Big Studios Shut Down Hollywood Production Over Pay, AI

FEATURING PIPER FRENCH - Hollywood has come to a standstill this summer as actors join their writer colleagues on the picket line. The Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) announced that it would be on strike starting July 14, 2023, over negotiations breaking down with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents most of the major studios in the film and television industry. That same body failed to negotiate in good faith with the Writers Guild of America (WGA), which has been on strike since May 2, 2023.

Together, writers and actors represent the majority of creative talent in the most influential film industry in the world. Among the issues at stake are streaming residuals (or royalties) and the use of Artificial Intelligence.