The entertainment industry is in a tense moment now that there is talk of a new Hollywood writers strike. Of course, all this matter brings to mind the demonstrations that took place between 2007 and 2008 led by the Writers Guild of America (WGA).
Again, it is this union that leads the actions in favor of fair monetary compensation for the writing teams of various series, movies, and other content. And this is when some will wonder, where does all this come from? Here we explain in detail what is happening.
The WGA approved a writers’ strike in Hollywood
First, it should be noted that the new Hollywood writers’ strike will not take place as such yet. What happens is that the Writers Guild of America held a vote in which a vast majority of its associates were in favor of a possible strike.
The WGA represents nearly 11,500 screenwriters and writers.. Of that amount, close to 80 percent participated in the vote, which translates into a total of 9,200 votes. The balance in favor of the strike is 98 percent of those votes, according to Associated Press.
“Our members have spoken… They have expressed their collective strength, solidarity and the demand for meaningful change in overwhelming numbers”read a statement from the Hollywood Writers Guild.
What is the issue of the possible strike?
The new Hollywood writers’ strike could begin on May 1. That is the date that The collective agreement that the WGA has with the Alliance of Film and Television Producers expires (AMPTP).
This contract is the one that establishes certain working conditions for the writers’ union, the way in which studios and production companies pay writers, among other things.
Currently, the WGA and the AMPTP are renegotiating the collective agreement, but there has been quite a bit of controversy surrounding the renewal. And in that sense, the streaming market has an important interference.
Residual pay for screenwriters
One of the central issues surrounding the Hollywood writers’ strike and the negotiation between the WGA and the AMPTP, is residual pay to writers. And you will wonder what a residual is… This corresponds to the payment that the writers receive each time a piece of content they worked on (series, movie, etc.) is broadcast.
That is, if a chapter of a series is broadcast on a television network or a streaming platform, the writers are paid. Currently, the Hollywood Writers Union mentions that payments are unfair within the work scheme of streaming platforms.
“Writers work longer weeks for less pay… Veteran writers are working for the same money or, in some cases, less money than they were a few years ago., a WGA committee member told The New York Times.
Remember that as of 2020, content for the streaming market took off. The pandemic led the big producers to bet on creating content for streaming services, and since then the trend has continued.
However, for the American Writers Guild, the payment model for writers does not work in the streaming market. And in any case, the profits for its members are going down. Before the broadcast era, writers they received a substantial payment when distribution licenses were granted for series or films in which they had worked.
But unlike conventional TV networks or production companies, streaming platforms don’t license their original content to other distributors. And this makes residual payments lower. It is a fixed residual, which according to the WGA, decreases.
And in a broader picture, the WGA also mentions that the pay of the writers is much less compared to the bloated budgets of today’s productions.
The ‘minirooms’ and artificial intelligence
Another trend that the Writers Guild of America questions, they are called ‘minirooms’. Film, TV and streaming production companies are said to bring together small groups of writers who are asked to develop scores of scripts.
The thing is to generate many ideas for possible future content, but without the certainty that they will be acquired by the studios or platforms. That is to say, a miniroom works almost under the table creating stories, and many of these will probably not materialize on the screen. It is doing a lot of work without the certainty that there will be financial retribution.
The mini rooms are the counterpart of the writers rooms of a production in the form. Writers rooms function as part of an official organization chart for a series or movie that is already in production, while minirooms are a creative team that is working ‘underground’ contributing ideas that may or may not be scrapped.
The trend of minirooms is notorious in the media, as we regularly see news from certain streaming platforms that “would already work on a series about such a thing.” The same news is later confirmed when it is said that ‘this project has already received the green light’. Those are the minirooms; the teams that are hand-picked, develop the projects of ‘might’ in the industry.
The Hollywood writers’ strike against artificial intelligence
The Writers Union and the Hollywood writers’ strike that is on the horizon also point out that writing work that is done with artificial intelligence should be regulated. Although this method of scripting does not dominate the environment, it the WGA expressed concern about its future use.
“The WGA proposal to regulate the use of material produced with artificial intelligence or similar technologies, ensures companies can’t use AI to undermine writers’ work standards“read a March statement (via Deadline).
Above all, the Syndicate mentions that the majority use of AI would mean that the work of the writers would reach a point of undervaluing it. For now, negotiations between the WGA and the AMPTP continue, with May 1 as the deadline to see if the collective agreement is renegotiated in a good way or if the Hollywood writers’ strike is launched.
