From Silver Screens to Picket Lines

Melody Wu

Film productions came to a screeching halt May 2, 2023 as 11,500 members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) began their strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). Fed up with the inadequate paychecks, cuts in residuals, job insecurity and threats by production companies to replace workers with artificial intelligence, writers in the film industry finally decided to take a stand for themselves. 

“People only see the glitz and glamour of the industry,” said Dawn Spranger, a former Screenwriting teacher whose brother is part of the WGA; “you’re not seeing the struggling writers” who make up the vast majority. Recognizing the strike as long overdue, Josh Wood, the director of the Creative Writing conservatory, stressed the need for resolution “before the same abusive model kicks into place again.” The disparity where those at the top reap increasing amounts of profits while writers’ earnings remain stagnant is, in Wood’s view, “inherently wrong” and ultimately “unsustainable.” He remarked that it’s not just low pay and job insecurity that writers are fighting against but also a long-standing “corporate culture of greed.” 

The writers’ strike resonated not only with members of the film industry but also OCSA students. Milana Berhe (CW ‘24) expressed disappointment in the fact that despite how lucrative the film industry is, “workers in the industry still struggle to make ends meet.” Echoing this, Dahlia Sarmiento (CW ‘24) added, “writers are the backbone of the entertainment industry” and yet, “people take them for granted.” 

For some, the implications of the strike were personal; Jamie Jung (CW ‘24) had her sights set on USC’s top-notch screenwriting program. However, with recent developments, she’s become doubtful about the future of the film industry and in turn, her own aspirations as a writer. She said, “if it’s going to be such an unstable industry, I’m scared to step in and potentially be one of those writers picketing on the fence just to get enough pay to survive.” She continued, “I’m not so sure if my passion is enough now.”

However, the strike’s impacts extended beyond the writers and big studios. For nearly 150 days, employees on film sets were unable to work. As conveyed by one source, there are “people who don’t make much as writers,” such as hair and makeup artists, assistants and caterers who found themselves without employment for six months. ”I think they too should be considered,” they expressed. “The other thing as far as the big picture is California,” noted the source, which has lost 3 billion dollars in tax revenue since the beginning of the strike. 

Another concern of the writers’ strike is the use of AI in the writing process. While most agree that “you can’t put the genie back in the bottle,” said one source, writers also believe that it will be a while before AI can come up with comprehensive storylines and nuanced characters. No matter how advanced AI becomes, “finding ways into human emotions will still be something it struggles with,” claimed Berhe. In an ever-evolving world that demands constant entertainment, the industry “calls for something different”, which Anna Huang (CW ‘24) believes is something AI is incapable of producing. Yet, in many ways, AI and other advanced forms of technology have already become integrated into the industry. Wood discussed the evolution of the Star Wars franchise and how Yoda evolved from a puppet to a computer-animated character. While the puppeteers could have protested that technology was taking away their jobs, many instead learned to use that technology. “Artists and writers will have to use every creative tool they have and they will” stated Wood. After all, when Charles Darwin said survival of the fittest, he didn’t really mean that the fittest or strongest survive, “it’s the ones who adapt to change who survive,” acknowledged one source. 

Recently, a wave of relief swept over avid TV watchers, writers and film companies when the WGA and AMPTP reached a tentative agreement, signaling the strike’s end. The agreement, which includes a minimum five percent pay increase, regulations on AI and new residuals, promises to restore faith in the industry and will hopefully rekindle the aspirations that young writers have to pursue their dreams.