For those who may be left unaware, picket lines are currently taking over studios such as Universal, Amazon, Disney, etc. These protests are accompanied by writers who have officially gone on strike, putting a halt to their work on scripts for many films and television shows. This is the 2023 Hollywood Writer’s Strike, an event thathasn’t happened since 2007.
With disagreements on how long writers should be on staff, how many writers should be retained, whether there’s still a place for the writer’s room, the ethics of Hollywood implementing artificial intelligence into their production, and most importantly, how much the writers should be compensated for their work, the strike is a hot debate that may not see an end anytime soon.
Here we will break down why Hollywood needs to make an effort to end this strike as quickly as possible. We will be looking back at previous strikes, the precedent they had set, the stances each side has been discussing, and how this strike will affect both the professionals and you, the consumer.
6Renew Progress on Projects
The strike had officially begun on May 2nd, 2023. Since then, many popular projects, such asAbbot Elementary, have had to cease production. This Emmy-Award-winning series was supposed to open its writer’s room the same day the strike was declared and has since stated that due to their normal production schedule, they may begin their new season late and with a smaller episode count.
Streaming originals are not left unaffected asThe Duffer Brothers declaredproduction onStranger Thingsseason four would only continue once the strike is resolved. Marvel has also been impacted, either out of solidarity or circumstances, with pre-production onBladecoming to a halt.
Some shows have either elected to continue production, though with some caveats.Family Guyhas yet to declare a stance at the time of writing, though many key members of the show, including Seth MacFarlane, have stated they will stand in solidarity with the writers. Max’sHouse of the Dragonhas already received scripts, and executive producer Ryan Condal will continue to work on the series though rewrites will be impossible. And the hit Amazon originalThe Rings of Powerwill move forward with production though some producers have stated they will not contribute to the project in solidarity.
5Rewrites Are Inevitable
As briefly mentioned, rewrites are an inevitable and, at times, an essential aspect of the production process. Much likeAbbot Elementary, multiple television shows continue the writing process as episodes are aired on television. Think back to the hit television seriesGlee. Multiple episodes reflected real-life events that had just happened, such as the deaths of Whitney Houston and Corey Monteith. These episodes were released shortly after the real-world events that inspired them, which could only be done by keeping an active writer’s room through the production of the show’s often 26-plus episodic seasons.
Another factor that requires writers to be on hand for rewriter is when it’s decided that an actor is leaving the series. Sometimes these events come up with little to no warning due to an actor’s wish to leave or disagreements that may have arisen. Take Dale Horvath’s (Jeffrey DeMunn) departure fromThe Walking Dead. In the source material, Dale had lived far longer than when he was killed off in the show, and there weren’t plans to deviate from that path initially.
After DeMunn got upset over thedeparture of the original showrunner, he asked to be killed off. And so the production team turned to the writers to rewrite the ending of a late-season episode to kill off a character who likely was set to have a long-standing arc in the series. Eliminating the writer’s room would only make these situations more challenging to deal with.
Related:Writers' Strike Goes Into Effect as WGA Negotiations Fail
4Far-Reaching Effects
There are already apparent consequences of the WGA Hollywood strike, as more than just your standard film and television are affected. One of the first casualties of the strike would come whenSaturday Night Livedeclined to air their Pete Davidson episode and put the rest of the series on hold for the remainder of the strike.
Popular talk shows would also cease airing content, with the television personalities relying on writers to help provide them with fresh content on either a weekly or daily basis. These shows includeJimmy Kimmel Live,The Daily Show, andThe Late Show,among others. One notable exception isGutfeld!, which has stated they intend to continue airing with host Greg Gutfeld and featured guests such as Kat Timpf and NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion Tyrus.
3Over-Reliance on Reality TV
One area of television that is boundto be affected positivelyis the reality TV genre. In the previous strike of 2007-08, in order to combat the absence of popular television programming, studios began demanding more reality TV, a genre that doesn’t carry the same necessity for a writer’s room as the rest of the business.
Previously, this reality TV boom period would see extra seasons ofThe Amazing RaceandBig Brother, along with specialGood News WeekandThe Price is Rightepisodes. With new series being in such popular demand, the effects on the genre would be felt beyond the 100 days of the strike, with new series beginning their conceptualization stage, such asJersey Shore.
2Taking A Stance on A.I.
One of the most significant issues to come in this strike that has never been addressed before is the boom of artificial intelligence. With the recent success of the A.I. model ChatGPT, people are beginning to see possibilities of using artificial intelligence to write up scripts, with writers acting in more of an editing capacity. While most would have laughed at such a concept only a year ago, ChatGPT has since proven capable of passing the BAR exam and writing software code.
With studio heads being in the business of making money, the temptation to use an A.I. powered by a Learning Language Model to write scripts has a pull to it. But for the same reasons listed above, Hollywood needs to take a firm stance and recognize that A.I., in its current format, can not fix all the time-sensitive issues that an experienced writers' room can handle.
Nor could it successfully invoke the same levels of emotion that writers can. This is obviously a conversation that will evolve as technology evolves, but in the modern day, writers are taking a stance that their work should be rightfully prioritized over the capitalistic motivations behind relying on artificial intelligence.
Related:SAG-AFTRA Calls for Strike Authorization Vote Amid Continued WGA Writers Strike
1Pay Writers Fairly
As has been discussed in multiple interviews, podcasts, and talk shows, the evolution of the business has not been kind to writers. With streaming services developing original content that does not align with the same orders that television series face, many comparisons have been made that paint writing as a “gig economy.” With streaming series having fewer episodic orders and no seasonal schedule, studios will either hire enough writers to fill a “mini-room.”
In some cases, studios will only keep the “mini-room” for pre-production. When production begins, most writers will be laid off, with one retained as a showrunner. Sometimes, an extra writer will be included though it will be at the minimum wage agreed upon by the guild, no matter how experienced said writer is. The demands the Writers Guild of America is asking are not unreasonable.
An increase in minimum pay and residuals, a retaining contract from pre-production through post-production, and ethical practices and protections that should be standard in any workplace. While one hopes such a strike will take a short period, the writers are prepared to hold out for a long time, as history shows.
