WGA/SAGAFTRA Strike Discussion Thread | SAG Ratifies Contract

[Porthos]

1 hour ago, WittyUsername said:

This feels like an endless loop at this point. 

 

Does it?

 

Why?

 

FWIW, it certainly doesn't feel like an endless loop to me.  

 

[WrathOfHan]

https://deadline.com/2023/11/actors-strike-deal-not-imminent-1235597188/

 

Sigh.

[Porthos]

1 minute ago, WrathOfHan said:

https://deadline.com/2023/11/actors-strike-deal-not-imminent-1235597188/

 

Sigh.

 

That would be "trying to negotiate in the press" worry, yes.  As "negotiating in the press" statements/gripes go, it's more on the whining side than blowing things up side, so is a bit of nuance to be had here.  

 

But, yes, it would be best if those folks in the AMPTP would just shut up right now.  Still, could be worse.  Has been worse.

 

(Might still be worse, but again probably wise not to overreact to that Deadline piece right now)

[MovieMagic]

7 minutes ago, Porthos said:

 

That would be "trying to negotiate in the press" worry, yes.  As "negotiating in the press" statements/gripes go, it's more on the whining side than blowing things up side, so is a bit of nuance to be had here.  

 

But, yes, it would be best if those folks in the AMPTP would just shut up right now.  Still, could be worse.  Has been worse.

 

(Might still be worse, but again probably wise not to overreact to that Deadline piece right now)

Trying to maintain your optimism, but everything with this has felt very “one step forward, two steps back”. 😝 Let’s see how things progress today.

Edited November 8, 2023 by MovieMagic

[Coneilg93]

Maybe, just maybe, both side should shut the hell up until a deal is really done. This back and forth through the press is dumb as hell, imo. 

[Mojoguy]

A Marvel movie is about to open, nothing else matters this weekend in the news.

[Porthos]

4 minutes ago, Coneilg93 said:

Maybe, just maybe, both side should shut the hell up until a deal is really done. This back and forth through the press is dumb as hell, imo. 

 

Oh, it's the furthest thing from dumb... depending on what the goals are. One of the greatest tools the AMPTP has to shape public opinion, and thus bargaining power, is being able to... Finesse coverage in the Trades.  Likewise, one of the greatest cards in the guild's deck is being able to channel public outrage over producer's excesses.

 

There is a time to stop playing games though, yes.  Having the self-control to not try to wrest that last little ounce of leverage can be difficult.  Practically impossible when talking about the egos necessary to survive in a cutthroat billion dollar industry like the entertainment industry.

 

Like it or not though, public opinion leads to bargaining power.  And with this much at stake only a fool willingly relinquishes power.  The key is not to overplay the hand.

 

Relatedly:

 

11 minutes ago, MovieMagic said:

Trying to maintain your optimism, but everything with this has felt very “one step forward, two steps back”. 😝 Let’s see how things progress today.

 

Well I mean we did just see this song and dance play out in the WGA talks!  

 

The key for me is 1] Not seeing a lot of strum and drang from SAG folks as they look over things, which is a BIG difference from about 96 hours ago and 2] Seeing mostly "shit or get off the pot"/"are we there yet, are we there yet, are we there yet" poking from the AMPTP side.

 

So, no, not there yet, and could still fall apart.  But just don't see the need to press the panic button quite yet.

 

Could all fall apart quite easily.  But it seems like the sides want to make a deal right now.  And often times that's 90% of the hurdle right there!

[Cappoedameron]

 

[BadOlCatSylvester]

Well, they have two weeks left to sort this out. Otherwise this is lasting into next year.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Just now, BadOlCatSylvester said:

Well, they have two weeks left to sort this out. Otherwise this is lasting into next year.

that's not true. Even though no filming will happen , hard to believe studios would not want to be filming January 2nd.

[WittyUsername]

2 hours ago, Porthos said:

 

Does it?

 

Why?

 

FWIW, it certainly doesn't feel like an endless loop to me.  

 

We keep hearing whispers about how they’re supposedly close to getting a deal done, only for it to turn out that they need an extra day of negotiations. Rinse and repeat. 

