Today marks the 100th day of the ongoing WGA strike. The SAG-AFTRA strike started just under a month ago. As this historic strike continues with no signs of stopping, productions all over the world have ground to a halt, even more Hollywood labor unions are forming, studios have put many upcoming films on indefinite delay (i.e. holding them hostage), and reps for the AMPTP have refused to come back to the negotiating table.
At stake are a number of issues involving wages, credits, working conditions, and other such union mandates that haven’t been updated in the past several decades. The film and TV landscape has changed in so many ways — most especially in the streaming age — demanding new rules and protocols that the studios have flatly refused. That’s not even getting started on the advent of CGI and de-aging technology that can be used to replicate actors’ likenesses with photorealistic clarity and animation that wouldn’t have been possible 15 years ago, to say nothing of AI that could potentially be used to replace writers in the near future (if they’re not already).
The people who make our entertainment are asking for a miniscule sliver of box office revenue and some common-sense assurances regarding AI technology. In response, the studios drag their feet and let their productions go dark, potentially costing them millions more than what SAG-AFTRA and the WGA are asking for. It’s also rather telling that smaller indie companies (A24, for example) have earned waivers to continue production because they’re somehow able to afford compliance with union demands while the bigger studios are not.
Because the truth is, for the bigger studios and the billionaire assholes running them, this was never about money. This is about power. They can abide losing millions or even billions of dollars, but they can never abide anyone telling them what they can and cannot do. They must never EVER allow any rules or laws or societal notions that anyone can tell the rich and powerful what they can do.
To date (so far as I’m aware), neither the WGA nor SAG-AFTRA are calling for any boycotts. Indeed, if box office receipts plummet without clear reason to believe that it’s in solidarity with the unions, that could simply give the studios another reason to cry poverty and continue to refuse union demands. And it’s not like box office returns aren’t bewildering enough right now, as Disney tentpoles crumble with historic devastation and Sound of Freedom is getting astroturfed into one of the year’s big sleeper hits, but I digress.
The point being that until the unions say otherwise, we should all feel free to see what we like and support the films we want our artists to get back to making. If we show the studios that we want a sequel to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, maybe that’ll give them sufficient incentive to pay their writers and actors and make the damn movie.
But then this came to my attention.
“Influencers should not accept any new work for promotion of struck companies or their content.”
I’ve always resisted the label of “influencer”. I don’t do this full-time, and I’ve never wanted to try and make a living out of this. From the outset, I’ve been open and honest about the fact that I’m entirely self-taught. I didn’t go to any kind of school for this, I’m no kind of professional. I’m not a critic — that implies some level of professionalism — I’m just a humble blogger.
Even so, if I’m not doing this to share my opinions with my readers, advising — or “influencing” them on what films may or may not be worth their time and money, then what the fuck am I doing here?
I hope that from the very outset, my communications on this blog and on social media show that I am firmly in support of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA in their actions and demands. I support the strike, and that means following their lead. As such, until such time as the AMPTP decides to get their heads out of their asses and do the bare fucking minimum to make sure their writers and actors get sustainable wages and reasonable working conditions (or at least until the unions give the all-clear to come back), I’m stepping away from the blog.
I stand in solidarity with the workers who make our entertainment. I will continue to see the movies and TV shows that interest me, and I encourage you all to keep seeing the things you enjoy seeing. I will continue posting on social media in support of the strike, and I hope to see you all there as well.
See you on the other side, gentle readers. Stay strong.
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As (as I stated above) a possible ‘unpaid influencer’, I’m wondering if it’s still okay to talk about moves that have been around for a number of years.
All the YouTubers I follow are avoiding movies altogether. I’m operating under the assumption they know better than I do.
You’re not alone. Rogersbase, professional One Piece fan, is not going to be talking much about the live-action Netflix One Piece movie on his YouTube channel because apparently he qualifies for one or both of the unions and he doesn’t want to be seen as crossing their picket line. He’s got a lot of confidence in the live-action show, having seen much of the behind the scenes work, but he wants to support the strike so he’s not going to be talking about it much since Netflix IS one of the companies on the other side of the strike. (He is still going to talk about the anime/manga, last I checked, because it’s not produced by any of the studios on the other side of the strike).
Well, we’re not being told to boycott the movies. In fact, last I heard, we were told to see them so that the actors and writers could make money off of them, though of course they would make a LOT more if AMPTP came to their senses and worked out something that would be fair to the actors and the writers. Still, I understand that you might feel you could be seen as an ‘influencer’. I know there are a few movies I’ve seen that I might not otherwise have seen had I not read your reviews of them.
As for me, I’m not sure how much of an ‘influencer’ I can be. I’m not paid by the studios to endorse anything. I just want to write opinions, gush about stuff I like, and talk about what I think worked or didn’t work in various forms of entertainment. And I rarely talk about recently released stuff. But I definitely get it: When I talk about something I like, be it a movie, a TV show, a band, or a Renaissance Festival act, be it here or on social media, I AM doing what you’re doing: influencing people to see said entertainments. So it might count as being an ‘influencer’ even if I’m not being paid to advertise these things.
So, what movies ARE coming out right now? Well, the Marvels is still being hyped. Just the other day, I saw a Marvels tie-in at a McDonalds. But as you’ve said in so many of your reviews, you’re pretty sure almost everyone has decided whether or not to see MCU movies before they even read your reviews. Other than that, it seems most of the ‘big’ movies have been postponed due to the strike.
Anyway, I’ll miss you, as this blog has been one of my favorites, but I support your decision, and I support the SAG-AFTRA and WGA Strikes. Hope to see you return when the unions manage to work things out.