) to hurry along production on the latest entries of their franchises, resulting in films that most agreed were dips in quality compared to their standard fare. The studios, as a general rule, will attempt to keep business as usual running without the help of the creatives that have supplied it thus far. The landscape of the 2023 WGA strike is significantly different compared to the last major strike in 2007. This is the first strike where the major players at stake are not traditional production studios such as Paramount and MGM, but instead streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, and Apple TV+. In addition, one of the requests of the WGA is a ban on the use of AI programs such as ChatGPT through which studios can automatically make (lovely) scripts and other content without having to pay any human workers for the privilege - a software that the studios themselves are already rushing to use to cover for the labor shortage a strike will inflict upon them. In this thread, you can discuss new news stories and other developments happening in the current conflict between the WGA and the AMPTP. You can compare and contrast it to the 2007-08 WGA strike. You can talk about AI and its ramifications for the media industries at large. You can even discuss your favorite movies about strikes, labor union, and collective action. There’s no need to be an expert on matters, you can post here even if you don’t know what a union, or a scab, or even a strike is - but I will be making no attempts to appear “objective” in my support for the WGA and its workers.
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May 8, 2023 21:33
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The stakes here seem pretty high; ChatGPT-style "AI" is, frankly, a threat to art, to a functioning economy, and to human communication generally, and needs to have its use limited as much as possible.
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May 9, 2023 23:58
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SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher (yes, the same one) refuses to commit to a SAG-AFTRA strike in solidarity, claiming “I don’t think what’s very important to writers… is the kind of stuff we’re going after” https://twitter.com/DEADLINE/status/1655727130418860033 In December she also pledged her support to end Hollywood’s vaccine mandates. https://deadline.com/2022/12/sag-aftra-fran-drescher-hollywood-covid-vaccination-mandate-1235192611/
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May 10, 2023 11:49
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Yeah, SAG won't join this, about as shocking as finding out the nanny was anti vaxx. DGA is more important honestly in terms of support.
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May 10, 2023 18:32
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Not to mention IATSE, who are much more firmly on their side this time than in 2007.
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May 10, 2023 18:34
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Hollywood Studios’ WGA Strike Endgame Is To Let Writers Go Broke Before Resuming Talks In Fall https://deadline.com/2023/07/writers-strike-hollywood-studios-deal-fight-wga-actors-1235434335/ "While some dismiss this as just “cynical strike talk,” studio and streamer sources around town confirm the strategy. They also confirm that the plan to grind down the guild has long been in the works for a labor cycle that all sides agree is a game-changer one way or another for Hollywood. "The endgame is to allow things to drag on until union members start losing their apartments and losing their houses,” a studio executive told Deadline. Acknowledging the cold-as-ice approach, several other sources reiterated the statement. One insider called it “a cruel but necessary evil."
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Jul 12, 2023 21:29
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Zogo posted:Hollywood Studios’ WGA Strike Endgame Is To Let Writers Go Broke Before Resuming Talks In Fall lol yeah, it’s very “necessary” by any reasonable person’s definition alright
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Jul 12, 2023 22:09
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Gotta love the optics of the SAG-AFTRA President jetting off to Italy for a photo op with Kim Kardashian on the eve of negotiations: https://twitter.com/gennefer/status/1678535511491727361 And apparently that Deadline story did not go over as expected: https://twitter.com/joerussotweets/status/1679178536677183489 https://twitter.com/joerussotweets/status/1679232501993316352
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Jul 12, 2023 22:48
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I want to peek into a world where studio excs make an entire movie. Zero creatives. Just suits. I just wanna see what horrible things they make.
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Jul 12, 2023 22:56
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CelticPredator posted:I want to peek into a world where studio excs make an entire movie. Zero creatives. Just suits. I remember the story about a Harriet Tubman biopic being pitched in the 90s, and one exec wanted Julia Roberts for Tubman; "It happened a long time ago, no one remembers what she looks like."
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Jul 13, 2023 03:36
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Reminds me of this 
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Jul 13, 2023 03:44
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zer0spunk posted:Yeah, SAG won't join this, about as shocking as finding out the nanny was anti vaxx. DGA is more important honestly in terms of support. Bumping this dead thread for reasons that should be obvious
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Jul 13, 2023 11:34
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https://twitter.com/DiscussingFilm/status/1679400852937637888 1) you gotta gently caress up bad as a studio/exec to push them to this 2)  that the directors were the only ones that didn't strike. Took the first deal they could and now everyone else is going to actually get the real benefits3) got some Extremely bad news for those petty studios and execs if they think they can win by making the actors starve now too
Chris James 2 fucked around with this message at 11:53 on Jul 13, 2023 |
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Jul 13, 2023 11:40
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Chris James 2 posted:3) got some Extremely bad news for those petty studios and execs if they think they can win by making the actors starve now too Yeah, people pay actors untold amounts of money for publicity and now they're going to do their own for free it's insane that studio execs thought they should get to this point.
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Jul 13, 2023 15:46
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VAGENDA OF MANOCIDE posted:Yeah, people pay actors untold amounts of money for publicity and now they're going to do their own for free Not if you consider that union breaking is their paramount obsession, above even profit.
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Jul 13, 2023 16:32
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https://twitter.com/BenjaminCrew1/status/1679486563535790080
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Jul 13, 2023 16:38
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CelticPredator posted:I want to peek into a world where studio excs make an entire movie. Zero creatives. Just suits. World War Z? "Its a book? Who do we have as main lead? What do you mean there is none. We need sex appeal! Get us that Brad Damon fellow as lead."
