Hollywood labour disputes

pixelburp · 09-09-2023 7:32pm

No one is claiming it's black and white, but it certainly is reductive to claim the striking workers are "refusing to work" - which dilutes the very real concerns and impact the streaming era - and now the potential of AI - can have on roles most at risk from studios' reflexive attempts to screw the proles making their movies in the first place. And of course there are gonna be unreasonable notes in proposals - a union that doesn't go in strong is weak, and weak unions only get walked over.

Clearly, the striking workers don't want to stop working, they're not refusing to work cos they're down a coffee break. I'm sure some will muddle through better than others but there'll be a lot of people who were barely getting by before the strikes. As quoted examples show, even show creators get jipped over steaming rights; the system needs fixing. And as it always is, the workers have to stand up to fashion change - studios won't do it out of the goodness of their hearts.

As to California's funding, that's for Sacramento to work out if the bill becomes law - but I don't reject the proposal on principle either. I'm sure the 5th largest economy in the world (were it a nation ) can figure it out. Proper order though to show support to two unions forced to take drastic action.

~Rebel~ · 09-09-2023 7:44pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121090260#Comment_121090260

"Refusing to work" is a gross oversimplification. And so much of what they're fighting for is for the future members of the industry as much as for themselves. It's something no-one wants to do, but which needs to be done.

As a Californian taxpayer, I'm quite happy for some of my taxes to go to them :)

johnny_ultimate · 09-09-2023 7:59pm

TBH, I’d say it’s pretty damn close to ‘good v evil’. There’s a bunch of megacorp executives with obscene salaries trying to make ever more money at the expense of working people, vs a bunch of people just trying to secure fair compensation and working conditions. Haven’t heard a single argument from the former side that I’d consider worthwhile or reasonable. Writers and actors are entirely in the right, and deserve basic protections while they fight this fight.

silverharp · 10-09-2023 12:08am

I cant help thinking about the British car industry in the 1970's , a dated product, bloated costs and staff unwilling to accept productivity changes. There are all kinds of financial issues with Hollywood related companies, streamers that are debt ridden and have never turned a profit, cinema attendance peaked several year ago, their customers getting peed off with how they pay for content. Its not an industry in a good place.

the other side of this a lot of people will be losing their jobs.

pixelburp · 10-09-2023 7:21am

A big difference is the car industry didn't produce overbudgeted $250 million cars by intent, with the aim to be the world's biggest selling car, or bust. There's nothing like Hollywood "economics". Productivity isn't the problem, and other industries don't transfer as comparators as a result. Whole books have been written and the insanity of budgets - but none of this should effect the conversation about basic respect and recompense for workers generally seen as disposable.

Varik · 10-09-2023 4:25pm

That strike welfare law for California had another attempt in 2019 that was limited to 3 weeks only and that failed this isn't limited and post COVID California's fund for this is in serious debt.

Varik · 10-09-2023 4:31pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121090329#Comment_121090329

None of your taxes go to it, it's from a fund that's 18bn in debt from COVID and payed by employers which is already going to see a huge tax hike for all businesses in the state before any expansion.

A normal person on unemployment is looking for another job, and not waiting to get old job back.

~Rebel~ · 10-09-2023 7:41pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121092876#Comment_121092876

I've no doubt absolutely loads of those actors and writers on strike are working other jobs in the meantime to make ends meet. This would be a protection for those who can't.

Agent Coulson · 13-09-2023 8:24pm

Drew Barrymore being straight out called a scab for announing she will be bringing back her talkshow.

She has also been uninvited to be the host of the National Book Awards because of this.

Penn · 14-09-2023 10:30am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121106633#Comment_121106633

Bill Maher now also scabbing by bringing back his show, but without the pre-written parts like opening monologue etc.

Drew Barrymore I'm surprised at. Bill Maher, I'm not.

BruteStock · 14-09-2023 11:22am

Don't forget the scabs on The View are still scabbing. . Lets include everybody. Inclusion matters!

TheIrishGrover · 14-09-2023 11:27am

I see Marvel VFX workers are striking too. Proper order. Will probably lead to other external VFX groups striking.

