Couldn’t get the link to the side-by-side of the WGA offer, the AMPTP counter offer from May, and the final deal, because it’s a document to download and too many pictures to take for this post that probably wouldn’t be legible, but it’s in this tweet (click the link below the tweet to go to said tweet):
July 25, 2023 – Striking stuntman Mike Massa walks in the SAG-AFTRA picket line while on fire.
So, so, so badass. What a chillingly powerful message this sends. People have been lighting themselves on fire as a form of protest for centuries, but this might be the first time it’s been done by a professional who knows what he’s doing while under the supervision of professionals who know what they’re doing.
not as an act of self-destruction but as a display of skill
I see Hollywood is now very into the idea of buying something once and then owning it forever and being able to make infinite copies. Which. Isn’t quite the message they imparted upon me in my childhood. In the spirit of their own long-held stance:
film in other countries continuing as usual, but those actors/writers are NOT crossing picket lines! other countries unions often have rules where they can’t strike in solidarity with american unions.
new indie movies separate from hollywood studios. indie movies can continue as usual too, and may even use union actors if they follow certain guidelines and/or get permission from the union.
awards shows, although they might look different and may be postponed. if there are award shows during the strike, there’s a chance they will just be live conferences announcing winners with no celebrations attached.
celebrities will not be promoting their work during this time— that WOULD be crossing the picket line! yes, this includes social media. they can still post on social media, as long as it doesn’t pertain to their work.
a lot more reality tv. this happened the last time there was a writers strike, and it will certainly happen again.
actors will also not be able to campaign for awards. this awards season is going to be a strange one.
propaganda from hollywood. they are already trying to flip the narrative by claiming they can break the unions, but they can’t. the strikers have the power. stand with them for however long this takes!
this shit’s popping off, so while we’re at it:
animators at disney want to unionize! sign this petition and show your support to them too <3
Hey, it’s my beloved inflatable whale! My most prized childhood possession of 1999! I support him, all the writers, all the actors, and any sea creature or otherwise that wants to attack a yacht.
Keep seeing posts in solidarity with the WGA strike that say things like “no one cares about your favorite shows” and “fuck your tv show. I hope it gets canceled” and while I understand and agree with the underlying sentiment, which is clearly “Real people are more important than fictional ones, you dipshit” I don’t like the framing because, well, it feels shitty to dismiss the importance of the work made by the workers we’re trying to defend.
No one cares about your favorite shows more than the writers do.
No one understands the power and importance of tv and film more than the writers who created them.
No one loves tv, movies, games, and stories more than the people who fought tooth and nail in an incredibly competitive and underpaid profession for the chance to be part of it.
They know it’s important. They know it changes lives. They know it can be more than just a story, more than just a bit of entertainment. They’ve loved and respected this medium, continue to love and respect this medium, more than you ever will.
The person who wants a show to get canceled the least is the writer who poured their everything into making it good.
TV and movies are great, actually, and you are not wrong to be invested and care about them. That’s what the writers gave you. That’s what the writers wanted when they wrote it. That’s why they wrote it.
Which is why we respect them when they make the call that this strike and its demands are worth risking it.
The people on that picket line do not want their shows canceled. They want to keep writing them. They can’t, not under the current conditions.
So we accept the risk with them and support them.
But I don’t want to berate the power and importance of their work, the value they put into it and the love they have for it, in the same breath that I am defending their strike. Worthy shows will likely get canceled or derailed and that will be a tragedy worth mourning. The writers know that better than anyone.
So when they say something else is even more important, we listen. And when your favorite show gets ruined, you make sure your fully justified anger and grief is pointed in the right direction – at the CEOs who killed it.
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