Actors' strike

[Anonymous]

I’ll admit I had little patience for the actors’ strike until I read this article about how poorly the Orange is the New Black cast was compensated. These actors were working on a hit show that was critically acclaimed and made Netflix millions, and they still had to keep their day jobs to cover 5 am cab fare to the set. Insane.

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/notes-on-hollywood/orange-is-the-new-black-signalled-the-rot-inside-the-streaming-economy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The studios used to sign the actors to only work for them and paid a salary. The studio picked the movies they did. Actors wanted more flexibility in the work they did and found out they could make more being independent.

So basically if you’re an A/B lister you can probably be independent and make more money. Maybe the little guys need to be contractual employed.

The idea is well meant, but will never fly, nor should it. There's no such thing any more like the studio system you're referencing. That is long since gone. No one is going to create a stable of contract actors who are basically on retainer to act only in one studio's productions--that would

(1) cost money the studios/production companies don't want to spend;
(2) limits the ability of producers and directors and casting directors to make creative choices of their own re: casting--yes, even for the smallest roles or extras; and (3) yokes actors who aren't already what you call "A/B listers" to one employer, and whatever roles that one employer does (or does not) hand to them.

Actors could be tied to a contract for unspecified future roles and wouldn't be allowed to audition for other roles outside that studio, unless there were special negotiations etc. Not going to happen--the studios, directors/producers/casting and actors all would fight it. And no one's proposing it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ll admit I had little patience for the actors’ strike until I read this article about how poorly the Orange is the New Black cast was compensated. These actors were working on a hit show that was critically acclaimed and made Netflix millions, and they still had to keep their day jobs to cover 5 am cab fare to the set. Insane.

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/notes-on-hollywood/orange-is-the-new-black-signalled-the-rot-inside-the-streaming-economy

People should read this article. It's eye-opening, folks.

It also dovetails with the writers' situation, where they are opening checks that are for pay in the dozens of dollars....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ll admit I had little patience for the actors’ strike until I read this article about how poorly the Orange is the New Black cast was compensated. These actors were working on a hit show that was critically acclaimed and made Netflix millions, and they still had to keep their day jobs to cover 5 am cab fare to the set. Insane.

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/notes-on-hollywood/orange-is-the-new-black-signalled-the-rot-inside-the-streaming-economy

People should read this article. It's eye-opening, folks.

It also dovetails with the writers' situation, where they are opening checks that are for pay in the dozens of dollars....

I agree they aren’t compensated enough in this situation, but they knew that when they took the job. Acting is a profession where supply of labor way exceeds demand. If they weren’t happy with their pay they should choose another job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I say let Hollywood go on strike for a long long time. We can happily do without them.

+100

If another movie based on a comic book is delayed, I won’t lose any sleep

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do we think anyone will cross the picket line? If so, who?

Non-union employees.

Crossing the picket lines is too much of a risk for union members. Film and television, especially on the production side, is a word-of-mouth industry. If word gets out that someone worked as a scab, they are likely to have a hard time getting work in future.

Not only that, SAG just dropped the rules for Influencers this morning. Lots of restrictions there including for those who aren't SAG members today but who might like to become one in the future (e.g. it won't happen if you break the rules).

As someone who lives in Los Angeles, this strike is very close to home and I sympathize and support my fellow parent friends who work in this industry and have been out on the picket lines. It is needed. I'm not going to write an article on why, there are plenty out there to read.

Art matters. IP/likeness matters. Wages matter.

I would not want any of my favorite films/TV shows or songs to be written and performed by machines Its eye opening to see how many people see no value in the hard work (and by and large, underpayment) of those in the performing arts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I say let Hollywood go on strike for a long long time. We can happily do without them.

+100

If another movie based on a comic book is delayed, I won’t lose any sleep

It says more about you that those are the only movies that break through to you. I've seen 20 new films in theaters this year, one was a comic book movie (The Flash). Not including films I've streamed at home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do we think anyone will cross the picket line? If so, who?

Non-union employees.

There aren't any non-union folks in the film industry. There are a lot of folks who are trying to break into film production. Crossing the picket line will kill any chance they might have

IATSE member here and this isn't true at all. My jurisdiction is in a right-to-work state and while we ideally hire members from our roster first, we often need such a high volume of workers in such a concentrated time that we hire non-union people regularly in plentiful work times. Because the show has a contract with our union these employees still have dues deducted from their paychecks and everything about their work situation operates under our rules, but in exchange they get benefits paid into an account by the movie just like all the union members.

One of my co-workers and friends is on our board and I've had many conversations with her about hiring non-union members and she says she makes it a point to let the young guys try out working with us for a movie or two before she starts to put any pressure on them about joining.

