The Writers Guild of America has gone on strike as of midnight, and it’s expected that late-night shows will be the first to be affected. Episodic television is written out several weeks to a few months in advance.
I’m curious as to whether professional wrestling writers are part of the strike. They’re not, right?
No, the WGA has no hold over them.
With a line like that, you could be a Scab! 
Are you picking on me?
Noos!
What’s the difference between a guild and a union? Serious question.
Apparently, guilds represent independent contractors in collective bargaining, while unions represent employees. Thus, the the “guild” name seems to be more common in film and TV, where many artists work on a project basis, rather than as continuing employees: e.g., the Directors Guild of America, and the Screen Actors Guild, as well as the WGA.
https://scriptmag.com/features/legally-speaking-guild-or-union
The last writers’ guild strike began in November 2007 and ended in February 2008 after 100 days.
On his show tonight, Stephen Colbert talked about the strike – he noted that he has an entire staff of WGA writers (including himself), who work on writing his monologues (and, I suspect, helping to script questions for his guests).
One bit I found interesting:
The first segment of Grace Randolph’s livestream today was on the writer’s strike and include a 2-sheet list of the issues the WGA and the counters from the studios, as well as discussing how much writers really make. My takeaways were that:
According to this article about how the strike might affect Star Trek, animated shows will be unaffected. They fall under The Animation Guild, TAG.
Though I must say, using AI to initially generate TV show scripts sounds stupid and counterproductive to me in the first place. TV and film scripts aren’t like low-budget ad copy or shady school-essay mills, where what you want is fast turnaround on infinitely customizable versions of what is essentially standard mediocre boilerplate text.
AIUI, the really expensive pre-filming part of a filming script, and its most crucial aspect, is the part where the writers’ room (and in some cases, as kenobi_65 noted, the cast) bats it around in discussing how actual humans will react to it. How will this incident advance or delay the storyline of Subplot X that we left hanging three episodes ago? Will this joke about Celebrity A come across as “too soon” or tone-deaf given what just happened with Celebrity B?
A chatbot can certainly generate script drafts that mimic some combination of all the other scripts out there that it’s been trained on, but it can’t do any of the parts that require actual thinking. And since those are AIUI the most critical and expensive parts of script development, why wouldn’t you want to apply them to the best script draft you can get, namely, one that’s been produced by an actual accomplished human writer using actual thought?
…nonsense. They aren’t “misguided about streaming.” They know more about how streaming has impacted income than probably anyone else. As for audience numbers: obviously the streaming sites care, and the writers care, and as the only two parties to the negotiation, that’s kinda important.
Its entirely relevant here because the studios will try to use AI to both cut down on the size of writing rooms, and to “redefine” what it is to be a writer.
…this Twitter thread by John Rogers really lays out what is on the line. Rogers was (along with Dean Devlin) showrunner for the original run of Leverage. The most compelling part is this:
The people running the streaming sites don’t know what they are doing. They are burning through billions. This is a line-in-the-sand moment. The Guilds have to make a stand here.
I’ve seen nothing to indicate that the WGA is the most knowledgeable about the impact of streaming. The phrasing of the demand for audience numbers actually indicates otherwise.
And the stated concerns about AI seem to reference AI-the-media-buzzword rather than AI-the-technology. The former is incredibly powerful and generates clicks/engagement, the latter is like Tesla’s FSD - possible down the line, but not as close as people think.
Neither of those takes mean I disagree with the WGA - change is needed, and what the studios are doing is typical of modern corporate America; gouging labor while raking in record profits (and compensation). It’s an obviously short-term strategy, but everyone seems to have decided that the reckoning will be someone else’s problem.
I’m skeptical that an AI like ChatGPT could write a decent script. Has anyone tried it? I’d like read the results,
Netflix depends on excellent content to keep the subscriber fees coming in. They can’t tie fees directly to any particular show, like ad supported services can, but great shows bring in more money than lousy shows.
Netflix gets to benefit from that show year after year, even shows they cancelled, the same way show owners benefitted from syndication in the olden days. That guy who wants to rewatch 3 seasons of Daredevil twice a year is 100% going to keep paying money to Netflix for that.
Prompt:
Invent some new characters to star in a TV commercial, that showcases how using ChatGPT to produce movie and tv scripts improves everyone’s lives. Write the script for a 30-second spot.
ChatGPT:
[Scene: A dimly lit room, filled with stressed-out writers, furiously typing away at their keyboards.]
Narrator (with a sultry voice): “Are you tired of those late-night writing sessions, desperately trying to come up with the perfect script?”
[Scene transition: A glamorous, confident woman, LEXI, enters the room with a sassy grin, a mysterious yet brilliant man, CHASE, follows.]
Lexi (with a wink): “Well, darlings, it’s time to revolutionize your creative process with ChatGPT!”
Chase (smirking): “It’s the screenwriter’s dream come true.”
[Scene transition: The room transforms into a lively, modern workspace. Writers are now collaborating with ChatGPT on their devices, exchanging excited glances.]
Narrator: “By harnessing the power of ChatGPT, you’ll inject a tantalizing twist into your movie and TV scripts, while saving time and reducing stress.”
[Scene transition: Lexi and Chase toast with champagne as a script materializes in a burst of glitter.]
Lexi: “Unleash your inner genius and let ChatGPT do the heavy lifting.”
Chase (raising his glass): “To unforgettable stories and satisfied audiences!”
Narrator (with a chuckle): “ChatGPT - where creativity and technology make sweet, sweet magic. Try it today, and elevate your writing to new heights!”
[Scene fades to the OpenAI logo, accompanied by a catchy jingle.]
…I said “how streaming has impacted income”, which is what is relevant here. Since the advent of streaming, writers are earning less. Many can’t pay rent. The writer for “The Bear” had a negative bank account and a bow-tie bought on credit when he recieved the WGA award for Best Comedy. Most writers are on poverty wages. Seasons have gone from 20 episodes to 10, and they are getting paid for 10, but the workload remains the same.
It’s a shit show. And the studios want it to be even worse.
How do you know what value you bring to the company if the company keeps that information secret? There is no reason why the studios should be hiding that information.
It had nothing to do with “the media buzzword.” What the WGA asked for was very specific.
These aren’t things “coming down the line.” These are things that are happening right now, which is why it was included in the negotiations. This isn’t a copyright issue. It’s a genuine threat to both jobs and intellectual property.
People have tried, and no ChatGPT can’t write a decent script, but “writing a decent script” isn’t the pressing concern.
I’ll point to my example of the Leftovers script in the other AI thread. (Spoilers for the Leftovers finale, CW suicide) The resolution of that story-arc is simply something that an AI would be capable of. Not if the “writers room” is being driven by editors cleaning up AI drafts.