Seth MacFarlanehas donated a considerable amount of money to the strike fund, according toVariety. The Entertainment Community received one million dollars from the actor, which will be directed towards emergency situations related to the workers who are currently striking.Dwayne Johnsonrecently madeanother contribution to the cause, as the entertainment industry tries to stay together while they look for a better future for everyone involved in the guilds. The dual strike rages on, after months of the entertainment world being affected by these artist’s struggles.
TheWriters Guild of AmericaandSAG-AFTRAare currently on strike because the members of the guilds aren’t receiving fair wages for the work they put into the movies and television series that entertain the world. One of the central topics in both strikes is how the residuals received by the writers and actors involved in popular productions released through streaming are downright insulting. That’s not even mentioning how much money the stories generate, without giving proper recognition to the people behind their creation. Successful films and shows can’t be made without the talent of both actors and writers.
The strike has already caused multiple productions across the industry to be shut down, includingDeadpool 3and the final season ofStranger Things. Production can’t resume until the strike is over, otherwise anyone involved in an active set would be going against the organized protest. The conflict is also affecting projects that are ready to be released, with movies being delayed because the people involved with them can’t promote them during a press tour.Kraven the Hunterwas merely two months away from hitting theaters when Sony Pictures pushed its release date until about a year from now.
Streaming Is at the Center of the Strike
The factor that connects all the lingering threads surrounding the context of the strike are streaming platforms. Actors and writers can receive almost no money in a residual check, even if the movie or show they worked on has become viralon any given platform. In order to rectify the issue, studios would need to be transparent regarding the viewership numbers of their productions, and how much money they generate through the distribution of their content. It’s up to the studios to decide if they want to keep losing money by keeping the industry on hold, or if they’re finally ready to properly compensate the people who work for them.
