[airstreamingypsy]

Originally Posted by Stu from NYC

Please let me know if they do not come to terms by this time next year.

However how are these people making 20 million or so a movie going to survive?

You think everyone who works on a movie set makes 20 million a movie?

[Regorp]

Originally Posted by Rainger99

It looks like the actors and writers on going to be on strike!

Will anyone miss them??

Hollywood actors poised to join writers on strike after talks collapse | AP News

No. Plenty for me to watch on streaming with Paramount+, Plex, Netflix, etc. Strike all you want!!

[ThirdOfFive]

What if they gave a strike and nobody came?

Hollywood has been taking it on the chin this past ten years or so. According to Bloomberg (Article by Lucas Shaw, June 25, 2023) profits for the largest entertainer companies and studios are down 60% from 2013. COVID didn't help, and numerous other factors are also in play, particularly streaming services which apparently negatively impact residuals for both actors and writers.

But one recurring theme I saw as a result of clicking around blames the "contraction" on Hollywood's mindless adherence to formulae, i.e. "creative stagnation". One article described it thus: "... we're seeing studios pass over original ideas in favor of proven IP. That makes people a little exhausted at the same stuff coming out over and over again. In film and TV, this is happening with countless reboots and spinoffs.

Hollywood has been accused of lacking originality in recent years, with many films and TV shows being sequels, reboots, or adaptations. This has led to a perception of creative stagnation, which can lead to a decrease in audience interest and revenue." (no film school dot com / creative stagnation).

The term no brainer comes to mind. Now and again a sequel comes out that is the equal to, or even better than, the original (Godfather II and Top Gun - Maverick come to mind, among some others) but many if not most of them are garbage. Anybody see (and actually enjoy) "Noah", that cabalistic clunker with some kind of weird environmental twist starring Russel Crowe, Anthony Hopkins and several other well-known actors that basically, flopped? Not precisely a sequel but certainly a retelling. Rotten Tomatoes gave it just a hair over two stars and I think that was being overly generous. Or "Exodus: Gods and Kings": that purported retelling of Moses and The Ten Commandments that (except for Ghassan Massoud as the Grand Vizier) was basically unwatchable? As Kip Mooney of Central Track stated, in his review, "How so many talented people came together here and just so completely whiffed on one of the most incredible stories ever written is beyond me." Comparing it to the Charlton Heston version of 60 years ago is just not possible. Or the weary parade of movie after movie after movie that is nothing but CGI and formula storytelling, all blending together after a time so that after the first few, you can basically predict what is going to happen and when?

Instead of loudly demanding more and more money from fewer and fewer profits, this gaggle of self-absorbed egotists should be focusing on what they are doing wrong and doing all in their power to change it. It can be done well and profitably: recent productions by Angel Studios and other independent film-makers have proven that. But weary formulae and cockeyed avant-garde retellings have been more than proven to be NOT the way.

[airstreamingypsy]

I've been watching the early 80s TV series, St Elsewhere for a few weeks, back then a season was 22 episodes and there are 6 seasons... it's my all time favorite series. So there will still be plenty to amuse us. That said, I've waited too long for Deadpool 3, and since they stopped filming yesterday...... I am really disappointed.

[Taltarzac725]

Originally Posted by airstreamingypsy

I've been watching the early 80s TV series, St Elsewhere for a few weeks, back then a season was 22 episodes and there are 6 seasons... it's my all time favorite series. So there will still be plenty to amuse us. That said, I've waited too long for Deadpool 3, and since they stopped filming yesterday...... I am really disappointed.

Me too.

Plenty of very good movies coming out will stall in their production. And some actors and actresses and others involved in this strike barely make ends meet. They wait tables, teach, play athletic games, etc.

[Chi-Town]

Think many who don't care if there are any new movies or television shows only watch one channel anyway.

[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by Vermilion Villager

The actors are supporting the writers....they don't make $20 mil.

I know but they seem to be doing ok and with demand for writers going down seems like some need to find a new career.

