Writer's and Actor's Strike 2023: Aaaaand Scene...That's a Wrap!

[Hood Critic]

Hollywood Reporter just wrote an article with a ChatGPT written script of a 30 Rock scene, and it didn't have a joke in it. Not a single joke. They gave them the characters to write, a scenario, and let it go.

A show like 30 Rock that has that much information out there for an AI to scrape and source, the AI was able to have characters say things that made logical sense, and have a situation that was coherent, but it didn't have a single joke.

Can AI Write a Funny ‘30 Rock’ Scene?

Artificial intelligence has become a major point of contention in the Writers Guild negotiations, with scribes calling it an existential risk. To see how imminent that threat is, THR had ChatGPT write a scene — about TV writers going on strike — and reviewed it.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

This is a perfect example of why I keep trying to get people to take it easy on the AI is going to take my job hype. We're still a ways away from AI being able to truly understand context, timing, or replicate emotional intelligence.

 

[Your Welcome]

Seems like writers have less ownership than a musician with a 360 deal. Work-for-hire is a mf.

*then

 

[re'up]

How do the working writers earn money, assumedly the ones who aren't financially comfortable? Even those who are, in somewhere like LA, going 6 months with no checks, will put you in debt, at a minimum, or burning through savings.

edit: during the strike

 

[the elastic]

How do the working writers earn money, assumedly the ones who aren't financially comfortable? Even those who are, in somewhere like LA, going 6 months with no checks, will put you in debt, at a minimum, or burning through savings.

My uneducated guess is that they're either working on multiple shows/movies or they got rich parents

 

[re'up]

So, if they are on a show at moment, they are still getting paid? That doesn't sound right?

Sure some have affluent parents, even parents in the business, but most won't, just statistically.

 

[steadyrighteous]

So, if they are on a show at moment, they are still getting paid? That doesn't sound right?

Sure some have affluent parents, even parents in the business, but most won't, just statistically.

No they're not getting paid.

Even big time writers who have overall deals are "suspended" while the strike is on, which means that any ongoing payments they get as part of their deals are stopped.

David Simon (The Wire, just in case people didn't know) has had a deal with HBO for 25 years and for the first time ever he's been suspended

David Simon’s Deal Was Suspended Today By HBO; ‘The Wire’ Creator Has Written 25 Years For Network

The Wire creator David Simon has become one of the many writers/producers whose overall agreements have been suspended because of the strike. Simon announced via Twitter Monday that HBO just suspen…

deadline.com

 

[T-K-G]

So, if they are on a show at moment, they are still getting paid? That doesn't sound right?

Sure some have affluent parents, even parents in the business, but most won't, just statistically.

just statistically the vast majority of writers in major film got there through nepotism. This is me working in film for 7+ years all over the country and using my eyes and ears, most writers get groomed for that job and a lot of times they're just doing it because it's part of the ladder to becoming a showrunner/producer.

To keep it a buck the vast majority of them suck and are just following basic ass guidelines you can google, hence most movies being the same damn plot

I'm all for them not getting jerked on their next contract but I'm not shedding any tears for the majority of these people. Media isn't going to show you the bullshyt they be on.

My uneducated guess is that they're either working on multiple shows/movies or they got rich parents

On strike you can't work on anything

 

[T-K-G]

How do the working writers earn money, assumedly the ones who aren't financially comfortable? Even those who are, in somewhere like LA, going 6 months with no checks, will put you in debt, at a minimum, or burning through savings.

Leave LA until the strike is over you'd be a dumbass not to go to a family members house to cut costs for a bit, it's film, people are used to having a couple months unemployed out of the year anyway, once it gets over 6 months tho yea you're probably starting to use all of your budgeting skills and calling in favors

 

[the elastic]

On strike you can't work on anything

Ahh, I thought he was referring to pre-strike life

 

[T-K-G]

Ahh, I thought he was referring to pre-strike life

Oh maybe he was, I was just responding directly to you, I missed the context

 

[the elastic]

Paramount Cuts 25 Percent of Staff From TV Networks, MTV News Shutting Down

Chris McCarthy's unit is in the midst of combining teams as part of a reorganization merging Showtime with Paramount+.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

This strike is the perfect cover for mass layoffs. Sick mfs gonna make it look like it's the writers' fault.

