Since the Writers Guild of America two weeks ago voted overwhelmingly to strike on May 2 if an agreement wasn’t reached on new contracts with major Hollywood studios, efforts to avoid a shutdown have been ongoing, but at press time, fruitless.
When the WGA announced the results April 17, it emphasized the issues driving the union to seriously consider the first writers strike in 16 years: Outdated working conditions that don’t take into account the massive changes that have overtaken the TV and film industry since then, namely streaming and the changes brought on by the pandemic which diluted and blurred the lines between theatrical releases and streaming. Also of concern: AI, and the ability for new apps such as ChatGPT to create entire storylines with just a few mouse clicks.