[Michael 61]

Originally Posted by airstreamingypsy

I've been watching the early 80s TV series, St Elsewhere for a few weeks, back then a season was 22 episodes and there are 6 seasons... it's my all time favorite series. So there will still be plenty to amuse us. That said, I've waited too long for Deadpool 3, and since they stopped filming yesterday...... I am really disappointed.

Agree — so many good old TV series to binge watch - right now, I’m into Adam-12 / Emergency! / Streets of San Francisco / McMillan and Wife / Vega$

[scooterstang]

Only if it interferes with my daily dose of "the Young and Restless" they make all my troubles seem so small on that show! I have been watching since my mom was alive(25 years so far)

[kendi]

No, don’t miss them.

[Robbb]

Originally Posted by Blackbird45

I'm not either an actor or a writer, but I did negotiate contracts with the majors twice. Most well-known actors are doing very well money wise. But the majority of the business are working stiffs that live paycheck to paycheck. When you sit down for negotiations you are not sitting opposite the CEO or management you are across the table with people whose jobs are to figure out a way to keep the increase as low as possible or find a way to avoid any increases at all. Now I never considered them the enemy, because I understood the game, but I was also aware that the executives at the same time they were claiming poverty were earning millions of dollars a year. The problem here is larger than the entertainment industry. When workers help a business grow both management and workers should reap the rewards and when a business starts to decline everyone should share the pain. Unfortunately, that's not how it works. When a business starts to turn sour the CEO remains at their highest salary or gets fire with a golden parachute while the workers suffer one way or another. I don't have the answer, but there has to be a better way for this to work.

I totally get that, however when you look at the current pay scale its difficult to be sympathetic to the union. As I read the current contract they recieve around $30,000 for every 30 minute episode they write , and app $120,000 for every new show theme they write. This on top of residuals as reruns. Its hard to match this to the unions claims that 49% of their writers are making minimum wage. If that's truly the case they should find another industry to work in.

[Blackbird45]

Sag and Aftra claim to have 171,157 actors, I'm sure most of us couldn't name100 actors. Most of these members are lucky to make a living wage. Yes, there are actors who are making millions, but that is a handful. This strike not only effects actors and writer, but also crews, caters, equipment rentals, hotels and on and on. Now I'm happy for the people who are satisfied to watch TCM for the rest of their lives, but you do understand that strikes like this have an effect on our economy. There is an unequitable amount of money at the top, anyone who denies that is living in a bubble. If there is a reduce in income because of streaming, then all parties should sit down and figure out how to share the reductions, not just the employees.

[oldtimes]

Originally Posted by Blackbird45

Sag and Aftra claim to have 171,157 actors, I'm sure most of us couldn't name100 actors. Most of these members are lucky to make a living wage. Yes, there are actors who are making millions, but that is a handful. This strike not only effects actors and writer, but also crews, caters, equipment rentals, hotels and on and on. Now I'm happy for the people who are satisfied to watch TCM for the rest of their lives, but you do understand that strikes like this have an effect on our economy. There is an unequitable amount of money at the top, anyone who denies that is living in a bubble. If there is a reduce in income because of streaming, then all parties should sit down and figure out how to share the reductions, not just the employees.

That’s true but there is the old supply and demand aspect. If they are producing an inferior product that people are not enjoying and therefore not watching maybe they should consider improving their product. They can pay everyone more money but if the viewers continue to drop they have not solved anything.

[Tvflguy]

I could not care less about the Hollywood community.

[Blackbird45]

Originally Posted by oldtimes

That’s true but there is the old supply and demand aspect. If they are producing an inferior product that people are not enjoying and therefore not watching maybe they should consider improving their product. They can pay everyone more money but if the viewers continue to drop they have not solved anything.

You have to understand what actually hits the screen is usually decided by the people at the top. Not the actors or the writers. The business is also a gamble, I worked on jobs I though where only going to collect dust and became hits. I've worked on jobs where they were critically acclaimed and barely broke even. It's a crap shoot but when you hit, it pays off big time. No one really knows. Remember the Edsel, I'm sure who ever designed that believed it was going to dominate the auto industry.