The strike of the Writer's Guild of America hit 100 days on Wednesday, which has been described as a "milestone of shame" for studios in Hollywood.
Since 2 May 2023, several productions both in film and television have been impacted by the strike of the Writers Guild of America.
The two main reasons for the strike are residual payments from streaming media and the potential influence of AI chatbot, ChatGPT.
The WGA are going up against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). In May of 2020, a Minimum Basic Agreement principle was put in place which assured writers of a guaranteed wage while working on broadcast television shows.
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However, this agreement did not stretch to streaming shows, meaning that writers working on these projects were paid significantly less.
The goals that the WGA want to achieve are as follows:
- Increase funding and job security for writers
- Increase the size of writers' rooms
- Limit the use of artificial intelligence in the writing process
With 100 days now gone, the WGA has commented on the lack of progress.
"The refusal to take writers' reasonable proposals seriously has caused the WGA strike to last 100 days and counting; it serves only as a milestone of shame" the WGA told AFP.
"The studios are wholly responsible for the over three-month shutdown of the industry and the pain it has caused workers and all others whose livelihoods depend on this business. The cost of settling the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes is far less than the damage their intractability has caused."
The last writer's strike in the United States took place from 2007 into 2008 and coincidentally was resolved after 100 days. That particular strike is believed to have cost around $2.1 billion in revenue at the time.
On a busy picket line outside Netflix headquarters screenwriter Charlie Kesslering said the strike is an "existential fight."
"This is about the careers that we love so much remaining careers, and remaining viable as a way to make a living -- especially in an expensive city like Los Angeles, where you have to live if you want a career in this business," he told AFP.
"It's going to take a lot more than 100 days for the motivation to go away."
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