Have you ever been watching your favorite show? Only for the writing to fall apart and the plot to unravel? Well, more TV letdowns may be on the table if the proposed Hollywood writers strike goes ahead. Writers from N C I S Marvel and stranger things could all be stepping away from their desks very soon. This is clarified. The Writers Guild of America is the union that represents the almost 10,000 writers who are behind our favorite film and TV shows since late March, the union has been bargaining with representatives of the biggest production companies in Hollywood to update their contract, which is set to expire on May 1st so far, the talks aren't going so well. On April 17th, the W G *** union authorized the strike. 98% of its members voted in favor of the strike if no satisfactory deal is offered by the May 1st deadline, thousands of Hollywood writers will step away from their keyboards. Why are writers considering striking all of us here are writers, the pictures originated with us. They're our ideas but they're owned by the studio. Why should it be able to take the money? Our money that's not too far off. According to W G *** members, Hollywood has prioritized revenue from streaming platforms over compensated writers fairly in the past decade. The median weekly pay for *** writer slash producer has decreased by 4%. And when you take inflation into account, that's *** 23% drop. According to the guild, half of all TV, writers are being paid the minimum allowed by the union contract feature film screenwriters pay also hasn't seen the increase since 2018. Writers are also being paid less to produce the same amount of content. The current contract honors *** time in which TV shows were around 22 episodes long and writers were paid per episode. Now, with streaming shows usually have 10 episodes and those episodes can be *** spectacle like in House of Dragon. This means writers have to stretch their paychecks to last longer before they can move on to other work. Residuals have also been *** large of strife for writers in the streaming age. Residuals are *** form of royalty payments. Writers receive as *** show or film continues to be used. Streaming platforms do not pay residuals based on success like broadcast networks do instead, the payment for writers is agreed regardless of the popularity of the show on their platforms. The writers of Hollywood are demanding change from studios for their next contract. The key demands can be broken down into three categories, compensation and residuals. The union is asking for appropriate payment, increased residuals and increased minimum compensation. The pension plan and health insurance, the W G *** is asking for increased contributions to the writers plans and then improved professional standards, fostering diversity and regulating the use of artificial intelligence. If these demands aren't met by the studios and *** contract can't be reached, the writers will start their strike. The last time this happened was 15 years ago, it had major implications across Hollywood and for viewers at home, the 2007 to 2008 strike lasted 100 days and cost the economy of Los Angeles an estimated $2.1 billion. About 1/4 of all prime time scripted programming was lost. It affected dozens of TV shows driving some into cancellation. Friday night lights lost, breaking *** heroes and gossip girl were just some of the hit shows that were affected. Many shows were forced to end their seasons early with as little as half the number of scheduled episodes. This resulted in some rush storylines, clumsy dialogue and nonsensical season finales. Late night comedy shows were also severely affected too, given their weekly scripting S N L completely shut down showing reruns and eventually it laid off half of its staff. Film was also affected. Though given its longer timeline, it took *** while for viewers to see the impact. Many issues came in the form of rewrites which usually happen on set, led by professional writers without union writers to touch up scripts. Some screenplays were left messy and disorganized in the James Bond movie quantum of solace. The screenplay was rushed out by Paul Haggis just before the strike deadline. Lead actor Daniel Craig was enlisted to help rewrites alongside the director in the absence of Haggis. The film is often ranked as one of the worst of Craig's tenure as 007. If the strike goes ahead, the first thing viewers can expect is the immediate stop of comedy variety shows like S N L, The Tonight Show. And last week tonight, it would also have *** knock on effect with TV. Shows that are set to premiere in the fall without *** writing team to start. Now, many premieres will be delayed. Studios are responding by stockpiling content and speeding up production on existing shows. They're also banking on reality TV, which doesn't require scripting. This indicates that they are preparing themselves for the strike however long that may be.
Clarified: Why are writers striking in Hollywood?
The last time Hollywood writers put down their pens, dozens of shows were cut short and billions of dollars were lost. Now, the writers union is once again gearing up for a strike to demand better pay, which could have big consequences for studios and viewers.
