WGA/SAGAFTRA Strike Discussion Thread | SAG Ratifies Contract

[Goldenhour36]

Can someone explain to me if a movie is already written and ready to shoot then why it need to be delayed unless they the director/producer have to get writers to rewrite scenes for reshoots or during shooting.

[eddyxx]

20 hours ago, grim22 said:

 

From an article around that time

 

 

Actors are allowed to come up with lines which the director can agree to, but nothing new can be written by WGA members once the strike date arrives.

What if the actors are WGA members like say Seth Rogen? He can't improvise on set?

[grim22]

5 hours ago, Goldenhour36 said:

Can someone explain to me if a movie is already written and ready to shoot then why it need to be delayed unless they the director/producer have to get writers to rewrite scenes for reshoots or during shooting.

Movies need rewrites on set all the time. That's why there's always a writer on the set to make on the fly changes. It could be because the location they had in mind isn't available for any reason, maybe an actor isn't feeling well during filming and they need to adjust the scene, could just be they hit upon a better idea while filming and want to incorporate that instead of the original plan.

 

Probably the most well known example is Shane Black being cast in Predator. The crew had to be very small because they were filming in the jungle and in order to include the writer for rewrites, they just cast him in the movie instead of adding an additional crew member.

[robertman2]

hope they get everything they want out of the writers and more

[Mojoguy]

TV shows are completely screwed if the strike happens.

But what's stopping the film studios forcing the writers to work overtime every day until April 30th 11:59PM, and finishing all of 2024 movie scripts before the strike begins? Is this already happening?

Edited April 19, 2023 by Mojoguy

[thajdikt]

Do you guys think the strike will last as long as the one in 2008?

[dudalb]

12 hours ago, Goldenhour36 said:

Can someone explain to me if a movie is already written and ready to shoot then why it need to be delayed unless they the director/producer have to get writers to rewrite scenes for reshoots or during shooting.

That is exactly it. Rewriting on the set or during Production is Standard Operatin Procedure in Hollywood. Very few films  where it does not happen. 'Final Shooting Scripts" very seldom actually exists.

Maybe someone here who is in the business can correct me, but don't other unions often go out or have a work slowdoewn in support of the writers?

Real problem will be in the backlog of starts for the films that are still being written.

TV is where the impact is going to have an immedate effect, though.

Edited April 19, 2023 by dudalb

[dudalb]

18 minutes ago, thajdikt said:

Do you guys think the strike will last as long as the one in 2008?

Who knows/

The one in 1988 was even worse, lasting seven weeks longer then the 2008 strike.

It has a massive impact on TV with shortened seasons for most shows. The "Making of" documentary for season 2 of "Star Trek: Next Generation" on the blu ray enhanced version  goes into detail on how the strike had a negative impact on Season 2, and endangered the show's survival. That Season 2, despite a couple of really good episodes is generally considered the weakest of the seven seasons is due to the impace ot the writers strike.

[dudalb]

13 hours ago, scytheavatar said:

Quality of writing in recent movies/shows, even well received ones like John Wick 4, have been so bad that I am not sure how AI can't make things better. If you can't write better than a computer then your writing skills suck and you shouldn't complain about computers eating your lunch. 

You think it's bad now, just wait.

problem is too many movies are just action scenes connected by a thin plot. I love good action scenes as much as anybody, but I thin kthey are better when you actually care about the charecters and what happens t them. That is why I find the John Wick movies enjoyable but forgettable.

[ChipDerby]

2 hours ago, Mojoguy said:

TV shows are completely screwed if the strike happens.

But what's stopping the film studios forcing the writers to work overtime every day until April 30th 11:59PM, and finishing all of 2024 movie scripts before the strike begins? Is this already happening?

 

I mean how can they really force them? It's not like they'd have anyone to write it if it's not done by then.

[dudalb]

3 hours ago, ChipDerby said:

 

I mean how can they really force them? It's not like they'd have anyone to write it if it's not done by then.

No way studos culd force them to because of both Union rules and Labor laws.

[filmlover]

 

[scytheavatar]

On 4/20/2023 at 2:36 AM, Mojoguy said:

TV shows are completely screwed if the strike happens.

But what's stopping the film studios forcing the writers to work overtime every day until April 30th 11:59PM, and finishing all of 2024 movie scripts before the strike begins? Is this already happening?

 

Film studios already have enough movie scripts for 2024, the backlog that built up because of COVID hasn't been cleared yet. It is for this reason that we should expect the strike to last a long time, the studios are anyway planning to cut down on content spending. So the strike would be very conveniently timed for them.

[dudalb]

TV shows would be much more impacted then movies by a long strike.

[dudalb]

2 hours ago, scytheavatar said:

 

Film studios already have enough movie scripts for 2024, the backlog that built up because of COVID hasn't been cleared yet. It is for this reason that we should expect the strike to last a long time, the studios are anyway planning to cut down on content spending. So the strike would be very conveniently timed for them.

That applies to  movie, TV shows are a different matter. When they begin losing their seasons, the pressure will build for the studios to reach a settlement.

[Porthos]

4 hours ago, filmlover said:

 

 

Tweet's been deleted and replaced with a less inflammatory headline:

 

 

The deets:

 

Quote

The Directors Guild of America has warned members that if they do not cross the picket line if the entertainment industry’s writers go on strike, they could face employer repercussions.

