Preserving The Beauty of Film

By: Ahshara C.

As a people and culture, we often turn to film as a sense of enjoyment. We turn to a land and world of uninhabited dreams and wishes, where we see the world through someone else's lens. We experience life from a different perspective and often leave the theater, ready to tackle the world. Film pulls on our heartstrings and tugs at emotions we didn’t know we had. Sold-out movie theaters and surround sound, attract viewers as it becomes about two hours (maybe more) when life doesn’t seem so daunting.

Behind the film, we have the writers. Writers that play on those feelings we have locked up inside, ready and willing to give viewers exactly what they want (or what they hope we want, rather) and turn it over into the hands of someone who knows how to put it on the screen. Film and writing have been shaping the world since the first camera was created in the 1800s. Thus, creating a world we like to view as escapism. Just like the camera, the film world continues to evolve, relying on technology to make sure that no one goes without a place they can escape to. The introduction of COVID gave the world an entirely different perspective on what it means to be “together” and also what it means to be “alone.” In a world full of billions of people, some of us are still alone turning to film and television as a way to unite us all. Most of us turn to social media to tweet about the latest, and most shocking episode of shows like "Euphoria" and we create things like “watch parties” so that no one is ever truly alone.

But, in a world where we strive for companionship, and to defeat this term we call “alone,” tons of actors, actresses, screenwriters, post-production crews and more are working tirelessly to make sure that society is fed while they are left hungry. In a world full of streaming services, we forget about the ones who work day and night to make sure, films in their varieties and perfections are delivered to us. So, what happens when this world comes to a halt? When the axes that keep this world spinning are no longer oiled and screwed tight enough to keep us all balanced?

The last time that the Writers Guild and Actors Guild went on strike at the same time was in the 1960s. Writers and actors joined hands in hopes that their efforts would tell the film industry, that not only was it time for a break, but it was time for support. At the time, writers and actors were not being paid enough for the re-airs of their television shows because producers felt that they had already paid them once so what was the point of paying them again? There were also demands for studios to pay into the WGA health and pension funds. Ever since the 1950s, television has become ever so popular. It brings families together as they watch their favorite films and bond over a shared experience. The average American family, at the time, watched about four hours of television every day. You can imagine how that number has changed now where television isn’t just accessible via a box on a television stand. It has expanded to apps and offline streaming… Television is available and able to be watched 24 hours a day.

As television was introduced, producers now had a new revenue source that writers and actors did not benefit from because they had already been paid for the movie screening in theaters.

Fast forward to 2023 and we have come full circle. In the 1960s, actors and writers managed to come to an agreement where they would be paid with residuals from their movies and TV shows and now as technology evolves… new problems arise. With the introduction of streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Max, actors are facing declining residuals. Companies don’t show streaming metrics so this conflicts with the agreement about residuals.

So, we spoke with Cerina Shippey, a screenwriter from, The Bronx, NY, who has supported her industry front and center on the Pickett lines. We asked them to give us a breakdown of what the strike was about and what their thoughts were about it:

“... to have increased pay and residuals…and ever since streaming has started, the business, especially film, and technology has changed so much over the past five years, nevertheless ten. So, ever since streaming has taken over, especially with movies and cinema, people aren’t really going to the movies anymore. So, all that money and revenue gets placed into streamers and they don’t really have to pay residuals off every time someone clicks something and streams it. It goes to their pockets rather than the actors and the writers' pockets… also, longer writer's room sessions. Production companies and streamers kind of want to make that process quicker and streamlined. So what they do is they try to cut down the amount of writers they have. They love, writer-directors because they can hire one person to do everything Apart from if the artist genuinely wants to do it themselves.”

In speaking to Cerina, she also mentioned how short seasons are for shows. A few years ago, episodes used to be 22 or 23 episodes long. Now they are less than 10 episodes long which doesn’t allow for a longer plot:

“The art of maturation and following what your audience wants and putting that into the editing room is being taken away. If it’s not a hit instantaneously, it’s pulled automatically.”

This is an incredible point. How do we know how well something will do if we don’t give it a chance? How do we honor all of the hard work that screenwriters, film producers, sound production teams, costume design teams, etc.… put into these films if money is the only thing determining their value?

We also interviewed, Naola, from, NYC. She studied film in college and then went on to continue to pursue film full-time. She currently works in sound production in scripted film and television. We asked her about her thoughts on the strike and what she hopes the ultimate result will be.

“I don’t know much about how these things transpire over time since this is my first time going through industry strikes. But, my hope is that it comes to a fair resolution soon not only for the writers and actors on strike but also for the thousands of people looking to get back to work in the industry.”

Naola raises a fair point in that the strike has affected so many people and a lot of us are hoping that things can be resolved soon so everyone can get back to work. As mentioned earlier, one of the major issues of the strike is the technology and how it provides fewer opportunities for those within the industry, so we asked how the introduction of technologies might affect the industry:

“I think bringing these technologies into film/TV-making won’t go over well. This industry is all about people. People collaborating, people’s ideas, people’s energies and efforts, people’s skills. Any given major film/TV show can have hundreds of people involved and without every person, the content wouldn’t be what it is. If these technologies become integrated into the production process in order to cut certain people out (or save petty costs), the content will likely suffer along with viewership and the bottom line.”

This is all very true and this is exactly what strikes are fighting for…collaboration and the chance to be heard. But not only to be heard but also to be listened to and for changes to be made. Film and writing are all about art and art is personal. Valuing people’s art and the hard work that goes into it is super important and we can imagine, that, that is what’s most important. On a lighter note, we decided to ask Naola what some of her favorite films were. Having a love for the film industry means that in some way, shape, or form, film has made an impact on your life and drove you to pursue that career:

“Some of my favorite films include August Rush, A Beautiful Mind, My Girl, and The Help. A Beautiful Mind is probably the film that drove me to want to become a screenwriter — which was the original path I wanted to follow in film/TV, and made me want to study film in college”

Film is beautiful, but beyond the films, we rush to theaters to see the people who work tirelessly to fill our hearts. So, hopefully, all of our wishes will be answered and the film/writing industry will come out of this all the better.