2023-07-14 12:16:50
The powerful American union of actors and actresses announced Thursday its official entry into strike at midnight (06:00 Friday). A decision that should completely paralyze Hollywood, where the production of films and series is already slowing down because of the social movement of screenwriters.
“The national council of SAG-AFTRA has voted unanimously for a strike order once morest studios and broadcasters”, announced the national executive director of this union which represents 160,000 actors and actresses, as well as other professionals. small and large screen.
The actors and actresses thus join the screenwriters, who have already been on strike since the beginning of May.
>> Read once more: The screenwriters begin their third week of strike in Hollywood
The two trades are demanding an increase in their remuneration, at half mast in the era of streaming. They also want to obtain guarantees regarding the use of artificial intelligence (AI), to prevent it from generating scripts, or cloning their voice and image.
>> Read more: Artificial intelligence in cinema, only science fiction?
A great precariousness
“Platforms are not an El Dorado for the sector. Screenwriters, for example, now only receive packages. They used to write for regarding twenty episodes… it’s now only ten per season”, describes Gary Grenier, a Swiss director who lives between Los Angeles and Geneva, Thursday in the RTS Forum program.
And to add: “As long as you are not the megastar of a series or a film, you are not rolling on gold in Hollywood. (…) Everyone must work as an Uber driver or parallel server.”
The strike might be an “opportunity” for Europe to show what it is “capable of doing”, believes Gary Grenier, who notably produced “La vie de JC” with Zep.
>> See the interview with Gary Grenier in Forum: Imminent strike among Hollywood actors: interview with Gary Grenier / Forum / 6 min. / yesterday at 7:56 p.m.
A first since 1960
This double social movement bringing together the faces and feathers of the film industry is a first in Hollywood since 1960.
The entry into strike of actresses and actors is a blow for the bosses of studios and streaming platforms.
Since May, the only productions that have decided to shoot do so on the basis of scripts already completed in the spring, without being able to modify them. This is particularly the case of the Amazon-funded “Lord of the Rings” prequel, “The Rings of Power”. But without actors, filming will simply no longer be possible.
Emmys under threat
Only a few “talk shows” and reality TV shows will be able to continue.
Actors and actresses also have the power to freeze the promotion of blockbusters expected in theaters this summer such as “Oppenheimer” or “Gran Turismo”. And without their presence on the red carpets, the industry risks having to postpone the Emmy Awards ceremony, equivalent to the television Oscars scheduled for September 18.
>> Read more: “Succession” in the lead for the Emmy Awards, threatened by the strike
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