Edited November 8, 2023 by WittyUsername

[AniNate]

11 minutes ago, WittyUsername said:

We keep hearing whispers about how they’re supposedly close to getting a deal done, only for it to turn out that they need an extra day of negotiations. Rinse and repeat. 

 

It's a lot better than "talks break down"

[Porthos]

29 minutes ago, WittyUsername said:

We keep hearing whispers about how they’re supposedly close to getting a deal done, only for it to turn out that they need an extra day of negotiations. Rinse and repeat. 

 

Those are not contradictory statements though!  

 

I admit I'm letting my pro-SAG bias filter in, but if *I* were advising SAG (and thank god I'm not, BTW), I'd be advising them to take a looooooong time to go through all of this with a fine tooth comb.  Not just for hidden poison pills/bombs, but for things that might not look that bad at first blush but which might be ticking time bombs.

 

As an "for example" that 20% viewership within 90 days for WGA success based residuals formula sounds that the WGA agreed to sounds okay-ish on its surface for them but it's the one part of the WGA deal which has raised more than a few eyebrows.  I personally don't think it was anywhere close to a deal killer but it is conceivable that the implications of how hard it could be to reach that threshold might have slipped through the cracks if a deal was being rushed.  Looking out for/closing loopholes is an essential part of the negotiations right now.

 

Never will be able to find them all. But just because one can't find them all doesn't mean that taking the time to find as many as possible and see which of them can be negotiated away is a waste.  And, honestly, the main reason it kinda looks bad now is that so much time was wasted in the summer with the AMPTP refusing to talk at all.  Taking the time to make sure it's something that SAG actually wants?  Well I certainly ain't begrudging them.  Just the opposite, really.

Edited November 8, 2023 by Porthos

[Morieris]

44 minutes ago, WittyUsername said:

We keep hearing whispers about how they’re supposedly close to getting a deal done, only for it to turn out that they need an extra day of negotiations. Rinse and repeat. 

 

I get it. I want this to end so we can have our news and speculation, and for actors to have a good deal, but in order for them to have it, they've got to be careful and read and re-read. It's frustrating because this could have been done months ago (and I'm not blaming the actors for holding out for the right to make a living)

[Jonwo]

The Eeyore mentality of this thread is so grating. 

[WittyUsername]

12 minutes ago, Morieris said:

 

I get it. I want this to end so we can have our news and speculation, and for actors to have a good deal, but in order for them to have it, they've got to be careful and read and re-read. It's frustrating because this could have been done months ago (and I'm not blaming the actors for holding out for the right to make a living)

I’m not blaming the actors either. I’m just annoyed that people like Jeff Sneider decided to get everyone’s hopes up by making it sound like it was all a done deal. 

[Cappoedameron]

 

   here we go

Edited November 8, 2023 by Cappoedameron

[Potiki]

5 minutes ago, WittyUsername said:

annoyed that people like Jeff Sneider decided to get everyone’s hopes up by making it sound like it was all a done deal. 

Your mistake was listening to the likes of Sneider and EC like they had some sort of inside knowledge. I feel like myself and others pushed back on them having any inside intel and said to wait for information from the guild (which should always be the case) 

 

It is clear this is a complicated negotiation and hopefully things stay on track and we get a deal done soon but I'm sure SAG will let us know when a deal is done and there isn't anything anyone here can do to speed things up so may as well just wait and cross your fingers if you feel that is needed. 

[WittyUsername]

21 minutes ago, Potiki said:

Your mistake was listening to the likes of Sneider and EC like they had some sort of inside knowledge. I feel like myself and others pushed back on them having any inside intel and said to wait for information from the guild (which should always be the case) 

 

It is clear this is a complicated negotiation and hopefully things stay on track and we get a deal done soon but I'm sure SAG will let us know when a deal is done and there isn't anything anyone here can do to speed things up so may as well just wait and cross your fingers if you feel that is needed. 

I’m well aware that Jeff Sneider’s track record is spotty at best. That doesn’t make what he did any less annoying. 

[Potiki]

7 minutes ago, WittyUsername said:

I’m well aware that Jeff Sneider’s track record is spotty at best. That doesn’t make what he did any less annoying. 

Sure what he did is shitty but the bigger point is don't listen to anyone outside of SAG themselves, then you won't get your hopes up based on false statements.