The pressure these teams are under is unbelievable. The timeline required for finishing effects decreasing all the time. One only has to look at Ant-Man 3 and, most recently, The Flash to see the impact of rushed effects. The Flash was delayed for about 2 years due to Covid and Ezra Miller's.... uh... activities. But they still did not give this extra time to the VFX teams to complete their work (Because everything was pretty much "done"). The opening 15-20 mins are simply shocking. Ant-Man 3 looks like it's a Spy Kids movie.

I always remember reading an interview with Ang Lee where he was promoting Life of Pi. He was asked how he found working so heavily with Special Effects. To which he replied along the lines of "I wish it was cheaper and faster". The majority of the movie was filmed in a swimming pool. The film won best Cinematography..... 100% digital! Also won best effects but, earlier that week, the FX studio most involved went bust, mainly because of excessive demands by that movie (Typically the company gets a set budget but the demands continuously change but have to be covered by the initial budget. Lee requested that a cloud be moved 3 times in one scene which took days to render)

silverharp · 15-09-2023 7:05am

Seems obvious that people will move on if they can like the daytime shows, there are a lot of blue collar workers that wont benefit from this strike, after several months on strike the unions need to compromise when they got most of what they wanted.

https://twitter.com/billmaher/status/1702112410516254893

Real Time is coming back, unfortunately, sans writers or writing. It has been five months, and it is time to bring people back to work. The writers have important issues that I sympathize with, and hope they are addressed to their satisfaction, but they are not the only people with issues, problems, and concerns. Despite some assistance from me, much of the staff is struggling mightily. We all were hopeful this would come to an end after Labor Day, but that day has come and gone, and there still seems to be nothing happening. I love my writers, I am one of them, but I’m not prepared to lose an entire year and see so many below-the-line people suffer so much. I will honor the spirit of the strike by not doing a monologue, desk piece, New Rules or editorial, the written pieces that I am so proud of on Real Time. And I’ll say it upfront to the audience: the show I will be doing without my writers will not be as good as our normal show, full stop. But the heart of the show is an off-the-cuff panel discussion that aims to cut through the bullshit and predictable partisanship, and that will continue. The show will not disappoint.

JP Liz V1 · 16-09-2023 12:01am

How are some actors are film festivals?

Agent Coulson · 16-09-2023 8:45am

Hollywood millionares like to use there common man back grounds when trying to appear sorry.

Between this and Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis apology video don't show the trappings of your wealth when you want to be the common man.

Bradley Whitfied calling out Drew for her apology video.

https://twitter.com/BradleyWhitford/status/1702786224988320154

johnny_ultimate · 16-09-2023 9:42am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121116831#Comment_121116831

Many productions have been given ‘waivers’ by SAG-AFTRA so actors can promote them as the films are not produced by the studios the strike is focused on. There’s been some minor controversy around what has and hasn’t been given waivers, but in general that’s why.

Also, a couple of prominent actors have been able to attend festivals and give interviews as they’ve produced or directed the films being promoted. TIFF has a lot more ‘directed by *prominent actor*’ titles on the bill than would typically be the case.

Agent Coulson · 17-09-2023 7:02pm

Drew Barrymore has now decided to pause her talkshows comeback till after the strike is over.

I have listened to everyone, and I am making the decision to pause the show’s premiere until the strike is over

I guess she didn't like being called a scab.

pixelburp · 19-09-2023 8:20am

Now Maher has also rolled back on his decision to return to shooting; albeit expressed as a temporary decision while negotiations have resumed. Certainly do hope they can "finally get this done", and the studios stop pretending they're not trying to fúck the vast majority of workers already scrapping by.

https://twitter.com/billmaher/status/1703801159096713583?s=20

Penn · 19-09-2023 8:50am

As much as I agree with his decision to delay bringing his show back, Maher is an utterly spineless pr*ck. He waited for someone else (Barrymore) to bring their show back first then followed in behind her, and then as soon as she backtracks, he very quickly decides to backtrack too rather than become the new target for people's ire about scabs.

Tony EH · 19-09-2023 12:52pm

Maybe Drew and Bill are short of a few bob?

pixelburp · 19-09-2023 12:59pm

TBH, this entire kerfuffle is the first time I've both seen and heard of Maher since his post-911 heyday; who next is gonna appear from the Yesterday's Liberal woodwork? I dunno, ... Keith Olbermann?

