Discussions between Hollywood producers and screenwriters are still at a standstill as the strike has just passed the 100th day threshold. The Emmy Awards ceremony had to be postponed.
The anger does not weaken in the Hollywood studios. This Wednesday, August 9, the screenwriters’ strike crossed a symbolic threshold: the 100th day has been passed. This movement has paralyzed the production of films and series in the United States for more than three months now. The latter are demanding the revaluation of their remuneration, in particular on streaming platforms.
“It is not finished”
On May 2, the Writers Guid of America, the powerful screenwriters union, announced the suspension of activities. These are 11,500 striking screenwriters who are mobilizing so that their income is increased in the face of the profits recorded by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), representing the interests of producers and major studios, explains 20 minutes.
With the emergence of streaming platforms, the rebroadcast rights related to the exploitation of television series and films abroad are circumvented. The screenwriters consider the “residual rights” (streaming equivalents) to be too low. They also want to obtain guarantees regarding the use of artificial intelligence (AI), to prevent the latter from generating scripts or cloning their voice and image.
July 13 was the second turning point in this unprecedented social movement. On this date, it is the actors who join the strike initiated by the screenwriters several months earlier. The claims are similar, pointing to an unequal industry when it comes to pay conditions. An unprecedented double social movement not seen in Hollywood since 1960.
Figures of the seventh art such as Jennifer Lawrence or Meryl Streep appear publicly and thus position themselves in favor of the strike. SAG-AFTRA, the actors’ union, raised no less than $15 million with the help of a support fund, to which Matt Damon, Leonardo Di Caprio and George Clooney contributed. As a result, the release of films is delayed, the filming of series like Stranger Things is suspended. It’s the whole cinema that is at a standstill.
On August 4, possible discussions between the writers and the actors were to resume, but the dialogue fell short. “The refusal to seriously consider the screenwriters’ reasonable proposals has made the WGA strike last for 100 days, and it’s not over,” the union told AFP on Wednesday.
A four-month postponement
Due to the strike, the postponement of the Emmy Awards ceremony, which was originally scheduled for September 18, was announced at the end of last month. But no new date had been communicated at the time.
This Thursday, August 9, the organizers of the most prestigious American television awards have announced that it will take place with a four-month postponement. This modification was clarified by the Fox channel and the Television Academy, in a joint press release.
“We are pleased to announce that the 75th Emmy Awards will be broadcast on Monday, January 15, 2024,” said a spokesperson for the American television channel Fox, which broadcasts the ceremony. The last postponement of the ceremony dates back to 2001, the attacks of September 11 had forced the organizations to move this date.