Additionally, in the city I live in there are two Bravo reality shows filmed and neither operates with an IATSE contract. There are several HGTV home flipping type shows in the area that don't either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do we think anyone will cross the picket line? If so, who?

Keep in mind that there are shows being made all over the country and actual picket lines in very few, only high-profile, high-visibility areas.

The show my spouse was working on continued production from the time the writers' strike started until the actors' strike began as its an episodic that had completed episodes. IATSE members, per our contract, are not actually allowed to strike just because the other unions are on strike. Crossing an actual physical picket line is a different, personal choice, but no one had to make that choice as the writer's union did not send anyone to our lowly state to actually picket at any point during the production.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ll admit I had little patience for the actors’ strike until I read this article about how poorly the Orange is the New Black cast was compensated. These actors were working on a hit show that was critically acclaimed and made Netflix millions, and they still had to keep their day jobs to cover 5 am cab fare to the set. Insane.

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/notes-on-hollywood/orange-is-the-new-black-signalled-the-rot-inside-the-streaming-economy

People should read this article. It's eye-opening, folks.

It also dovetails with the writers' situation, where they are opening checks that are for pay in the dozens of dollars....

I agree they aren’t compensated enough in this situation, but they knew that when they took the job. Acting is a profession where supply of labor way exceeds demand. If they weren’t happy with their pay they should choose another job.

Re: the bold: This came up in comments to an Instagram post today of the actor Sean Gunn talking about how he was on "Gilmore Girls," which has gone on to stream successfully and make gobs of money for the streamer.

He couldn't have known when he "took the job" many years ago that the series would have this entire second life on streaming, because streaming didn't exist then, or for a long while after. Now the show and others like it have gone on (as far as we know, streamers won't tell) to make new money for new execs who weren't even part of these shows originally. But the faces we see on screen don't see that money. The writers who wrote scripts don't see that money. The content creators aren't seeing it, but execs who simply buy up a "property" and toss it onto a streaming service do see personal profits.

Even if this can't be fixed for actors, like Gunn, who don't get fair compensation for work from long ago -- the SAME setup is still in existence for actors today,. They will be similarly screwed out of residuals. They cannot even point to their shows or films and say, "This is popular so I should be compensated accordingly. " Streaming companies do not do "ratings" like the old broadcast TV days. Streamers do not reveal how popular a show is or isn't. They keep this dark, in part, so that actors (and writers!) on those shows cannot make any argument that they should be paid more for a show that streams more times.

[Anonymous]

I just don’t care enough about that industry and I’m ok with that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just don’t care enough about that industry and I’m ok with that.

If you don't care, why did you feel compelled to write a post? Just to snark at the strike?

Better hope you never end up losing health insurance because your employer won't pay you enough, or you can't find enough work in a gig economy, to keep up a minimum income to qualify for health insurance. That's what many actors face. If you think they're all rich, or even all decently compensated, you're wrong. But you don't care, I'm sure. If you truly don't care, are you still watching TV and films, consuming the work of people you don't give a damn about?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do we think anyone will cross the picket line? If so, who?

Non-union employees.

Crossing the picket lines is too much of a risk for union members. Film and television, especially on the production side, is a word-of-mouth industry. If word gets out that someone worked as a scab, they are likely to have a hard time getting work in future.

Not only that, SAG just dropped the rules for Influencers this morning. Lots of restrictions there including for those who aren't SAG members today but who might like to become one in the future (e.g. it won't happen if you break the rules).

As someone who lives in Los Angeles, this strike is very close to home and I sympathize and support my fellow parent friends who work in this industry and have been out on the picket lines. It is needed. I'm not going to write an article on why, there are plenty out there to read.

Art matters. IP/likeness matters. Wages matter.

I would not want any of my favorite films/TV shows or songs to be written and performed by machines Its eye opening to see how many people see no value in the hard work (and by and large, underpayment) of those in the performing arts.

+1

Eye opening and incredibly sad. Part of the dumbing down of the world, that people see no value in performing arts and creative endeavors (like writing).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do we think anyone will cross the picket line? If so, who?

Non-union employees.

There aren't any non-union folks in the film industry. There are a lot of folks who are trying to break into film production. Crossing the picket line will kill any chance they might have

Netflix will be happy to purchase and air British and Australian content not effected by the strike

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do we think anyone will cross the picket line? If so, who?

Non-union employees.

There aren't any non-union folks in the film industry. There are a lot of folks who are trying to break into film production. Crossing the picket line will kill any chance they might have

Netflix will be happy to purchase and air British and Australian content not effected by the strike

The streamers already pick up the good stuff from around the world. Trust, the mid-tier international content will get old fast. Their budgets are a fraction of the US standard.