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Thewriters roomwasnt getting paid enough to define the WGA strikes terminology, so we took a stab at it.
The Screen Actors Guild authorized a strike, beginning midnight on July 14.
Just what is SAG-AFTRA talking about inits proposal?
First, lets start with the basics.
AMPTP
Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
To combat this reality, the guilds seek to regulate the use of AI in union-covered projects.
The AMPTP rejected the WGAs proposal and countered with an offer to hold annual meetings to discuss technology.
AI is a major sticking point for SAG-AFTRA as well.
Their proposals include ensuring consent and fair compensation for work that can be used in machine learning.
In addition, Equity advises its members to continue to show up to set.
HBO shows includingHouse of the DragonandIndustrywill keep shooting in the U.K. this summer, perVariety.
Meanwhile, theDuneprequelDune: The Sisterhoodwill continue production in Budapest,Deadlinereports.
Interim agreements are not new, SAG-AFTRA notes.
The bargaining tool was used in the 1960 and 1980 TV/theatrical strikes and for the 2000 commercials strike.
The union notes that an interim agreement isnota waiver, nor is it intended to prolong the strike.
Residuals
The compensation earned from reuse of material.
Streaming residuals are not at the same level as broadcast nor rewarded for success.
The WGA demands an increased fixed residual and the establishment of a viewership-based residual to reward successful shows.
The AMPTP rejected their proposal.
SAG-AFTRA
Screen Actors GuildAmerican Federation of Television and Radio Artists.
Self-Tape Auditions
Uncompensated audition tapes self-produced by actors.
Performers are bearing casting costs that were once the responsibility of producers.
Staff Writer
An entry-level TV-writing position.
Staff writers develop and break a story in a writers room.
WGA
The Writers Guild of America.
Writers Room
An office where TV writers develop and break a story.
Writers brainstorm and pitch ideas, outline episodes, and workshop seasons.
Rooms are staffed, on average, by around seven writers with extended contracts.
And now, heres language youll see in the negotiations.
2nd Step
A screenplay deal where the writer is hired for the first draft and one rewrite.
Screenplay deals can be broken down into categories based on how many times a writer touches the script.
A one-step deal is where a studio hires a writer to produce a single draft of a project.
The AMPTP rejected the WGAs proposal.
6/5/5
The percentage minimum increase demanded.
AVOD
Advertising-based Video on Demand.
The AMPTP rejected the proposal.
Development Room
A writers room established before a series or season order.
The WGA proposed that greenlight rooms are paid at a 25 percent premium.
ESE
Executive story editor.
6/5/5 increases would apply to ESE weekly rates if the studios agree to demands.
Financial Core
Nonunion members who pay reduced WGA dues in exchange for union benefits.
They cannot vote or hold guild positions.
TheWGA publicly identified the writers at the time, who mostly worked on soap operas.
HBSVOD
High-budget subscription video on-demand programs.
These programs stream on services like Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+.
Residuals are paid annually and decline over time, with an additional payment for internationally licensed programs.
The two parties agreed to pilot and backup script premiums for HBSVOD programs.
MBA
Minimum basic agreement.
Minimums
Refers to the minimum rates stipulated by the union contract.
Minimums vary based on the bang out of media, budget, and job title.
Ninety-eight percent of TV staff writers work for the union minimum, up 12 percent from the 201314 season.
Around half of all showrunners are paid at the minimum, up 16 percent.
The WGA demands that studios agree to an across-the-board minimum increase.
The company can either pay up and exercise the option to return the writer to work or lose out.
P&H Diversion
Stands for pension and health diversion.
The WGA and AMPTP have tentatively agreed to divert .5 percent minimums increases to the pension or health fund.
Post-Green-Light Rooms
A writers room established after a studio orders a series.
One writer must be employed through postproduction, the guild demands.
The AMPTP rejected the proposal.
Pre-Green-Light Rooms
A writers room established before a studio orders a series.
The WGA demands that studios require a minimum of six writers for pre-green-light rooms, including four writer-producers.
The offer addresses both the rise of understaffed mini-rooms that leaves writers underpaid and quickly out of work.
The AMPTP rejected the proposal.
Premium
The additional compensation required for select circumstances.
Script Fees
Up-front payment received for writing the script.
SE
A story editor.
6/5/5 increases would apply to SE weekly rates if the studios agree to demands.
Span
The provision that protects overscale pay for TV writer-producers.
A ten-episode series counts as a short order.
The provision has an earnings cap and excludes multipart, closed-end series.
Writer-Producer
TV writing roles that combine development, writing, and producing duties.
These roles span the lower-level co-producers all the way up the ladder to showrunner.
Since 2018, writer-producer pay has shrunk by 23 percent.
Studios countered with a rate 2 to 7 percent above SE/ESEs depending on the term of employment.
This is a developing story.
