By Here at Flixist, we’ve shifted away from covering daily news as it doesn’t quite make sense for us. We’re more of an enthusiast site that brings attention to lesser-known genres while also covering more notable films. Obviously, something like The Super Mario Bros. Movie is well-known and hugely popular, but it has appeal to us as aging Millennials. You won’t find many other sites dedicating time to films such as Showing Up, Sakra, or Skinamarink.
At the same time, the recently announced Writers Guild of America strike is something that affects everyone, from big studios to smaller indie ones. Writers are the backbone of the entertainment we consume and they help shape the stories we engage with. Without someone guiding the direction of writing, we’d have films that are simply the same garbage over and over again until the end of time. The MCU might feel that way, but that comes down to studio meddling more than lazy writers.
Last night, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) failed to make an agreement with the Writers Guild of America (WGA) over contract negotiations. As such, the WGA is now on strike. In a statement issued to press last night, the AMPTP said, “Negotiations between the AMPTP and the WGA concluded without an agreement today. The AMPTP presented a comprehensive package proposal to the Guild last night which included generous increases in compensation for writers as well as improvements in streaming residuals. The AMPTP also indicated to the WGA that it is prepared to improve that offer, but was unwilling to do so because of the magnitude of other proposals still on the table that the Guild continues to insist upon.”
The Board of Directors of the @WGAwest and the Council of the @WGAeast, acting upon the authority granted to them by their memberships, have voted unanimously to call a strike, effective 12:01 AM, Tuesday, May 2.
— Writers Guild of America West (@WGAWest) May 2, 2023
Honestly, that reads like a load of garbage. In an ever-changing economy where corporations are gaining more control, the rich are getting richer, and steady jobs are a thing of the past, I’m almost certain that whatever the AMPTP offered writers is the bare minimum. Then again, the WGA has more of a bone to pick with the studio system rather than the AMPTP.
“The companies’ behavior has created a gig economy inside a union workforce, and their immovable stance in this negotiation has betrayed a commitment to further devaluing the profession of writing,” the WGA told the press. “From their refusal to guarantee any level of weekly employment in episodic television, to the creation of a ‘day rate’ in comedy variety, to their stonewalling on free work for screenwriters and on AI for all writers, they have closed the door on their labor force and opened the door to writing as an entirely freelance profession. No such deal could ever be contemplated by this membership.”
If you’re also a writer, that statement likely rings true for you. As more and more media outlets get shuttered due to corporations trying to chase infinite growth, we’re on the cusp of entering an era where disinformation will run rampant and entertainment will become so homogenized that nothing will matter anymore. This is all while a company like Disney can release multiple billion-dollar grossers while underpaying its staff and working everyone to the bone. Screw that.
There isn’t much else for us to say on the matter. You can read the WGA’s full statement over on Variety. Hopefully, this strike doesn’t last too long and studios come to their senses on the issue. Writers, and everyone frankly, deserve better in this world.
[Source] Variety