Writers, Producers, Actors, and many more people within the film production are fighting back against how they’ve been treated by the industry. These people are demanding increases in their base pay as well as a more significant share of earnings from shows/movies that appear on streaming services. This strike has caused many movies to be pushed back, made people lose jobs, and even put a dent in the US economy. The strike has cost the US $5 billion-plus amid lost wages. The ongoing strike hit a dead-end when the Writers Guild of America pulled apart the studio’s counterproposal, stating it didn’t even come close to meeting their demands. The failure of the negotiation set a bad mood for the people in Hollywood as the writer’s strike prepare to enter month five and the actors’ strike entered month two. According to estimates from the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp., the 2007-2008 strike cost the Los Angeles County economy a whopping $2.5 billion. That likely will double this time around. Sophomore here at Palisade Brooklyn Kelly stated, “I understand where the actors and writers are coming from, they deserve to get more pay from these movies that sometimes make over 10 million dollars. That’s a lot of money and they’re only getting 2% of it, while the production companies will take about 60. That’s just unfair, especially because writers and actors contribute so much of their time and ideas.” Although we all want the economy to be what it once was and our movies to start going up onto the big screens we have to look at the bigger picture. The people who work so hard to get your movies and shows up and running are struggling to make a living in Hollywood. Some may think they already make a lot of money when most movies make a lot. The reality is that the writers worked day and night to create their vision and are only getting 3% of something they made. Let’s hope they are able to compromise so everything can get back to normal.