 

The union representing directors, unit production managers and assistant directors reminded its more than 19,000 members on Tuesday, in a message obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, of the DGA’s “no-strike” clause with studios and streamers. This clause, common in labor contracts, requires that the union “will not call or engage in or assist any strike, slow-down or stoppage of work affecting motion picture production” over the course of its current pact, which expires June 30. The clause also requires that the DGA “will use its best efforts in good faith to require its members to perform their services for the Employer” even if other industry unions are on strike.

 

After industry scribes overwhelmingly authorized a strike earlier this week, the writers’ union could call a strike as soon as May 1, though a work stoppage still isn’t guaranteed and depends on the outcome of current negotiations with studios and streamers.

 

“It is an essential element of our Basic Agreement that the Guild not only refrain from striking during the term of the Basic Agreement, but also that the Guild assure Employers that our members will continue to perform DGA-covered services during the term of the Basic Agreement,” DGA president Lesli Linka Glatter and national executive director Russell Hollander said in the message, which sought to answer questions following the WGA’s strike authorization vote. “These provisions are treated very seriously by the companies and the courts, and we take these obligations very seriously as well.”

 

The DGA does note, however, that even though “our no-strike clauses are clear,” members cannot be forced to work. “If you, as an individual, refuse to cross a picket line and perform your DGA-covered services, then your Employer has the right to replace you; if you have a personal services agreement, you may be subject to claims for breach of contract,” Glatter and Hollander stated.

 

For members who belong both to the WGA and the DGA, the directors’ union advised that if they are working on a project only as a member of the DGA and not as a writer, “then you must continue working.” If a worker is employed as both a writer and a member of the DGA, “we will provide you with additional information after the WGA issues its strike rules,” the guild said.

 

Said a source who is a member of both the DGA and WGA, “It’s a real quandary. I can’t in good conscience cross a picket line.”

 

In its communication this week, the DGA was quick to note that it doesn’t know if the WGA will go on strike once its film and television contract expires May 1. The Writers Guild remains in negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the latter of which on Monday issued a statement noting that its goal is to reach a “fair and reasonable agreement.”

 

The DGA is currently scheduled to enter into negotiations with the AMPTP on May 10. Even if the writers do go on strike after their contract expires on May 1, the union assured its members that a potential work stoppage would not affect the start of their negotiations. “We have a fiduciary responsibility to you, our members, to achieve the best possible deal. In addition, we have a legal and contractual obligation to bargain in good faith, and we intend to honor that commitment,” Glatter and Hollander wrote.

 

The DGA has been preparing its members for months for a contentious round of negotiations this spring. It will be “one of the most difficult and complex we have faced in many years,” leaders told members earlier this year. The guild is seeking to improve streaming residuals for members, implement new safety standards, gain greater transparency from employers, shore up their health and pension plans, and make progress on diversity initiatives.

 

The implications of a potential writers strike also has at least one other union reaching out to members. Last week, the president of crew union IATSE sent out a message saying that “it has come to our attention that certain companies may be inquiring as to whether or not you intend to honor a picket line at your workplace,” and called such inquiries “a violation of your rights under the National Labor Relations Act.”

Kim Masters contributed reporting.

 

April 20, 11:10 a.m. Updated with DGA comments about members’ rights if they refuse to cross a picket line and contents of recent IATSE message.

 

[Porthos]

3 hours ago, scytheavatar said:

 

Film studios already have enough movie scripts for 2024, the backlog that built up because of COVID hasn't been cleared yet. It is for this reason that we should expect the strike to last a long time, the studios are anyway planning to cut down on content spending. So the strike would be very conveniently timed for them.

 

The problem here is, almost no script doesn't get worked on while shooting is going on.

 

 

Things from touch ups, to realizing something isn't working quite right, to shifting lines slightly here and there.  And that's not even getting into the idea of what we think of a "final/shooting script" and what Hollywood uses when it is actually filming isn't necessarily the same thing.

 

There might be a "stockpile" of scripts.  How good they are and if they're ready for primetime is a whole different topic.

[dudalb]

2 hours ago, Porthos said:

 

The problem here is, almost no script doesn't get worked on while shooting is going on.

 

 

Things from touch ups, to realizing something isn't working quite right, to shifting lines slightly here and there.  And that's not even getting into the idea of what we think of a "final/shooting script" and what Hollywood uses when it is actually filming isn't necessarily the same thing.

 

There might be a "stockpile" of scripts.  How good they are and if they're ready for primetime is a whole different topic.

This, The term "Final Shooting Script" provokes Laughter in the industry.

But the TV shows are what will really feel the impact of  a long strike. If it goes really long, , expect much fewer episodes of your favorite shows next season.

[Ryan Reynolds]

On 4/19/2023 at 1:07 PM, thajdikt said:

Do you guys think the strike will last as long as the one in 2008?

if they strike early Summer, yes, writers don't really have much to lose. All i know is it will be over before next year's Oscars.

[cookie]

On 4/19/2023 at 9:29 AM, scytheavatar said:

Quality of writing in recent movies/shows, even well received ones like John Wick 4, have been so bad that I am not sure how AI can't make things better. If you can't write better than a computer then your writing skills suck and you shouldn't complain about computers eating your lunch. 

This has to be one of the most ignorant posts made in this forum in a while, and that’s saying something.

Edited April 21, 2023 by cookie