No Deal (Yet): Writers, Studios Meet Again
No Deal (Yet): Writers, Studios Meet Again
Today marked only the second negotiating session since the strike began May 2
Channels of communication have reopened between Hollywood’s TV and film writers and the negotiating unit that reps the major entertainment companies, with the WGA and the AMPTP meeting for a second bargaining session since the writers strike began on May 2.
As those talks continue, Tuesday’s meeting ended without a deal, though that was largely expected, given that relations have just begun to thaw after 100-plus days of a work stoppage during which both parties were far apart on the issues.
With the writers guild and its negotiating committee appearing to hold firm on their stance to not offer “blow by blow” accounts of the negotiations, as the WGA told its members on Friday, following a meeting with the studios in Sherman Oaks, what’s mostly left are accounts of the latest meeting in the trades and one Bloomberg report (leaving many writers skeptical of the sourcing).
Per Bloomberg on Monday:
[The AMPTP] has agreed to ensure humans are credited as writers of screenplays, rather than replacing them with artificial intelligence. The companies will also share data on the number of hours viewed on streaming services, so writers can see how popular their programs are, according to the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private negotiations.
And according to Variety, the AMPTP had on Friday offered to address the guild’s ask for staffing minimums in TV writers rooms, giving “showrunners significant authority to set the size of the staff, according to the sources, with an additional factor for the size of the show’s budget.” The outlet then reported this evening that:
The guild has continued to hold to its proposal for a minimum staff size for TV writers, though it offered to lower the minimum by one writer. But the WGA was unimpressed with the AMPTP’s offer to give showrunners the authority to hire up to a certain minimum, which would increase based on the production budget.
Other issues on the table, as you’ll recall, include streaming residuals, regulation over the specter of AI, and codifying elements of the writers room that the WGA considers essential to the sustainability of the profession.
Without specific language of the proposed contract terms, it’s difficult to say what exactly is being offered here, and several showrunners and writers I spoke to were understandably hesitant to offer any judgement at this stage of the proceedings. Despite the writers’ distrust of the studios, there’s the sense among some folks that any talking between both parties is a positive sign, so the town continues to be in wait-and-see mode.
We’re on Day 106 of the writers strike, and Day 33 of the actors strike. Everyone, keep your heads on.
Elsewhere in The Ankler
Richard Rushfield goes down the WWSD (What Would Satan Do) rabbit hole, as one does on a sweltering summer afternoon in Los Angeles. The devil, apparently, would try to destroy Hollywood:
Social media has done a lot to undermine the primacy of scripted, high-production storytelling, but Hollywood's products, Satan would find, remain annoyingly resilient — still drawing views and reigning over the culture (to some degree) at a point where, by all rights, no one should be able to watch anything longer than 10 seconds.
So what to do then? How do you bring it down?
Well, if you can't get people to turn away from it, how about you give them so much of what they think they want that they can barely stand the sight of it anymore? Instead of trying to beat Hollywood, you join it, crafting a gluttonous buffet. Create studios not even to just make films worse, just make so much of it that you devalue the importance of anything. Shows for everyone! A whole series made just for you and six of your friends! No need for a common cultural conversation, you can have your own algorithmically personalized conversation that won't be like anyone else's.
The series will come so fast, you'll get dizzy trying to keep up with them. You won't even know that your favorite star is in a show — you'll stumble on it three years later. You won't even catch that your favorite show had a spin-off, or a reboot. You won't even remember the show you watched three weeks ago.
And the public will still love your shows, your stars, your stories, but it will all mean just a little bit less every year. And the next. And the next.
Paying Ankler subscribers can read more of this thought experiment here.
Today in Strike News
Distributors hoping to buy indie films at this year’s fall film festivals must agree to SAG-AFTRA’s proposed contract terms, including a streaming revenue share for actors that some believe will prevent buyers from purchasing the movies. (Variety)
Humanitas, an organization that annually doles out prizes to worthy scriptwriters, dealt with the challenge of giving out awards during the strike by simply forgoing the typical hotel ceremony and letting the L.A. Times announce the winners. (Los Angeles Times)
Tron 3 director Joachim Rønning expressed frustration over the strike on Instagram, where he said that production on the Disney flick was supposed to start this week, but instead has had to lay off 150 crew members. “We close deals for breakfast,” Rønning writes. “Why do we suddenly have all the time in the world when every day is so precious? These tactics are extremely frustrating.” (The Hollywood Reporter)
Picket Sign (Video) of the Day
Comedian and writer Sara Schaefer shows what happens when the “little people” start talking in this charming and heartfelt video on Twitter that puts her art skills on display.
Additional reporting on Today in Strike News by Matthew Frank.
Disclosure: Elaine Low is an inactive SAG-AFTRA member.