Business
Writer’s Strike Finally Reaches an End
On May 2nd, the Writers Guild of America called on their 11,500 members to strike in order to pressure studios like Disney and Netflix to better protect their members from decreased residuals from streaming services and the encroaching threat of artificial intelligence (A.I.) replacing their skills.
Two months later, on July 15th, the WGA’s cause got a huge boost when they were joined by the 65,000 film and television actors of SAG/AFTRA (Screen Actor’s Guild/American Federation of Television and Radio Artists).
Film and television productions across North America ground to a halt as production companies had no scripts to work with. As weeks turned into months, the impasse between the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers seemed to only be getting wider.
But this week, after 146 days on the picket lines, those negotiations finally came to an end, with three internal WGA boards voting unanimously to end the strike. Members will have until October 9th to vote on the new contract, which they are expected to approve.
Residuals for overseas streaming will increase 76%, and writers will receive bonuses from streaming services based on percentages of active subscribers. This bonus is designed to reward programs that become hits. The WGA says the contract’s enhancements are worth an estimated $233 million per year.
The contract also specifies that studios cannot use A.I. tools to rewrite original material. Studios had at first refused to engage on the A.I. issue, saying too little was known about the technology. This was one of the original reasons for the strike call.
Until the actors’ guilds come to their own agreement, productions will continue to be on hold. Over 200,000 film workers will remain idle, shutting down hubs across North America, including in Vancouver and Toronto.
Toronto filmmaker Bardya Ziaian understands the potential for A.I. to change the culture of filmmaking. As a producer who’s shifted into film after a career in financial technology, he’s seen firsthand the seismic shifts that can occur within an industry dealing with new tech innovations.
“I think it’s important for the unions and the studios to have this frank discussion about the implications of integrating A.I. into the creative process,” says Ziaian. “In fintech, there have been many instances where new innovations are launched and the results play out haphazardly, with many players suffering unforeseen consequences, while others see huge profits that are perceived as skewed or unfair. The balance shifts in ways that are hard to predict, and that’s absolutely what’s occurring in real time with A.I. and the film industry. So I applaud the unions for forcing this conversation before the wave of experimentation hits them.”
Prem Gill, CEO of Creative BC, says normally the region would have around 40-50 active productions, but right now, that number is around a dozen.
Ziaian says Canadian film workers have been “devastated” by the strike, particularly coming on the heels of the two-year-long pandemic which shut down most productions.
“It’s great to see things start to kick into gear again,” says Ziaian. “At Bardya Pictures, we fought through the pandemic as best we could, trying to keep our crews and actors at work when other avenues were shut down for them. We’ve seen firsthand how hard it’s been for them, and this strike has just piled on to that pain. But this week, we’re seeing lots of writers’ rooms start back up. Sets are getting built, offices are re-opening. It’s great news for the Canadian film industry.”
The fight to control A.I. was the driving force behind the strike for many guild members. For now, they’ll have to hope that their union has done enough to protect them.