Now that the producers and SAG-AFTRA are returning to the table to continue negotiations, it’s brought up plenty of discussions about what this will mean for the future of Hollywood and the entertainment industry as a whole.
It’s going to be interesting since it’s often been correctly pointed out no one wins in a strike. Both sides suffer and it’s often the one that suffers the most and breaks that gives in to end it.
But there are times when competent people are running things and negotiate in good faith rather than throwing a proposed increase in subscription fees that would only benefit the guild rather than the members at the last second to derail negotiations.
There are a few changes coming in the industry, and few are going to be positive for the people that aren’t at the top of the food chain.
Cutting back
Nerdrotic did a great job of breaking things down and whether we agree with him or not isn’t the question as much as what he’s saying are facts.
Whenever a strike happens and a new contract is negotiated, there’s always a give or take. It’s the nature of negotiations. And when the union succeeds in gaining something it’s got to come from somewhere, and that’s either the consumer or the union members give up something.
In this case, it’ll be a little of both.
The industry has been tanking for a while thanks to the virtue signaling instead of quality stories and attacking fans that don’t like what we’re being told to like by the producers, writers, and actors. Award ceremonies and their falling ratings are a perfect example.
What will most likely happen here is Hollywood will downsize. Fewer movies, fewer shows, fewer job opportunities for actors, writers, and the working staff that aren’t in the union and make it all possible.
And few theaters, which have already been struggling with increased ticket costs and low quality movies and sequel/reboot fatigue.
Hurting the little guy
In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Noah Hawley talked about this as the upcoming “Clarity” Era:
“I think the next five years will place the emphasis on clarity. The audience of the near future will shy away from entertainment that feels too “real” — i.e., topical and morally ambiguous. At the same time, the market will consolidate. Five hundred shows will become 300. Ten streamers will become five. With fewer shows and films to watch, stars will become more meaningful in attracting audiences, with celebrity offering its own kind of clarity.
“In this new phase of the business, viewers will gravitate toward stories that make sense to them, not ones where the imagined world, like our real one, is divided and hard to fathom. This doesn’t have to mean a retreat to formulaic procedurals, but it will challenge storytellers to innovate inside a smaller box.”
It’s often been said that the guild looks after the lower and medium part of their group since they make up a bulk of it, yet out of roughly 160,000 members of SAG-AFTRA, only about 22,000 people (14%) make enough ($26k annually) for medical benefits.
That’s something that needs to be addressed, but so far it seems only lip service has been given to that and to those that will be the hardest hit by the strikes.
This is the perfect time for the Indie community to rise up and fill the void Hollywood’s been creating, and there are a lot of great Indie productions.
We’re seeing a rebirth of sorts like in the late 70s when George Lucas’s Star Wars breathed new creative light into Hollywood. But will the studios and A list actors still benefit or will it be the smaller guy rising up?
Let us know what you think in the comments below.
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