2023-11-07 09:30:55
The union representing striking actors in Hollywood announced on Monday its disagreement with the “last, best and final offer” made by the studios over the weekend, in an attempt to end the strike that has paralyzed the American film sector for months.
Negotiators for the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) have been studying the proposal since Saturday, through which the studios seek to end the strike that has been halting television and film production for four months.
In a statement addressed to union members posted on social media on Monday, the committee said it was determined to end the 116-day strike “responsibly,” but it had not yet found common ground with the body that represents giant production companies Disney, Netflix, Warner Bros., Universal, Paramount, and Sony.
“There are basic items that we have not yet agreed upon, including (artificial intelligence),” the statement said, adding, “We will keep you informed of developments.”
Pressure quickly mounted to reach an agreement. Unemployed actors are finding it increasingly difficult to make ends meet, while studios are already facing major gaps in their release schedules for next year and beyond.
The talks to reach an agreement in recent days were attended by studio CEOs, underscoring the urgent need to end the crisis.
The SAG AFTRA union represents about 160,000 artists. Actors who have not reached the stage of stardom in Hollywood say that it has become almost impossible to earn a decent living from this profession, after the wage structures that have been in place for many years have failed to keep pace with inflation and changes in the sector.
The growth of streaming platforms, which typically require fewer episodes per series and pay lower royalties to actors when they rebroadcast a hit, has severely eroded their earnings.
But the use of artificial intelligence, and especially the idea of the possibility of using the actor’s likeness long after the role was filmed, was one of the sticking points in the negotiations.
Studios that have already delayed the release of blockbuster films such as Dune: Part Two and the upcoming Mission Impossible sequel are keen to resume production on hits such as Stranger Things in time for next year.
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos told AFP that negotiations were still ongoing, adding, “We are at the table and working hard to get an agreement done.”
He continued, saying, “I feel that we are really close to achieving this. But as you know, these are complex deals and we are sailing in turbulent waters. Our goal is to get (the actors) back to work.”
$6.5 billion
When the SAG-AFTRA union went on strike in mid-July, Hollywood writers were also on strike.
This was the first time that the two unions went on strike simultaneously since 1960, when the actor (and later US president), Ronald Reagan, led the protest movement.
But the writers reached an agreement with the studios in September, and high-level talks between the studios and the actors’ union followed soon after.
The total cost of the shutdown of the Hollywood film industry is currently estimated at at least $6.5 billion, most of it in lost wages.
Last week, SAG AFTRA’s chief negotiator, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, told members he was “cautiously optimistic” after the two sides reached a settlement on the minimum wage and a bonus structure for actors for their participation in successful programs or films.
In previous rounds of talks, studios had offered to create strict safeguards requiring approval and compensation for the use of artificial intelligence, but the actors’ union deemed these measures insufficient.
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