After 118 hard-fought days of protesting and picketing, the famous actors and writers of Hollywood have ended their strike. The strike started officially on July 14, 2023 and came to a close on Nov. 8, 2023. The union S.A.G. AFTRA was working towards making the work environment and experience safer and more accommodating to those who work vigorously to produce some of today’s most popular entertainment. They have also established new contracts with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).
The tentative contracts shocked many when released due to the bare minimums now being promised to the actors and writers of S.A.G. AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.) When asked for her thoughts on the strike ending, former Television Production and Communications teacher and new Vice Principal Amanda Colangelo stated, “I think strikes are tools that professional groups use to communicate inequities – whether it be pay or time or another type of disparity -so no, this does not come as a shock to me.” She also believes that it will draw attention to the core of what the strike is about, especially since this strike involves both writers and actors.
The new contracts are revealed to include better wages for actors with an increase of 7% effective immediately and gradually increase by 4% in July of 2024. Although some actors have aquired enough fame and wealth to not need the increase, the union has a lot of up-and-coming actors whom’s finances rely heavily on a salary. Therefore, actors who have participated in large productions and haven’t found work since before the pandemic are struggling greatly. During the peak of the strike, over 45,000 jobs were lost and an estimated $6.5 billion were lost in the economy of Southern California, the entertainment capital of the world. In addition, the contracts summed together will cost the AMPTP over $1 billion in new compensation; however, this is not as much money as it is portrayed to be. The actor union includes actors such as Viola Davis and Tom Hanks, and although they can most likely survive without a salary bump, they are huge names in the industry and should be compensated for their talent and dedication.
Moreover, the contracts state that actors will be given a “success payment” from their works being streamed. This will almost certainly benefit them significantly because streaming services have taken over how most people watch their favorite movies and television shows. The actors will now also have access to the viewer statistics of their works. This information is quite relevant and sensitive because their bonuses are decided by a carefully calculated success metric.
Additionally, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) has been proposed more frequently in the film industry and actors were not pleased by this. Thankfully, the terms of the contract stipulate that there will be a limit on the use of AI and actors will be compensated for the use of their face and voice. Shockingly, they will be paid their usual wages for the amount of time their digital replica is being used. At Becton Regional High School, there is a TV Production and Communications course formerly taught by Mrs. Amanda Colangelo. When asked if she approves the use of AI being included in the course, she divulged, “I do because I don’t think we have a choice! I think we may as well welcome AI and learn how it can benefit us since it looks like it’s going to be around for a while… and continue to get smarter! I would certainly welcome the idea of AI being used as a tool in class, especially Film and TV. If this is where the future of film or animation is going, we may as well prepare our students for the future.”
Furthermore, actors will be compensated for any kind of relocation that the production of their work requires of them. This is very fortunate because if an actor is living in Los Angeles and needs to be in New York City to film a movie, they will no longer need to spend additional money traveling. Many Netflix Originals are filmed in Canada and some productions require actors to travel out of the country, but thankfully, now they will be reimbursed.
Although most people are elated to hear about the strike coming to a conclusion, many of their favorite television shows and movies have stopped being produced or have been postponed. Some of these include “Deadpool 3” starring Ryan Reynolds, Walt Disney’s live action “Snow White” staring Rachel Zegler, “Spider-Man: Beyond the Spiderverse” staring Shameik Moore.
Ultimately, the contract has made conditions for actors much more forgiving and will hopefully be renewed when it is terminated. At Becton, there is a lot of talent and hopefully the more polished contracts will encourage those interested in acting and screenplay to keep reaching for the stars!
Sources:
- https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sag-aftra-contract-deal-agreement-actors-ai/
- https://www.themarysue.com/sag-aftra-strike-update-what-the-full-contract-says-about-ai/
- https://www.sagaftra.org/tvtheatricals-contracts-memorandum-agreement-available-review
- https://www.sagaftra.org/files/2023%20SAG-AFTRA%20TV-Theatrical%20MOA_F.pdf
- https://www.vulture.com/article/sag-strike-movies-tv-shows-paused.html
- https://variety.com/2023/biz/news/sag-aftra-full-contract-strike-ai-1235808257/
