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SAG-AFTRA Elects to Go On Strike, What This Means

randazzojj123

Welcome back to the blog readers. As you could probably tell by the title, this will not be one of my usual posts where I review or react to something. You may have heard that the Screen Actors' Guild was not able to reach a deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, or the AMPTP, and that a strike would be authorized; and the decision to strike was made public on July 13th at 12pm PT. So I wanted to discuss with you some of the main issues that the actors brought to the table, and what this means for the entertainment industry that is already suffering.


First, I wanted to discuss what has been going on with the Writer's Guild of America, or the WGA. On May 2, the WGA were not able to strike a deal with the AMPTP, and began a strike that is currently still ongoing. That strike put late night shows to rest, along with a bunch of other films like Community: The Movie, Good Fortune, It Ends With Us, and Unstoppable, and the remaining Phase 5 and 6 MCU films not including Captain America: Brave New World and Deadpool 3 (both 2024); and series like Stranger Things, Blade Runner 2099, The Boys, Daredevil: Born Again, Euphoria, The Last of Us, The Mandalorian, Peacemaker, The Penguin, Severance, Wonder Man, and Yellowjackets. It does not look like we will have a resolution anytime soon, because apparently the producers want to bleed the writers dry, which would force them to come back and accept a bad deal just so they can make some money. The main goals of the writers are to increase job funding and security for writers, to increase the size of writers' rooms, and to limit the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the writing process. The AMPTP were either noncommittal on these issues or they flat out refused to negotiate on them. And the longer this strike lasts, the larger effect it will have on the industry. This is the first time the writers took to the picket lines since 2007-08, when that strike lasted only 100 days.


Now unfortunately, it appears as if the actors are headed down the same path. Their deal with the AMPTP expired at midnight PT on July 13, and the board voted to authorize a strike that is currently ongoing. Now you might be asking yourself what this means, and I will tell you. It means that the nightmare has become a reality, and the cataclysm has arrived. Now in addition to there being no scripts written, there are no projects involving SAG-AFTRA being filmed at all. Films like Gladiator 2, Deadpool 3, Mortal Kombat 2, Beetlejuice 2, Avatar 3 and 4, Wicked, and Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part Two have already halted production, and we could hear of more victims of the strike in the coming days and weeks. And some productions are not affected due to one circumstance or the other. For example, House of the Dragon does not employ SAG actors, and therefore does not have to halt production (although them and their union can show their support for striking actors). Dune: The Sisterhood is another production that will actually see its filming resume after a long hiatus due to that series being under contract with the British union Equity (the same union that employs House of the Dragon). Dune does have SAG actors, but due to harsh anti-strike laws in England, refusal to work could lead to a lawsuit. The same can be said about the series Industry, so expect that to air in its expected release window.


However, there are other productions that are not affected by the strike due to the fact that they wrapped production before the strike was authorized. Films like Captain America: Brave New World (2024) and series like The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and Agatha: Coven of Chaos were spared, and I am so glad they were. At least we will have something to watch next year; although it may not be much, it is something. And we are going to have to learn to deal with it until the AMPTP decides to get their heads out of their asses.


One of the main concerns surrounding the actors is residuals when it comes to streaming; since the strike started, multiple actors have come out to say that they have not been paid any residuals since the shows they were in were ported to streaming. For example, Sean Gunn said he has not gotten anything since The Gilmore Girls, a series he starred in in the 2000s, was moved to streaming platforms. I believe the actors need to get a little piece of the pie here, the money cannot all go to the higher-ups.


Another major issues for the actors is an issue the writers face: the rising threat of artificial intelligence. All too often, a video will pop up on my TikTok of someone singing a song that they did not write or cover, such as "Bruno Mars" performing "Flowers" by Miley Cyrus, or "Freddie Mercury" and "Selena" performing "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion. It may be fun the first time, but then the videos surface of characters from the children's series SpongeBob SquarePants performing songs ("Plankton" performing "The Sound of Silence" by Disturbed or "Diamonds" by Rihanna for example). I believe artificial intelligence is one of the biggest threats to humanity, because of its destructive capabilities. The reason the actors want it regulated because AI can replicate people's performances and the performer in question cannot be properly compensated. NOTE: I will be using a spoiler for the film The Flash here. If you have not seen the film, skip to Take for example, a recent film. Last month's film The Flash features "cameo appearances" from George Reeves, Christopher Reeve, Adam West and Helen Slater. Mind you, three of the four actors I just listed are dead. So how could they possibly appear in a film? AI. Lena Hall, a cast member on FX's Snowpiercer (2020-present), stated that for the upcoming fourth season of the series, all of the series regulars were scanned and were not told the reason why. Once the studio's proposal became public, she went to Twitter to exclaim that that was why. The studios' proposal for AI involved scanning a background actor for one day's worth of pay, and then using their likeness where and whenever without compensation or consent. That is absolutely disgusting in my opinion, and a show that nobody is taking the threat of AI seriously, and people are in fact embracing it. I really hope one day the higher-ups wake up and realize AI is not all it is made out to be.


On July 13, the day the strike was authorized by SAG-AFTRA, the cast of Oppenheimer (2023) walked out of the London premiere of the film, even though the premiere was pushed an hour forward to get it done before the strike was authorized and put into effect. On July 14, the first day of the strike, a myriad of actors joined the writers on the picket line including Dermot Mulroney, Mandy Moore, Allison Janney, Josh Gad, Sean Astin, Joey King, Yvette Nicole Brown, Susan Sarandon and Jason Sudeikis. Over the duration of the strike, expect a lot more of your favorite actors to either issue a statement like Ron Perlman did, or join the picket lines themselves. And in terms of what the actors cannot do while on strike, it is pretty simple. Actors cannot obviously work on any featured scripted film or television series, but talk shows, game shows, reality television, and sports broadcasts are okay. Actors can use social media, but not to promote any upcoming projects they appear in. A good example of this would be with Blue Beetle (2023) star Xolo Maridueña. After the strike began, he went onto social media to say that although he may not be able to promote the film, the fans of the character and the actor can, and convinced his fans to do so. Actors also cannot do sit-down interviews to promote any projects, and if any were recorded before the strike, must be labeled so to not violate strike protocols. And finally, actors are not allowed to visit any conventions or events, such as next week's San Diego Comic-Con, the biggest convention in the world. SDCC is already feeling the ramifications of the strike, as Legendary has pulled their panel on Dune: Part Two (2023) before the event; and Marvel elected to skip entirely, as did James Gunn of DC Studios.


So the bottom line really is this: the actors are being unfairly treated and decided that enough is enough. It means that they decided that this was the time to fight for what they feel like they deserve, and they will do so no matter how long it takes. For us, the consumers and the fans, it means we will be depraved of most of the content that we love. If we have to deal with a stretch of limited content, it should be worth it knowing that people are standing up and defending their jobs, careers, and honor. We should be grateful that people care, and maybe this will inspire other people to stand up for what they believe in. I know this was not my usual content, of reviewing films and episodes of television, and reporting on other things like award shows. But this is important and affects all of us. And I thank you if you were able to read through this whole thing, and let us hope that the writers and actors come out of this thing with what they were asking for. As for me, I will still be reviewing films and series, as we have two more episodes of Secret Invasion coming up, as well as the films Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One, Barbie and Oppenheimer. Thank you all once again for reading this long post, and I will see you for the next one. Godspeed SAG-AFTRA and WGA. I stand with you.

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