The cuts keep coming.

Chris McCarthy’s swath of Paramount Global is laying off 25 percent of its domestic team today. The reduction comes on the heels of integrating Showtime into his cable and streaming purview, which will be consolidated into two functions going forward. There are “studios,” which now combines Showtime with MTV Entertainment Studios, and “networks,” which will merge nine separate teams into one portfolio group. The majority of the cuts are being felt by the latter group, with certain units, including MTV News, being shut down altogether. Paramount Global had 24,500 employees companywide as of the end of 2022.

More recently, parent company Paramount Global posted dismal quarterly earnings, citing such things as an 11 percent drop in TV ad revenue. CEO Bob Bakish said in a call with investors that the company is “navigating a challenging and uncertain macroeconomic environment, and you see the impact of that on our financials, as the combination of peak streaming investment intersects with cyclical ad softness.”

To be sure, Paramount is hardly alone in its bloodletting. Warner Brothers Discovery, for instance, completed a series of layoffs as well as a corporate reorg last year, while Disney is still in the midst of cutting 7,000 positions across the company.

Here is McCarthy’s full memo to staff:

Team,

As we finalize the integration of SHOWTIME and continue to transform our business for the future, we have set a great foundation for continued success by consolidating our group into two functions:

• Studios – integrating SHOWTIME and MTV Entertainment Studios into one powerful studio team
• Networks – combining nine separate teams into one portfolio group

This combination has resulted in an incredible track record of hits including Yellowstone, 1883, Tulsa King, South Park, The Challenge, Teen Wolf, 1923, Drag Race, Mayor of Kingstown, Your Honor, George & Tammy and Yellowjackets – which, taken together, drove record subscribers across Paramount+ and Showtime and helped Paramount+ lead the industry in new subscriber growth.

However, despite this success in streaming, we continue to feel pressure from broader economic headwinds like many of our peers. To address this, our senior leaders in coordination with HR have been working together over the past few months to determine the optimal organization for the current and future needs of our business.

As a result, we have made the very hard but necessary decision to reduce our domestic team by approximately 25%. This is a tough yet important strategic realignment of our group. Through the elimination of some units and by streamlining others, we will be able to reduce costs and create a more effective approach to our business as we move forward. Today we will notify employees whose positions are being impacted with leaders communicating the news directly to those teams/or individuals. These meetings will be followed by individual 1:1s with our HR partners.

I realize these decisions will be very hard for everyone, most of all, those who will be leaving. It’s not something we take lightly. We have some of the most passionate and dedicated team members, who bring their full selves to drive our brands and business forward. This is why it’s so difficult to say goodbye to our friends and colleagues. To those impacted, we deeply appreciate the passion and creativity you have brought every day. I want to thank you for your many contributions.

 

[EzekelRAGE]

just statistically the vast majority of writers in major film got there through nepotism. This is me working in film for 7+ years all over the country and using my eyes and ears, most writers get groomed for that job and a lot of times they're just doing it because it's part of the ladder to becoming a showrunner/producer

What happened to Max Landis? It seemed they couldnt wait to get him outta the paint, with the only thing really saving his career was being the son of John Landis

Chronicle was still good as hell and we never got more of that from him

 

[jwinfield]

What happened to Max Landis?

Got MeToo'd

 

[re'up]

Was referring to during the strike. One of my boys works in Paramount in legal, wonder if he's impacted.

 

[the elastic]

Was referring to during the strike. One of my boys works in Paramount in legal, wonder if he's impacted.

If anything, he's probably more busy now