The Writers Guild strike started around six weeks ago, but it has given another union leverage to agree to a new contract with the studios.
The Directors Guild came to terms with the AMPTP on many points, including artificial intelligence. Computers will not be directing movies and TV shows, at least for now.
The DGA statement reads:
AI is not a person and that generative AI cannot replace the duties performed by members.
The Directors Guild, as many have said when this began in April, “always caves.” They cave first and mess things up for everyone else. That’s how it usually works. WGA and SAG are far more aligned on the key issues than DGA.
Directors are much different than writers or actors. For one thing, directors don’t have a job without a script. So the DGA agreement is a minuscule win if studios don’t end up coming to terms with the writers.
Will this agreement hurt the WGA strike? Probably not. This WGA wants this to drag on for as long as possible. They have no reason to cave. They are more than happy to hold the line.
Of course, I’m not getting my hopes up either. There is a clean end to all of this. Labor solidarity is very hard to come by in the US, but if an industry, let alone the WGA, can actually pull it off then that would be incredibly cool.
However, watch out for SAG — if they go on strike next, which seems inevitable at this point, then there will be a complete halt to any production.