BruteStock · 19-09-2023 5:23pm

I guess Barrymore didn't like being bullied by Rosie O Donnell , the spineless grunt who goes after individuals and not groups.

https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/the-view-writers-strike-picketing-abc-whoopi-goldberg-snl-drew-barrymore-show-1234824521/

Maybe the labour unions will support the strikers. After All they donated $26 million to Joe Biden's campaign trail in 2020 and we all know Biden supports strikes and unemployed workers. Right??? lol

https://gizmodo.com/biden-to-coal-miners-learn-to-code-1840735758

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/11/29/business/rail-strike-threat-recedes/index.html

~Rebel~ · 19-09-2023 5:28pm

Yes, the SAG and the WGA unions do indeed support struggling strikers with a strike fund.

who was it that donated the $26m? The WGA? Or SAG?

pixelburp · 19-09-2023 7:41pm

Yeah, the whole point of a Union is that in the case of collective action, the Strike Fund - accumulated through the member fees, donations and so on - is used to supplement the striking workers' lost income. Otherwise strikes would end the moment people's coffers ran dry - including this one. The only reason many can stay on the pocket lines is cos those Funds have them treading water rather than drowning.

Here's a Deadline article outline the exact figures: $6 million since may to just under 3,000 members. Or put another way, 1/500th of a Dial of Destiny budget. And presumably there are those supporting the action who didn't join the Unions; or those with partners who can keep both afloat while the other goes on strike.

https://deadline.com/2023/09/hollywood-strikes-relief-funds-1235524100/

There have been celebrity donations from those who'll feel no financial hardship from the strikes but obviously want to help alleviate the risk of dipping into poverty.

https://deadline.com/2023/09/steven-spielberg-kate-capshaw-strike-donations-1-5-million-1235543445/

Jack Daw · 19-09-2023 8:00pm

Does anyone really miss these shows that have been off the air since the strike began.I get the feeling these strikes could have unintended consequences and instead of jobs being lost to AI they could be lost in the entertainment industry in America because TV networks decide to cut a lot of shows (particularity those pointless nightly late night talk shows) after seeing how little demand there appears to be for their return.

CastorTroy · 19-09-2023 8:35pm

Think I mentioned before, but the last strike was likely the main cause for the cancellation of some newer shows like Pushing Daisies. First season cut short and cancelled during second season, but they at least got to tack on an ending.

But so many series these days seem to have long gaps between seasons that it mightn't affect things too much.

Penn · 20-09-2023 10:17am

Plus given how prominent streaming services are now, people are still able to access a huge amount of shows they've never watched before, rather than having to try rely on dvds or the likes. So a lot of people aren't really missing out on not having new shows yet.

pixelburp · 20-09-2023 10:23am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121131394#Comment_121131394

It happened in 2007 during the last strike, and IIRC some shows have already been canned as a result - though I don't think it was publicly acknowledged as the reason. It's an inevitability that the longer productions are shut down, the more it's likely the window closes for show's timelines to happen.

johnny_ultimate · 20-09-2023 10:44am

TBH I think we're probably still getting a lot of shows and films that would've been filmed pre-strikes, so I think it's only over the coming months that the content drought will really start kicking in. It's interesting seeing the autumn festival line-ups, as there's lots of great stuff coming out over the next six months but notably less high-profile studio stuff than you'd usually see.

As well as some shows or films getting cancelled outright, one of the big consequences of the last strike was a noticeable dip in quality for some high-profile productions - Heroes being the most infamous (although, in hindsight, was it any good in the first place?) - due to lack of on-set writers and/or, for TV shows, suddenly truncated seasons.

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/may/04/2007-writers-strike-bond-movie-heroes

Spon Farmer · 20-09-2023 4:28pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121090377#Comment_121090377

I haven’t heard as single argument from the studios at all, let alone one arhat worthwhile.

I have googled their side but haven’t seen anything about their point of view.

Came here to ask if there was any end in site but scrolling the posts I see there isn’t.

Hollywood labour disputes

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