2023 Writers + Actors Strike Thread

[~bl~]

Errol that’s who I meant not like the vendors or ride operators but people on stage who perform especially since Puppeteers are part of the group…so thanks for the clarification that those vacations won’t be ruined.

 

ETA: it seems like all cons unless not covered for sag AFTRA are supposed to be skipped by members and San Diego is this weekend

Edited July 13, 2023 by ~bl~

[j swift]

It's a Catch-22 that the daytime talk shows can continue during the strike, but actors cannot be interviewed to promote their projects. 

We know Kelly & Mark taped all of their Friday shows in advance, and The Talk went on hiatus, so those are covered, and I guess The View will just do Hot Topics. 

If the strike extends in to the fall, it will be interesting to see if the political candidates will appear as guests.  I expect most shows will pivot to lifestyle and political content.  By September, most producers will be preying for a celebrity divorce, a new reality star, or a royal scandal.

Edited July 13, 2023 by j swift

[wonderwoman1951]

if $40,000 is the average salary, what i’d really like to know is the median. couldn’t find it online. does anyone know?

[j swift]

I couldn't screenshot the PDF, but the median is $26, 276.00, which is just $6,000 over the poverty limit for a single person household in California.  And, given that the average rent for a 1br in Los Angeles County is $2,850, a person would need to gross $9,500 a month just to qualify to rent an apartment.  So, $40,000 annual salary is 65% below what one would need to survive in LA.

Meanwhile, Bob Iger, CEO of Disney just signed a contract extension earning him 62 Million dollars, in salary alone, not counting stock or property.  So, it is reasonable to expect that Disney could afford to pay actors for audition tapes.

Edited July 13, 2023 by j swift

[wonderwoman1951]

thanks!

averages can be deceptive, the median is more accurate. i knew it would be worse, but that is ridiculous!

and yes, at the very least, the studios should be paying actors for auditions — and cover their expenses. 

Edited July 13, 2023 by wonderwoman1951

[j swift]

Also, note that the average family of four spends $6,320 on a Disneyland vacation, and there are 51,000 visitors to Disneyland every day, but the costumed cast member is only paid an average salary of $34,916.  The average adult ticket price is $150.00 this year, or 7.6 million per day.  So, I think priorities are a little screwed up if we are only worried about whether some kid will get their picture taken with Snow White this summer.  Especially because 80% of them were furloughed without pay during COVID, so they couldn't qualify for unemployment insurance because their employment was not terminated.

Please register in order to view this content

[DramatistDreamer]

This is why I just cannot get into the narrative that Iger and those of his ilk are trying to spin, whining about entitled writers and actors while they ride around in their chauffeured driven Bentleys.

It’s unfortunate that our celebrity-obsessed culture tends to focus on the celebrities who are the exceptions to the rules. The majority of actors, the majority of writers are journeymen/women. Anyone who has ever gone on an audition (big cities like NYC and L.A. included) or submitted work for consideration knows that it is usually a tough grind, which is the reality for the majority of this craft. I realize that celebrity often draws attention to the cause but I can’t help but think it’s a mistake for these unions not to highlight the everyday members who draw average and below average wages. If the perception is that every WGA/WGAE member is Aaron Sorkin and ever SAG/AFTRA member is Jennifer Lawrence, that is a problem that colors the focus of what these unions are trying to achieve. And frankly these union heads need to fix it.

[j swift]

@DramatistDreamer Iger's narrative only gains traction because of uninformed people like this that don't value the collective bargaining power of the American worker to get their fair share of corporate profits.  I thought Fran Drescher made this point very clear at today's press conference.

Edited July 14, 2023 by j swift

[~bl~]

@j swift I thought that number was staying at the Disney resort…not a family staying off site. I do think what they did to the workers so no unemployment was awful. Most kids don’t get the reasons behind the strike. BTW not against the strike, just saying.

[Wendy]

You need to actually do some research. Like any industry, the wealthy "name" actors account for the "1%" in the acting world. The rest barely make enough to live. In addition, AI is now a threat.

[John]

Performers in Soaps, Variety, Reality, Game shows and Talk shows will continue their work as their contract with SAG AFTRA , The Network TV Code is in effect thru July 2024.

 

Its unfair the contracts do not start and end at the same time. They all pay the same dues.

[dragonflies]

Yeah I read studio's want to copy an actor's likeness, pay them ONE TIME for it then use it forever after that 

 

 

[John]

its for background actors/Extras. Its a way to pay an extra once and be able to use them 4ever

[althea-davis]

Netflix and other streaming services don't want to pay residuals? So, do they really expect to get the content for free? The greed & arrogance of it all! I think the strike is sad to see, but necessary.

 

I am curious though. Is this - and the actor's strike - going to affect all Amazon projects, such as the ones overseas, like the Neighbours return?

Edited July 14, 2023 by althea-davis

[John]

If Neighbours is SAG AFTRA signatory it will have to shut down until the strike is settled

Edited July 14, 2023 by John