Entertainment Industry
The Screen Actors Guild is set to go on strike on Hollywood: what this means for the industry
The SAG-AFTRA has finally called on its members to strike, joining the WGA in a fight against corporate Hollywood for the first time in 60 years.
Hollywood is facing one of the most critical moments in its history. And it might seem that we’re exaggerating, but no. For the first time in over 60 years, writers and actors will be on strike at the same time, completely paralyzing all productions in progress. Get ready for a good number of delays and cancellations in the coming weeks unless unions and producers reach an agreement soon. But considering that the writers’ strike is still going strong even though it started on May 2, everything points to the fact that expecting a resolution in the short term is utopian.
The consequences of the actors’ strike
Called by the SAG (Screen Actors Guild, a union that represents almost every actor in the film industry) and with the AFTRA also involved (American Federation of Television and Radio Artists), the strike will affect more than 160,000 professionals in the industry who will not be allowed to take part in productions of series or movies nor promote in any way their respective audiovisual productions. No more interviews and star parades for the different premieres, or conventions like Comic-Con.
Why is there an actors’ strike?
SAG-AFTRA has been negotiating with the AMPTP (the Alliance of Film and Television Producers) for more than a month, with said organization being a representative of companies like Netflix, Warner Bros, and Disney. They wanted to regulate image rights, which until now had not fully covered the streaming phenomenon and also wanted to address the use of artificial intelligence and issues such as the controversial and increasingly common virtual casting calls.
The union’s statement on these last weeks of negotiations has been pretty harsh, stating that the proposals of the AMPTP so far have been “insulting and disrespectful”. SAG AFTRA President Fran Drescher said: “The companies have refused to meaningfully engage on some topics and on others completely stonewalled us. Until they do negotiate in good faith, we cannot begin to reach a deal. We have no choice but to move forward in unity, and on behalf of our membership, with a strike recommendation to our National Board. The board will discuss the issue this morning and will make its decision.”
“The studios and streamers have underestimated our members’ resolve, as they are about to fully discover,” concluded Drescher.
Source | Deadline