#1574 Creative vs Control: Hollywood strikes for livable wages and the future of human creativity
Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on Progressive Politics, News, Culture, Economics and Democracy
Jay Tomlinson
4.5 • 3.4K Ratings
🗓️ 26 July 2023
⏱️ 54 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
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Air Date 7/25/2023
Today, we take a look at the impact of the rise of streaming video services and the potential for AI-written scripts on the future of show business and those trying to earn a living from it.
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: Writers Guild Strikes Back | Adam Conover Part 1 - The Majority Report - Air Date 6-11-23
Adam Conover then talks Sam through updates on the writers’ strike as it reaches its fifth week, tackling the scope of the issues – from the gigification of the job to the labor threat of AI
Ch. 2: Why Actors Are Striking For The First Time In 40 Years - More Perfect Union - Air Date 6-23-23
Hollywood actors have joined writers on strike and shut down the TV and film industry. Streaming has broken the industry. Successful actors are working second jobs. Some received $0 in residuals from Netflix shows with millions of viewers.
Ch. 3: Why the Supreme Court Broke Up Hollywood's Studio System - On the Media - Air Date 7-5-23
The dominance of giant streaming services like Netflix and Disney Plus has led to the current strike by television writers, who say their ubiquity has led to lower pay, shakier job security, and perhaps even worse writing.
Ch. 4: How streaming caused the TV writers strike - Vox - Air Date 6-7-23
The way scripted television gets made today has transformed the careers of writers.
Ch. 5: Why Are Studio Executives Like This? - Steve Shives - Air Date 7-17-23
Donate to support the striking members of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA!
Ch. 6: How AI Took Center Stage In The Hollywood Writers' Strike - CNBC - Air Date 6-30-23
As streaming companies scramble to nourish their bottom line, content is being removed from platforms, cutting off creators from being compensated.
Ch. 7: Writers Guild Strikes Back | Adam Conover Part 2 - The Majority Report - Air Date 6-11-23
Ch. 8: Hollywood On Strike: Who Cares? - Wisecrack - Air Date 6-2-23
Screenwriters are on strike, which means a lot less new television for our greedy consumption. And understandably, nobody’s excited about Hollywood shutting down. But what if the writers’ strike can actually teach us about how labor movements function
MEMBERS-ONLY BONUS CLIP(S)
For some people that’s a dystopian vision. But for Cristóbal Valenzuela, it’s a mission statement: Valenzuela is the co-founder and CEO of Runway, an AI startup that wants to radically change the way movies and TV are made.
Ch. 10: 'We Know Where He F***ing Lives' - The Majority Report - Air Date 7-17-23
Hollywood star Ron Pearlman delivers a serious response to Disney CEO Bob Iger’s comments about using the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes to force writers and actors into homelessness.
FINAL COMMENTS
Ch. 11: Final comments on closing in on the end of our membership drive
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
SHOW IMAGE
Description: A person holds a large sign in a crowd of protestors that says “Writers Guild of America ON STRIKE!”
Credit: “WGA Strike 6.21.2023 032” by ufcw770, Flickr | License: CC BY 2.0 | Changes: Cropped
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | During today's episode, I'm going to be telling you about a show I think you should check |
| 0:06.2 | out it's the Black Guy Who Tips Podcast. |
| 0:09.6 | It's a comedy and culture show that doesn't take itself too seriously. |
| 0:12.6 | If you couldn't tell, keep a near out mid show when I'll tell you more about it. |
| 0:16.3 | And now, welcome to this episode of the award-winning Best of Left Podcast in which we'll |
| 0:20.9 | take a look at the impact of the rise of streaming video services and the potential for AI written |
| 0:27.2 | scripts on the future of show business and those trying to earn a living from it. |
| 0:32.8 | Sources today include the Majority Report, More Perfect Union, On the Media, Vox, Steve |
| 0:39.3 | Shives, CNBC and Wisecrack with additional members own equips from Recode Media and the |
| 0:46.8 | Majority Report. |
| 0:54.2 | We're fighting for the survival of film and television writing as a career and a profession. |
| 1:00.8 | The companies are trying to turn it into gig work. |
| 1:02.8 | They're trying to turn us into freelancers who, you know, maybe you get a script a couple |
| 1:07.4 | times a year, you make a couple thousand bucks. |
| 1:10.1 | Meanwhile, you have to go back to driving Uber or, you know, doing whatever odd job you |
| 1:14.4 | do to make ends meet. |
| 1:16.5 | That's what they're trying to push us towards in, you know, capitals never end in quest |
| 1:20.2 | to reduce how much their labor costs are. |
| 1:23.8 | And they're doing it in different ways depending on what sector of the business you're talking |
| 1:27.6 | about. |
| 1:28.6 | They're pressuring television writers in a different way from film writers. |
| 1:32.0 | But the overall story is they're trying to, they're trying to eliminate this as a sustainable |
... |
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