Hollywood writers and studios have reached a tentative deal to resolve the current strike. The strikers have suspended picketing, but will not return back to work until the agreement is finalized.
The strike has been focusing largely on AI and its place in the creative process, as well as streaming residuals. The industry had not renegocited contracts since before these major innovations. Fox Business reports:
A tentative agreement has been reached between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, the labor union announced Sunday night.
After nearly five months on strike, the WGA Negotiating Committee says it has potentially made a deal with studios, streaming services and production companies, and, as of Sunday, is suspending picketing.
The Screen Actors Guild will most likely also enter negotiations if the writers’ are fruitful. Both strikes occurring simultaneously has put a great burden on the production of new content for streaming services. The Wall Street Journal continues:
A resolution to the writers’ strike could open the door to a deal with the Screen Actors Guild, the performers’ union that has been on strike since mid-July. It marked the first time both unions went on strike since 1960.
Getting both strikes resolved could salvage at least some of the 2023-24 television season and the summer movie season. Typically in television it takes at least two months of outlining and writing episodes before production starts.
Studios had floated the idea of using AI to scan an actors’ characteristics, paying only for the initial processing but then owning the image in perpetuity. AI will likely still be used in the creative process, but workers hope to be able to better own it and derive financial benefits from it.
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