Breaking:

These 8 foods prevent cravings

Live, war in Ukraine: bombings in Odessa, strikes near Kharkiv… update on the situation – Le Monde

Bundesliga: Basketball players from Alba Berlin become German champions for the first time

Handcraft: Knitting is trendy – and sometimes political

Hollywood strike: US actors agree to contract with studios

0

Hollywood strike
US actors agree to deal with studios

SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher speaks of a “golden age.” photo

© Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP/dpa

For months there had been virtually no work on new film and series projects in Hollywood. The end of the strike has now been officially decided.

Members of the US Actors Union SAG-AFTRA have ratified the new contract with the film production houses by a large majority. This officially marks the end of a month-long strike in the film industry, after the union reached a preliminary agreement a month ago with the association of major studios and streaming providers AMPTP on minimum wages and better insurance conditions.

What this means for film fans is that they can expect some big releases in 2024 that didn’t come out this year because of the strike. “Dune 2” and “Deadpool 3” are among them. Filming on popular formats such as the new “Mission Impossible” or the Netflix series “Stranger Things” will now continue or has already begun.

“This is a golden age”

78 percent of those voting voted to ratify the agreement, which is valid until the end of June 2026, SAG-AFTRA announced on Tuesday (local time). “This is a golden age for SAG-AFTRA, and our union has never been more powerful,” President Fran Drescher said in a statement celebrating the sealing of the deal. Only around 38 percent of union members took part in the vote.

The new contract, which the union values at over $1 billion, increases minimum wages by seven percent in the first year and by four and 3.5 percent in subsequent years. There will also be a performance-based streaming bonus in the future.

Protection against AI

The agreement also offers protection against the irregular use of artificial intelligence (AI) for the first time. For example, the contract stipulates that the actors must agree to digital imitation via AI and that the intended use of the AI performance must be specifically communicated in advance.

Members of the actors’ union stopped work in July and only resumed work after the tentative agreement was reached on November 9th.

The studios reached an agreement at the beginning of October with the screenwriters’ union WGA, which had been on strike since May 2023. For the first time in more than 60 years, members of Hollywood’s writers and actors guild went on strike at the same time for more money and better working conditions. The strike had delayed the production of films and series for months.

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represented the studios in the negotiations, welcomed the vote and spoke of a “historic win and protection” for artists.