2023-07-17 19:11:55
The very powerful actors’ union and its 160,000 members have joined that of screenwriters in the strike to force the producers to bend. A movement that shuts down the entire sector. Explanations.
“The situation could go on for quite a while. The leaders of the studios and the platforms will take us to the edge of the abyss.British actor Brian Cox, when asked about Sky News, is not very optimistic about the rapid resolution of the conflict that is paralyzing Hollywood. For the first time in 63 years, the actors joined the screenwriters on July 14, who have been on strike since May 1. The failure of contract negotiations between SAG-AFTRA – the union which represents actors in Hollywood – and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers – the organization which represents studios such as Amazon, Disney, Paramount or Apple – did not leave no more room for doubt. The movement was voted on Friday and the sector was immediately paralyzed. Screenwriters and actors are demanding salary increases, which have been at half mast since the arrival of streaming and artificial intelligence.
The direct effects of the writers’ strike have already had an impact since May: only scripts completed before the start of the strike could be shot since none have been delivered since. In the world of series, where production is continuous, the second season of the Amazon series Rings of Power prequel to Lord of the Rings, escaped the storyline breakdown. Conversely, the productions of the 5th season of Stranger Things or the 3rd season ofEuphoria are broken.
With the vote for the actors’ strike, practically nothing can come out of the studios today and even when the films or series are in the box, their release is severely handicapped.
No one in front of the camera
During the strike, all actors, extras or even stuntmen members of the union (there are 160,000) are prohibited from passing in front of the camera. This decision cripples films being produced in the United States, but also many of those being shot abroad or even foreign productions. An actor unionized at SAG-AFTRA who works on European projects, for example, is required to stop his activity, under penalty of radiation.
All American-produced feature films featuring unionized actors are therefore on hold. This is the case of Gladiator 2 , directed by Ridley Scott and worn by Denzel Washington and Pedro Pascal, although the team is touring Morocco. Two-thirds of the sequences are already in the box, but the project has come to a halt. In London, the filming of Beetlejuice 2 , directed by Tim Burton and starring Wyona Ryder, was also not completed. others blockbusters are also affected as Deadpool 3worn by Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, or even Spider Man 4 with Tom Holland.
Read alsoHollywood actors join screenwriters in an unprecedented strike
The situation is also critical for television. The sector was also a victim of the screenwriters’ strike, but now it risks finding itself all the more weakened. With a few exceptions though. According to Variety , the filming of season 2 of House of the Dragon in the United Kingdom should be preserved because the local legislation, one of the most restrictive in trade union matters, prohibits strike movements in solidarity with movements abroad.
Prohibitions that go beyond the trays
If the actors can no longer shoot, their obligations are not limited to that: they have no more the right to shoot than to sing, to dance, to do dubbing or voice connections, to appear in documentaries , to record the audio tape of an audio description or to lend their voice to cartoons or puppet shows. All preliminary stages of a film are also banned during the strike. This includes make-up try-ons, costume fittings, rehearsals, camera try-outs, stunt and action practice, recording of promotional and theatrical trailers, audio descriptive services (unless they are covered by another collective agreement) or even photo shoots.
Promotion and advertising services
Actors Robert Downey Jr, Emily Blunt and Florence Pugh leave the red carpet at the Oppenheimer film premiere in London the minute a strike was voted on. PA Photos/ABACA
The previews at which the actors are expected are also banned. Thursday evening, a rare scene took place during the first broadcast ofOppenheimer in London. Actors of the film Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Demon and Florence Pugh abandoned director Christopher Nolan on the red carpet, in solidarity with the unions. Because at this moment, on the other side of the Atlantic, the strike of the actors was about to be voted. Added to this is the ban on attending festivals, tours or conventions. It is certain that there will be no stars of the big series of the moment like The Boys at Comic Con in San Diego at the end of the week. And concerns are growing for the Venice Film Festival at the end of August. How to mount a festival without its procession of American stars? The preview screening of Napoleon of Ridley Scott, strongly anticipated, seems more and more illusory. Just like the poster for the Deauville festival in September. Same concern in the world of series with the September Emmy Awards which could be postponed to better days.
Read alsoMatt Damon and Emily Blunt leave Oppenheimer premiere the second the strike is called
This is not the only constraint. Although actors can use their social networks for personal purposes or for related topics, they can no longer use it to promote their film projects. Additionally, comedians can no longer record podcasts or accept interviews about their latest or upcoming films. The various interviews available concerning Barbie , Oppenheimer or Mission: Impossible 7 were carried out before the start of the strike. This does not prevent Fran Drescher, the very powerful president of SAG-AFTRA, from denouncing the behavior of the studios: she accuses them of having gained as much time as possible in the negotiations to allow them the leisure to promote these three major summer outings.
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