What are the reasons for this historic strike?
That hadn’t happened since 1963! On Thursday evening, July 13, the 65,000 American actors (plus 100,000 journalists and TV presenters) joined the screenwriters of the social movement that studios and platforms have been opposing them since the beginning of May. This double strike, unprecedented in 60 years, involves demands similar to those of 1963.
« At that time, the president of the actors’ union was called Ronald Reagan andHollywood creators sought rights to multiple broadcasts of the same show on television ‘ explains Kira Kitsopanidou, economist for cinema and audiovisual media at the new Sorbonne (1).
When a new industry emerges, the rules change and conflicts arise. This was also true for actors in the 1980s with the advent of VHS and in the early 2000s with the advent of DVD.
« Today the working conditions for the average actor or screenwriter are very badChasing Kira Kitsopanidou. While they receive additional remuneration based on the ratings of the programs they have contributed to, they receive a flat fee from the platforms, which are not performance-related, as they do not communicate exact numbers about their ratings. »
This opacity is denounced by unions, who fail to recognize the vast sums that studios and platforms spend on production. The average salary for an actor today is $1,000 a day and $3,700 a week. It may sound convenient, but ” It must be taken into account that they do not benefit from an intermittent system or a health insurance system, as in France ” emphasizes the specialist in the economy of the 7th art. The other demands also relate to pensions, mutual health insurance, minimum wages, profit sharing, etc.
The actors also feel interchangeable. A feeling that is amplified by the arrival of artificial intelligence. ” They fear their faces and voices will be scanned, their image stripped if they retire or even die without compensationdecodes Kira Kitsopanidou. It’s not science fiction: we’ve seen it in commercials and some movies. The AIs probably won’t be able to generate a movie or a series, but at an advanced stage they will be able to produce sort of an end-to-end that editors would complete… »
What consequences will this movement have?
The platforms will be able to launch their back-to-school programs with ease, believing they have enough to keep the machine running through October. But the strike will slow down big productions like hit series The Mandalorian, house of the dragon, The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Powerand films whose filming is still in progress.
« Even if this gives them difficulties on a media level at awards shows like the Emmies and the Venice Film Festival in September, where the actors can publicize their struggle, the majors will continue to save money on the rest of the productions, and made additional costs due to delays applicable during the shooting “, estimates Kira Kitsopanidou.
In addition, independent productions that do not have the same content development skills and must negotiate on a case-by-case basis are severely penalized.
How can the conflict develop?
The balance of power is partly in the producers’ favour. ” It’s a race against time. Platforms and studios strive to have actors and screenwriters drained. Because during this time they continue to obtain their offers from abroad ‘ emphasizes the specialist.
If the authors manage to halt the movement beyond the month of October, difficulties will arise, she adds. This could also have a collateral effect on cinema admissions in the US and elsewhere, as the market would be weakened by the lack of supply of major American productions, as was the case during the health crisis.
