The Possible Writers Guild Of America Strike of 2023 Explained
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Anyone who says Hollywood is a union town would be correct. Many hard-working directors, writers, and other artists belong to one of the major film unions in the country. These unions ensure that creatives of all skills are well compensated for and not taken advantage of. Over the years, unions negotiate a contract with studios that will last a certain amount of years. These negotiations ensure that the studios can make the art they want to make but in a way that benefits the artist.
As of late, it seems that the studios and the Writers Guild of America, the main union that represents writers in Hollywood, seem to have trouble reaching an agreement between the union and management. If a basic understanding is not in the works by May 2023, there is a high chance that the Writers Guild and other unions might go on strike.
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In the streaming era, the lines of credit and who gets paid for what have become quite muddied. A few years back, there was a dispute between Disney and Scarlett Johansson regarding royalties for the Black Widow movie due to how streaming is different from the theater experience. Contracts and the relationship between studios and those making the art are very much in flux. Streaming is a new frontier and no one knows quite how to compensate each other when it comes to this platform.
Many writers, especially those that work in streaming, are worried that they will not get residual checks because of the way these streaming shows are released. Considering that some streaming services, such as Netflix, tend to release everything all at once or worse, take away shows. No one is quite sure when to pay. Many are also concerned that this new method of releasing everything at once prevents new writers from learning the ropes of production. The amount of content being made exclusively for streaming platforms is also a worry.
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This would not be the first time a major shake-up like this happened in Hollywood. There was a major writers strike in 2007 when the creative industry had a shift. Many shows, like The Office, were forced to shorten their season that year. The character of Jesse, who was meant to die in Season 1 of Breaking Bad got to live instead. When writers go on strike, showrunners may be forced to change storylines as they deal with the disruption in the script-writing process.
Unions are important for writers, artists, and just about any trade. Being able to bargain and unite in a single collective front is good leverage against powerful interests who might take advantage of their craft. Strikes are used as a last resort when workers feel they cannot reach an agreement with their employers. Sometimes these strikes are necessary so that the creative minds behind the movies and shows we want are cared for and compensated. Good art does not require the artist to suffer. These people are both living their dreams but also trying to make a decent living. In this author’s opinion, if a strike is necessary to make sure these workers are well taken care of then I would be happy to wait a little while for my favorite shows and movies to come back if it means creatives are getting their proper compensation for it.
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Source(s): Variety
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