In Hollywood, film and series screenwriters on the way to strike – Liberation

2023-05-01 12:58:18

Social protest everywhere

A strike of thousands of American television and film screenwriters is looming Monday in Hollywood for lack of agreement on an increase in their remuneration.

Threat to «late shows» and the series? A strike by thousands of American television and film screenwriters for a pay rise is looming on Monday, May 1, in Hollywood. Main issue: finding an agreement with the studios – including Netflix and Disney – to determine how the screenwriters will be paid for streaming.

Through the voice of the powerful Writers Guild of America (WGA) union, they are demanding an increase in their remuneration and a greater share of the profits generated by streaming. For their part, the studios say they have to cut costs due to economic pressures. If no agreement is reached after midnight local time, the WGA threatens to order strike action.

“Everyone has the impression that there is going to be a strike”

A strike would immediately shut down hit shows, such as «late-night shows», and would significantly delay TV series and movies slated for release this year. The last major social movement in Hollywood dates back to the scriptwriters’ strike which paralyzed the American audiovisual industry in 2007-2008. A 100-day conflict that had cost the sector two billion dollars.

“Everyone has the impression that there is going to be a strike”, said on condition of anonymity a screenwriter for television based in Los Angeles. The screenwriters say they are struggling to make a living from their craft, with salaries stagnating or even falling due to inflation, while their employers are making profits and increasing the salaries of their executives. They believe that they have never been so numerous to work at the minimum wage set by the unions, while the television networks hire fewer people to write increasingly short series.

Streaming

One of the main disagreements is over how screenwriters are paid for streaming series, which on platforms like Netflix often remain visible for years after being written.

For decades, screenwriters have perceived “residual rights” for the reuse of their works, for example during TV reruns or DVD sales. It is either a percentage of the revenue earned by the studios for the film or show, or a fixed sum paid for each rerun of an episode.

With streaming, authors receive a fixed amount each year, even in the event of global success of their work such as series «Bridgerton» or «Stranger Things», viewed by hundreds of millions of viewers worldwide. The WGA calls for the revaluation of these amounts today “far too weak in view of the massive international reuse” of these programs. She also wants to discuss the future impact of artificial intelligence on the screenwriting profession.

Netflix, “only profitable platform”

The studios, represented by the Alliance of Film and Television Producers (AMPTP) point out that “residual rights” paid to screenwriters reached an all-time high of $494 million in 2021, up from $333 million a decade earlier, thanks in large part to the explosion in screenwriting jobs linked to the rise in demand for streaming.

Having been spendthrift in recent years, when rival broadcasters have sought to boost subscriber numbers at all costs, the bosses say they are now under heavy pressure from investors to cut spending and make profits. And they deny pretexting economic difficulties to strengthen their position in negotiations with screenwriters.

“Do you think Disney would lay off 7,000 people just for fun?”, said a source close to the AMPTP. According to her, “There is only one platform that is profitable right now, and that’s Netflix”. The movie industry “is also a very competitive sector”.