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Jul 13, 2023 17:01
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SilentChaz posted:Gotta love the optics of the SAG-AFTRA President jetting off to Italy for a photo op with Kim Kardashian on the eve of negotiations: If I hear one more person say "there was an episode of The Nanny where she refused to cross a picket line!" I'm gonna scream.
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Jul 13, 2023 17:06
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Pirate Jet posted:SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher (yes, the same one) refuses to commit to a SAG-AFTRA strike in solidarity, claiming “I don’t think what’s very important to writers… is the kind of stuff we’re going after” Speaking as someone who works under, for, and with unions, none of these quotes are surprising at all. For example, the NEA (largest single labor union, and one of teachers and other educators) has a public position of being against the covid vaccine mandate. This is really a result of having a general position of being against imposed working conditions that are not bargained for. (Antivaxxers push for it, but the union has to consider and take a position based on labor rights etc.) Of course the members probably have a higher vaccination rate than just about any other subpopulation, but that's not the point. VAGENDA OF MANOCIDE fucked around with this message at 17:18 on Jul 13, 2023 |
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Jul 13, 2023 17:13
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Take away their movies, make it sting
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Jul 13, 2023 17:23
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Disney CEO Bob Iger says writers and actors are not being "realistic" with strikes: "It's very disturbing to me"quote:During an appearance on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Thursday morning, Disney CEO Bob Iger said that the writers and actors unions going on strike in Hollywood are not being “realistic” with their expectations. https://twitter.com/yayforzig/status/1679502095244996609 (This was the easiest tweet to find from a writer in response to what Iger said. I know there are others.)
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Jul 13, 2023 18:06
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IMO CEOs need to temper their expectations
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Jul 13, 2023 19:13
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SilentChaz posted:Disney CEO Bob Iger says writers and actors are not being "realistic" with strikes: "It's very disturbing to me" When you can easily make more money writing erotica online versus writing for a marvel show, you know the system is a screwed. (Not that she hulk was very good, but that doesn’t matter. They should be paid better).
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Jul 13, 2023 19:17
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https://twitter.com/FilmUpdates/status/1679557618304426002?s=20 It's happening.jpg
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Jul 13, 2023 19:48
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Confusedslight posted:https://twitter.com/FilmUpdates/status/1679557618304426002?s=20 I know the directors guild isn't on strike but presumably Nolan's a member of the writer's guild, should Nolan be doing press events?
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Jul 13, 2023 21:01
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JoylessJester posted:I know the directors guild isn't on strike but presumably Nolan's a member of the writer's guild, should Nolan be doing press events? Should is a big word here. He’s a top 5 everything so rules don’t really apply to him. (I mean they do and don’t). Since the directors guild came to an agreement, he can in theory just talk about the director stuff anyway.
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Jul 13, 2023 22:40
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JoylessJester posted:I know the directors guild isn't on strike but presumably Nolan's a member of the writer's guild, should Nolan be doing press events? I guess it would depend on the strike rules set forth by the WGA. I know a lot of writer/actors were still on set and/or doing press, just not doing writing duties.
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Jul 13, 2023 22:42
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Nolan was on the picket line for the writer's strike at least https://twitter.com/FilmUpdates/status/1655723734509162496?s=20
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Jul 13, 2023 23:03
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https://www.tiktok.com/embed/7255095974845271342
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Jul 13, 2023 23:03
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Yeah I think specifically it's SAG striking that means they can't do promotion work, maybe they see it as more part of the job (which makes sense.)
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Jul 13, 2023 23:06
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https://twitter.com/DEADLINE/status/1679533243299684365 The Hollywood pres corp has always been in the tank for management, but they are not even trying to hide it anymore.
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Jul 13, 2023 23:18
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Nucleic Acids posted:https://twitter.com/DEADLINE/status/1679533243299684365
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Jul 14, 2023 00:11
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Vegetable posted:These Twitter community notes work so well, try reading them I’m pretty sure Nucleic Acids is referring to Variety as being in the tank by selectively editing Damon’s quote, not referring to Damon himself.
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Jul 14, 2023 00:35
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My bad I am stupid
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Jul 14, 2023 00:43
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Maxwell Lord posted:Yeah I think specifically it's SAG striking that means they can't do promotion work, maybe they see it as more part of the job (which makes sense.)
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Jul 14, 2023 00:45
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Okay go ahead and post how long you think the strike will last. My guess 6 weeks. Also you should rename the thread.
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Jul 14, 2023 04:36
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Fran Drescher continues to be a mega babe.
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Jul 14, 2023 05:09
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Nucleic Acids posted:https://twitter.com/DEADLINE/status/1679533243299684365 I wonder why https://twitter.com/tansyclipboard/status/1679652381599100930?t=FoFPV4fzd6cj0NRVKKLJHQ&s=19
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Jul 14, 2023 06:26
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Hollismason posted:Okay go ahead and post how long you think the strike will last. My guess 6 weeks. Also you should rename the thread. You could've renamed it! My guess is 3 months.
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Jul 14, 2023 09:11
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MacheteZombie posted:You could've renamed it! 3 months is like entirely empty quarters in 2024-25 for movies and nothing but reality for streaming and tv. Or I guess I hope you enjoy foreign media. A deal will have to be struck by then.
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Jul 14, 2023 09:34
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