Hollywood screenwriters have been on strike since the beginning of May, and the actors also want to stop work. Now, however, an attempt at conciliation has been agreed.
Before a possible strike by the actors in the USA, those involved have agreed on an attempt at arbitration. The actors’ union SAG-AFTRA responded to a corresponding proposal by the Association of TV and Film Studios AMPTP, it said in a statement. If no agreement is reached by the previously set deadline on Thursday night (11:59 p.m. in Los Angeles, 9 a.m. CEST), a strike is still scheduled.
Among other things, the actors are demanding better remuneration and regulation of the use of artificial intelligence in the industry.
“The Nanny” is the head of the union
The SAG-AFTRA trade union, chaired by actress Fran Drescher (“The Nanny”), has more than 160,000 members, including film and television actors, stunt performers, TV journalists and presenters. The strike would only affect actors and actresses for series and films. It would be binding for all of them, they would not be allowed to work in front of the camera.
Around 65,000 union members took part in a ballot on June 7, and 97.9 percent were in favor of a strike. In addition, stars such as Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, Ben Stiller and Pedro Pascal publicly expressed their solidarity.
Strike would be a hard blow for entertainment industry
A strike would be another severe blow to the entertainment industry in the US, where screenwriters have been walking down the street since May 2nd. Both creative industries are suffering from the fact that although more films and series are being produced, budgets are falling and series are often shot with fewer episodes per season. In addition, unlike on television, repetitions with streaming providers bring lower royalties for the creatives and are independent of the number of viewers.
The scriptwriters’ strike is already having an impact on viewers, for example many late-night shows can no longer be broadcast as usual. According to estimates by US media, films and series could hardly be shot in the event of a double strike.
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
