Highlighting Some Key Issues And Favourite TV Shows Will be Delayed: The Effects Of The Current Writer’s Strikes On The Industry
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The last major strike from TV and movie writers was in 2007 when the Writer's Guild of America took action against low pay. The current writer's strikes have similar aims affecting the industry right now. Writers have the right to strike, and the latest one has highlighted issues.
It's Highlighting Some Key Issues
In stagnant action to our TV screens not seen since the pandemic, the current industrial action by the Writers Guild of America is affecting the TV shows we love and currently enjoy and has halted production on major movies. But there is a more serious side to the strike that any good employment law services would love to handle the side of the writers. Pay is almost always a factor in strikes. But serious issues include short breaks between jobs and AI-generated scripts.
Your Favourite TV Shows Will be Delayed
TV production is currently at its peak in terms of content quality, production value, and availability. Because of this, writers are being forced into longer hours for minimal pay while studios increase profits season after season. Over the past ten years, studio profits have increased by almost 40%. But the shows you love that bring in this profit are currently on hold. Some popular examples include Yellow Jackets, Stranger Things, and Apple TV's popular Loot.
The Current Writer's Strikes Has Hit Disney Hard
In addition, to sporadic halts on major TV productions across multiple streaming services and broadcast TV, movies have also been hit hard. Especially movies coming from Disney. Most recently, it was announced that the already shaky production of the upcoming Marvel's Blade movie starring Mahershala Ali is on hold indefinitely. This is terrible news for the studio, which is already seeing financial losses after the Antman and the Wasp: Quantumania fiasco earlier on.
Bad Actors (Literally) Are Being Called Out
Having scripts rewritten is part of the job. But it leaves a foul taste in the mouth when bad actors, figuratively and literally, comment on how they like to make changes. Which is often untrue and outside the purview of their job description. Most recently, Jenna Ortega of "Wednesday" fame was called out for this. This prompted writers on the picket lines to mock Jenna with signs such as "Without writers, Jenna Ortega will have nothing to punch up!"
It Will Go on for a While
The current decision to strike was called for by 98% of WGA members. It is in response to lower pay from most streaming services. Streaming services like Netflix don't seem to be budging at all on the demands of the WGA, which includes not being forced to adapt AI-generated scripts. This is apparent if you have watched any productions lately. However, streaming services won't move on this, therefore the strike is expected to last for at least another three months.
Summary
The current writer's strikes by the WGA are justified when you learn more about the reasons for doing so. It highlights some key issues but also delays many popular TV and movie productions such as Yellow Jackets and Blade. The strike is expected to last for around three months.
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