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Updated: 9:57 AM CDT May 2, 2023
Film and television writers are preparing to step away from their keyboards and go on strike if Hollywood studios refuse to meet demands for a new contract by May 1, 2023.The Writers Guild of America is the union that represents almost 10,000 film and television writers. On April 17, the union announced that its members had authorized a strike, with 98% voting in favor, the highest percentage of support yet. The strike also had a record-breaking turnout, with more than 9,000 members participating. The strike is currently due to start on May 1 unless the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, the bargaining body for the studios, come to an agreement.Why is it happening? The writers are demanding better working conditions and fair compensation from the big Hollywood studios. The WGA claims that the studios have taken advantage of the switch to streaming by prioritizing revenue from those platforms over paying the writers fairly. In the past decade, the median weekly pay for a writer-producer has dropped 23% when accounting for inflation, according to the WGA. Now, half of all writers are being paid the minimum amount allowed by the union contracts for their work. Screenwriters also haven’t seen a bump in their salaries since 2018. The switch to streaming also created issues for the traditional payment models. Before streaming, most TV shows would have around 22 episodes per season, and writers would be paid per episode. Now though, shows have far fewer episodes, with an average of around 10 per season. However, writers are still paid per episode, and when TV show episodes are a lengthy and expensive spectacle, like those of Game of Thrones or The Last of Us, making that salary stretch becomes difficult. Residuals are another source of disdain for WGA members. They act as a form of royalty payment for writers' work that continues to be in use. In the broadcast world, residuals were based on the success of the show, meaning the more viewers, the more money they would be paid. In the streaming age, though, writers' residuals are not based on success, meaning the minds behind the biggest performing shows will not be compensated more than those with commercial flops, despite the hits generating big profits for studios. For their next contract, writers are demanding better compensation and residuals, increased payments into the health and pension plans and improved professional standards, including more diversity and inclusion efforts and regulation of artificial intelligence.What happens if they strike?If an agreement isn’t reached by May 1, the strike will begin. This will have massive industry-wide consequences and may affect viewers. The last time a writers strike happened was in 2007-08 and lasted 100 days, costing the Los Angeles economy $2 billion. A fourth of all primetime programming was lost in the strike. Many hit shows were affected, including Gossip Girl, Lost, Friday Night Lights and Breaking Bad. Most affected shows had their seasons cut short dramatically, often resulting in clumsy storylines, bad dialogue and unbelievable circumstances. The strike also affected film, although not as severely given the longer timelines in film production. One of the most affected films was the James Bond film Quantum of Solace. The screenplay was finished just before the strike deadline, but with no writers available for rewrites on set, the leading man Daniel Craig was enlisted to help with writing alongside the director. The Bond film is considered the worst of Craig’s tenure as 007.If the strike goes ahead, viewers can expect an immediate stop to late night comedy shows like SNL, The Tonight Show and Last Week Tonight, given their weekly scripting schedule. Many shows set to premiere in the fall will also likely be pushed back.Studios are preparing for the strike by pushing production and writing deadlines up, stockpiling episodes of shows and investing in unscripted reality television. This indicates they are ready for the strike, however long it may last.
Film and television writers are preparing to step away from their keyboards and go on strike if Hollywood studios refuse to meet demands for a new contract by May 1, 2023.
The Writers Guild of America is the union that represents almost 10,000 film and television writers. On April 17, the union that its members had authorized a strike, with 98% voting in favor, the highest percentage of support yet. The strike also had a record-breaking turnout, with more than 9,000 members participating. The strike is currently due to start on May 1 unless the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, the bargaining body for the studios, come to an agreement.
Why is it happening?
The writers are demanding better working conditions and fair compensation from the big Hollywood studios. The WGA claims that the studios have taken advantage of the switch to streaming by prioritizing revenue from those platforms over paying the writers fairly.
In the past decade, the median weekly pay for a writer-producer has dropped 23% when accounting for inflation, Now, half of all writers are being paid the minimum amount allowed by the union contracts for their work. Screenwriters also haven’t seen a bump in their salaries since 2018. The switch to streaming also created issues for the traditional payment models. Before streaming, most TV shows would have around 22 episodes per season, and writers would be paid per episode. Now though, shows have far fewer episodes, with an average of around 10 per season. However, writers are still paid per episode, and when TV show episodes are a lengthy and expensive spectacle, like those of Game of Thrones or The Last of Us, making that salary stretch becomes difficult.
Residuals are another source of disdain for WGA members. They act as a form of royalty payment for writers' work that continues to be in use. In the broadcast world, residuals were based on the success of the show, meaning the more viewers, the more money they would be paid. In the streaming age, though, writers' residuals are not based on success, meaning the minds behind the biggest performing shows will not be compensated more than those with commercial flops, despite the hits generating big profits for studios.
For their next contract, writers are demanding better compensation and residuals, increased payments into the health and pension plans and improved professional standards, including more diversity and inclusion efforts and regulation of artificial intelligence.
What happens if they strike?
If an agreement isn’t reached by May 1, the strike will begin. This will have massive industry-wide consequences and may affect viewers.
The last time a writers strike happened was in 2007-08 and lasted 100 days, the Los Angeles economy $2 billion. A fourth of all primetime programming was lost in the strike. Many hit shows were affected, including Gossip Girl, Lost, Friday Night Lights and Breaking Bad. Most affected shows had their seasons cut short dramatically, often resulting in clumsy storylines, bad dialogue and unbelievable circumstances.
The strike also affected film, although not as severely given the longer timelines in film production. One of the most affected films was the James Bond film Quantum of Solace. The screenplay was finished just before the strike deadline, but with no writers available for rewrites on set, the leading man Daniel Craig was enlisted to help with writing alongside the director. The Bond film is the worst of Craig’s tenure as 007.
If the strike goes ahead, viewers can expect an immediate stop to late night comedy shows like SNL, The Tonight Show and Last Week Tonight, given their weekly scripting schedule. Many shows set to premiere in the fall will also likely be pushed back.
Studios are preparing for the strike by pushing production and writing deadlines up, stockpiling episodes of shows and investing in unscripted reality television. This indicates they are ready for the strike, however long it may last.
