2023-07-21 13:59:18
“The actors’ strike? It’s a big boost for morale! », believes the actress Emelle, a broad smile on her lips. Installed with her sign in front of one of the entry points of the Warner studios in Burbank, near Los Angeles, the actress – who notably starred in the series Mad Men – says he exploded with joy when his union, the powerful SAG-Aftra, decided to join, on July 13, the 11,500 screenwriters on strike since May 2. “We are about 160,000 in the Screen Actors Guild, a union that weighs heavily in Hollywood! For the studios, this is very bad news. Without us, it’s impossible to run the machine.” notes the actress.
Like thousands of other industry professionals, Emelle has been braving the heat wave that has swept through Los Angeles for the past week to go every morning to the pickets that block the entrance to the main studios and streaming platforms, from HBO to Amazon via Paramount.
Professionals are demanding an increase in their remuneration, and in particular an increase in so-called residual broadcasting rights from streaming. They also demand guarantees concerning the studios’ use of artificial intelligence, which they deem capable of replacing them in the long term.
Heavy losses for studios and actors
This double strike is a blow for the major Hollywood studios, which are now forced to suspend all ongoing film and series projects. The announcement of the actors’ work stoppage in mid-July thus abruptly interrupted the filming of several blockbusters in progress, such as Gladiator 2 by Ridley Scott or Beetlejuice 2 by Tim Burton. The Emmy Awards ceremony, which awards the small screen awards, scheduled for September 18, could also be postponed.
The cost of social movement is particularly high for big-budget shoots: according to a studio boss who confided in the American magazine Varietysome productions have to pay up to $600,000 (€530,000) a week to keep their film sets where all the costumes and sets for their current projects are stored.
“At some point, it’s going to get so financially painful for producers that studios may be forced to negotiate, probably within two or three months. », notes Sanjay Sharma, professor of economics at the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California (USC). “The strikers will not back down. The stakes are too high.” analyzes the expert who estimates that the social movement could cost more than 2 billion per month to the studios.
Food jobs and solidarity funds
For the strikers, the financial sacrifice is also very important. “For many young people, it is complicated. Some take their lunch on the pickets where food is distributed, because they no longer have the means to do their shopping,” says screenwriter JT Allen, a member of the Writers Guild of America (WGA). This union also provides a certain number of its members with “zero interest loans” that they are not “never really forced to repay”.
“Most of us normally survive on food jobs. In case of work stoppage, it can be a crutch, explains Jacob Reed, a young director who supports the movement. To complete, some also have recourse to solidarity funds. »
“In Los Angeles, calls for help tripled in May compared to the months before the writers’ strike », says Keith McNutt, West Coast director of the Entertainment Community Fund, a support fund for industry professionals founded in 1882, backed by Hollywood figures like directors Jeffrey J. Abrams and Shonda Rhimes. “We have already paid 1.7 million dollars (1.5 million euros) to more than a thousand people, note Keith McNutt. And we expect requests to continue to soar in the months ahead. »
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