I just read this in Variety, and I think it is pretty comprehensive regarding the writers /actors strike on Hollywood:
Variety: "Most of the cast, including Denzel Washington and Pedro Pascal, began booking flights out of Malta, presumably toward home, leaving behind a big-budget production that had employed more than 400 people."
Me: *For a studio to commit to putting several big name star$ with their big name e$tablished ability to put eyeballs on a movie and dollars in the bank, and put a crew of 400 on a set for months at a time entails a tremendous degree of financial resources and risk. And the model for their product to be distributed due to technology is now being adjusted possibly out of their control and that makes them paranoid.
Variety: "The stakes are so high on summer films like “Dead Reckoning Part One,” “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” that Tom Cruise asked SAG-AFTRA to allow movie stars to continue promoting their new films, given the challenging theatrical landscape, sources say. The union countered by asking Cruise to join the picket lines, noting that having one of the world’s biggest movie stars visibly in its corner would send a strong message to the studios. Cruise was noncommittal, but offered to assist in other ways. Instead of granting any waivers, the union ultimately banned all of its members from doing promotional press on studio films."
Me: *And at the same time the people who write, act, operate the cameras and the many other people who make the movies manifest cannot allow technology and the ability to scan their work product, image and or voices once and be owned in perpetuity by someone else and not be compensated for it. They as a group cannot at this point surrender to this next level A. I. technology that can potentially at some point credibly write some level of content as well as scan images and voices and make of them what they will. This new technology is truly a next level reality adjusting paradigm shift.
Variety: "At the same time, the ad market is in freefall, consumers are cutting the cable cord at a dizzying rate and launching streaming services has been enormously costly, forcing these companies to pack on billions of dollars in debt." ----------------------
Paradigm shift: Def: "An important change that happens when the usual way of thinking about or doing something is replaced by a new and different way." This means war!
Why are wars fought? When a paradigm shift in power and control (and markets) becomes apparent when things in the real-world change in significant and existential ways then there will be warfare in order to establish a new balance and a new power and control (market) paradigm. There will be balance or their will be warfare. And warfare, whether it be hot or cold is what keeps countries and sovereign borders, business, politics and markets in a healthy state of balance and existence. Without balance and established markets through warfare if you will there cannot be peace and prosperity.
And this is true in both politics and in business and every other aspect of life and survival. Why has Russia invaded Ukraine? Russia desires a new paradigm / power and control model and way of doing things. The Ukraine (And America and NATO) disagrees. Same for the fight between the employers and the employees in the entertainment industry or any other industry.
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Where is this Hollywood strike going?
The paradigm shifting warfare to establish a new power and control model I.E. market in Hollywood has just begun and will have to rage on until a new tolerable to both sides balance is established. That or total destruction? Expect it to be ruthless, very nasty and probably protracted? Time will tell the tale.
PS: There is nothing apparently more vicious than a "woke", "politically correct" self-interested corporate billionaire executive / producer with corporate fiduciary responsibilities. And this existential fight within this "woke" industry whose entire population is primarily "woke", is primarily "politically correct" and primarily "progressive" if you will and is primarily radically Left leaning and politically idealistic and who seeks through politics what can only be characterized as an authoritarian new world order compliance structure is highly ironic to me.
This industry wide adjustment should be instructive for all involved I wish them well in their financial warfare and march to find a new real world market balance. Stand by. JGL 7/22/23
While I may personally like certain performers--Denzel Washington, for one--I really don't care about this fight between rich, woke producers and rich, woke performers. One person said that he felt the same way as during the Iran-Iraq war. One can only wish that both sides lose.