- Aug 21, 2015
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The public believes Hollywood = millionaires. This isn't always the case. While WGA is on strike, the rest of the industry doesn't work. The rest of the industry is full of working-class people you've never heard of who work long days in their trades. Some of these jobs are more glamorous than others. Costumes and wardrobes work with all the actors, and grips are on set. Sounds. Props. Vehicle props are mechanics. Set decorators are like interior designers. Greens set up and care for the plants. Construction builds the sets. Scenics paint sets - they're the ones that make foam bricks look real in scenes where walls get blown apart or (along with set dec) make everything look like it is from a bygone era. Labor sweeps and cleans. The list goes on. All of these people are out of work right now, and they all earn ordinary working-class wages. They're all in danger of losing their homes if the millionaire elite who run these companies plan to wait until WGA members start losing their homes.
Meanwhile, streaming services earn millions, and the writers (and other workers) do not get residuals. In many cases, the same old contracts from the dawn of streaming services... when streaming was experimental, so paid less... are still in place. Meanwhile, these streaming services keep increasing their prices, and the workers don't see that money.
Union workers like IATSE, WGA, etc, are supposed to get free cable and streaming services (so they can watch the shows they worked on), but many do not because the jobs aren't viewed as important roles. Many of these workers aren't even listed in the credits of shows and films! -– This goes back to when everything was on film and physical film length added dollars, so they left ordinary workers off credits. These huge movie and streaming companies also penny-pinch hourly rates for workers, materials, and supplies. They make strict demands on time, but won't allow overtime because that costs more. The regular workers do not get catering, or even crafty. (Crafty = snacks like you'd get from a vending machine that workers can grab on breaks.) They'll demand workers break down sets and start over because the artistic director changed their vision, but won't give extra money for the budget or extra time until the deadline. The little people in film and TV work HARD, and right now, they're all out of work, waiting for this strike to end.
All we can hope for is that shareholders see subscriptions and viewing drop as content wears thin and as, hopefully, people cancel their subscriptions to stick it to these big companies. If shareholders lose money, they'll put the pressure on.
I'm canceling my streaming services.
Meanwhile, streaming services earn millions, and the writers (and other workers) do not get residuals. In many cases, the same old contracts from the dawn of streaming services... when streaming was experimental, so paid less... are still in place. Meanwhile, these streaming services keep increasing their prices, and the workers don't see that money.
Union workers like IATSE, WGA, etc, are supposed to get free cable and streaming services (so they can watch the shows they worked on), but many do not because the jobs aren't viewed as important roles. Many of these workers aren't even listed in the credits of shows and films! -– This goes back to when everything was on film and physical film length added dollars, so they left ordinary workers off credits. These huge movie and streaming companies also penny-pinch hourly rates for workers, materials, and supplies. They make strict demands on time, but won't allow overtime because that costs more. The regular workers do not get catering, or even crafty. (Crafty = snacks like you'd get from a vending machine that workers can grab on breaks.) They'll demand workers break down sets and start over because the artistic director changed their vision, but won't give extra money for the budget or extra time until the deadline. The little people in film and TV work HARD, and right now, they're all out of work, waiting for this strike to end.
All we can hope for is that shareholders see subscriptions and viewing drop as content wears thin and as, hopefully, people cancel their subscriptions to stick it to these big companies. If shareholders lose money, they'll put the pressure on.
I'm canceling my streaming services.
