Writ Large

The Hollywood Writer's Strike and the Changing Landscape of Film Production

by Matt Bosson, BSFF Committee Member

The people that regularly attend the Borrego Springs Film Festival, every year in January, are largely comprised of two groups: Filmmakers, and those who love film. And if you’re from one of those two groups, then you’ve probably heard about the current writer’s strike, as well as the virtual shut down of almost all production in Hollywood. The shutdown is likely to stretch on for months, which will inevitably lead to a dearth of quality scripted programming on your Netflix, Max, or Prime streaming platforms in the year ahead. In other words, kids, get ready to watch reality or re-runs!

The Hollywood writer's strike that began about a month ago, and the actor’s strike, likely starting in July, have multiple underlying causes. One major concern is the issue of fair compensation in the digital age. Streaming platforms have gained huge popularity, allowing viewers to access huge catalogs of content online, but this new distribution model significantly affects the traditional revenue streams for writers, actors, and almost everyone else that works in production. As a result, the fight for fair compensation and a host of other related issues, has led to a standoff between the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).

The Screen Actors Guild (SAG/AFTRA) have been in their own negotiations with AMPTP which have reportedly stalled as of late, while the Director’s Guild (DGA) just signed a new contract with the producers a few weeks ago. AMPTP has been trying to promote this deal with the DGA as a blueprint for future contract negotiations with the other Guilds. But the writers aren’t having it and say they won’t come off the picket line until their demands are met.

There are of course other reasons for why the members of the WGA are currently on strike, including the concept of residuals, which are payments made to writers for the ongoing use of their work. The rapid growth of streaming platforms has raised questions about how residuals are calculated and distributed. Writers argue that they should receive a fair share of the revenue generated by their work, regardless of which platform it is consumed on.

Another issue is the lack of adequate working conditions and benefits. Many streaming platforms adopt shorter seasons or binge-release models, resulting in tighter production schedules and increased workloads for writers, actors, and crew, over a shorter working season. This intensified workload, coupled with shorter work periods, further contributes to a general reduction in earnings for working writers in Hollywood. According to the WGA, the median pay for writer-producers has declined 23% over the last decade when adjusting for inflation.

But one issue that’s been in the headlines lately, and appears to have the WGA concerned, is the looming potential for Artificial Intelligence (AI) to take over the entirety of written content. AI is already displacing human labor in many areas of production and content creation – both written and visual. Think of all the AI generated images you probably see every day online or social media. And Chat GPT has reportedly written a feature-length screenplay based on only a few prompts, which has an original plotline, but apparently “lacks some emotional depth.”

No doubt the next script written by AI will be an improvement over the first. But it all makes one wonder if human creativity will ultimately be copied and replaced by an algorithm. And that’s obviously a concern for screenwriters and other creative humans that need to make a living, these days.