2023 proved to be a historical year for the entertainment industry–with both the actor’s union, SAG-AFTRA, and Writers Guild of America simultaneously being on strike. September 24th, 2023 marked the end of the 146-day Writer’s strike and, as of late, there was a tentative agreement approved by members of SAG-AFTRA to end the 119-day actors’ strike on November 9, 2023.
To gain an understanding of the impacts of both strikes, I interviewed three women in the relatively early days. Concerns included: the newest utilization of AI, the shutdown of southern California’s entertainment industry, and working conditions for both union and non-union members.
Firstly, I interviewed Bongi Kopolo, a student from South Africa in her final semester of acquiring her master’s degree in filmmaking. She lives and works in Los Angeles as both a filmmaker and non-union actress, holding a bachelor’s degree in acting and a year of working experience. Our conversation took many turns. I first wanted to gain an understanding of her personal experience in navigating through the strike. Bongi faced adversity in that she was an international student. To maintain her visa here in the U.S, she must be working and be able to show it. Given the ongoing Writer’s strike, work was already limited–there were no set jobs because hardly anything was being shot as is. With the actors joining the writers on July 14, 2023, the little remaining SAG- AFTRA productions came to a halt. Roughly 99% of what you see on television is union production. To get a work visa, the burden is on the applicant to show that they are able to work in their industry, and given the conditions, it was nearly impossible to have gotten sustainable work in entertainment during the strikes. Those looking over visa applications are not going to care that there was a strike and, thus, participation could cost somebody their immigration status here in the US. Work that is nonunion is usually not near livable wage, moreover, to be working during the strike regardless of one being non-union would have been counterproductive of union efforts.
To encourage actors to join SAG-AFTRA, those not in the union are paid less than those in the union. Those not protected by the union were reportedly exposed to worse treatment.
I asked what working conditions looked like prior to the strike to gain a better understanding of what was being advocated for. The vast majority of actors/actresses work their way up in Hollywood by beginning as background actors. To encourage actors to join SAG-AFTRA, those not in the union are paid less than those in the union. Those not protected by the union were reportedly exposed to worse treatment. According to Bongi, “you never knew how long you would be on set.” For example, you could be called to be on set for 10 hours and be there for 16. Some productions would not follow mandates requiring those on set to be fed and given breaks every six hours. Many, especially non-union members, were not knowledgeable about their rights. There were times actors were kept outside and had to wait to be called onto set, it did not matter if it was nighttime either and sometimes tents/shelters and chairs were taken away or not provided. There were times it would be cold and there were no heaters provided. Again, only those in the union were made aware that their rights were being violated. These undesirable working conditions were not perpetrated by small budget films but multimillion dollar productions.
To give a specific example, I was told the set of Euphoria was “a disappointment” and it was impossible to “fully enjoy the show because of what happened.” Evidently, Zendaya was lovely but executives overseeing production were awful. For example, food would frequently be late by over eight hours and when it came down to it, it was cheaper for execs to give actors $30 for every missed meal and keep on shooting then to feed people on time. To be clear, this is not how all productions across the board operate. Max show, Our Flag Means Death, reportedly bought everyone coats when it got cold, showing it is not impossible to treat people right. Again, it is not all sets norjobs-the treatment of actors is largely up to the producer or assistant director.
I was told the set of Euphoria was “a disappointment” and it was impossible to “fully enjoy the show because of what happened.” Evidently, Zendaya was lovely but executives overseeing production were awful.
Bongi and I shifted our conversation to AI, as there was a lot of concern about its utilization and potential threats to industry. For those with dreams of making it big in Hollywood, AI could quickly shatter. To give an example, as stated previously many people begin in Hollywood as a background actor. With the use of AI, a person’s likeness could be scanned one time (they would be paid probably less than $200 for it, union or otherwise) and then never again, while their likeness continues to be used in the background. The majority of those in the entertainment industry are hardly making a living wage anyway, many work additional jobs to support themselves while doing what they love. This potential utilization of AI, to Bongi, is “a slap in the face.” For executives focused on cutting costs, AI was a viable tool. In an email sent to SAG-AFTRA members, the union said “we have arrived at a contract that will enable SAG-AFTRA members from every category to build sustainable careers .” Also included in that contract was a 7% minimum pay increase, showing the overall strength of the union.
The Writer’s Guild of America is another strong union as well, as shown by its success earlier this year. I spoke to Ayah Abdul-Rauf, who gained her MFA from the University of Southern California, to gain an understanding of the realities of working as a screenwriter pre-strike. Streaming services such as Netflix, for example, were flooding the market by acting as a producer yet operating under laws that defined the streaming service as a distributor/streamer. There were no minimums in place and to avoid paying residuals they would not share numbers regarding the performance of their shows. In contrast, smaller productions were being overshadowed.
For screenwriters, the job market is extremely competitive. Finding work requires you to be “in the know” with many openings being shared in private documents. Moreover, the standard rate to even submit a script range from $50-100 per screenplay. Screenwriters were asking for less than 2% off profit margins during the strike. Luckily, the strike paid off when it came to pay increases and contract lengths (as another primary concern was writer turnover and lack of meaningful employment over the long run). Nothing is as American as entertainment and consumers will not likely buy into outsourced product, I grew increasingly more confident over the course of our conversation that “companies that care about quality will come around.” Again, among writers there was concern about the usage of AI, and that too was addressed in the new contract agreed upon by those in the Writer’s Guild. AI can be used as a tool by writers without stripping them of credit.
I grew increasingly more confident over the course of our conversation that “companies that care about quality will come around.”
During the strikes, Ayah relocated to the KC Metro area from Los Angeles to teach. Many during this time had to find new ways to pivot their careers, and pivot quickly. In our conversation, Ayah and I both agreed there is so much talent, locally, here in Missouri and Kansas, with higher education institutions offering classes across the KC metro area. There are pushes (albeit more successfully in Missouri) to increase film production in both states and ideally slow down the rate at which people are moving out of the area to pursue their creative careers.
My final interview was with Laura Kirk, a professor at the University of Kansas and award-winning filmmaker and actress. She has been a member of SAG-AFTRA since 1990 and thus professionally experienced the 2007-2008 Writer’s strike. I asked about her concerns with the role of AI and her perspective was the data driven role of executives is more threatened than that of the creative, because as people “we resonate from the things of someone’s soul.” Moreover, creative roles require much collaboration and community. I asked Laura if she saw any possible shifts in the market, with many people having to leave Southern California due to rising housing costs and the lack of work given the strikes. Laura told me about a push for legislature to prompt film production in Kansas called GROW KS Film, she voiced the same concerns as I mentioned earlier, we do not want “brain drain” of talented people leaving the region, moreover entertainment is a large export. The Kansas economy cannot forever rely on agriculture.
The Show MO Act passed July 6th, 2023 and went into effect on August 28th, 2023. It is a tax incentive that “provides a base 20% tax credit…with the possibility of additional 5% incentive bumps.” The purpose was to attract film and television production to the state of Missouri and keep Missouri based talent in the area.