Katie Kilkenny and Winston Cho report in The Hollywood Reporter that Actors and Writers Make History With Bid to Reshape Industry in Hollywood’s High-Stakes Strike.

They lead with:

“On July 13, SAG-AFTRA, led by president Fran Drescher, called the union’s first strike against film and television companies in 43 years. Combined with Hollywood writers ongoing strike, the work stoppage — applying to 160,000 members, from actors to singers to dancers — marks the first simultaneous strike by the two unions since 1960, in a sign of an industry in tumult.”

In a redefined industry that now embraces streaming, the issues are pay, residuals, benefits and — AI.

“During the 2023 round of negotiations, the union has been seeking to codify consent and compensation terms for performers when their work is ingested into AI technology, and create guardrails around potential uses. The AMPTP said it offered a ‘groundbreaking AI proposal which protects performers’ digital likenesses, including a requirement for performer’s consent for the creation and use of digital replicas or for digital alterations of a performance.’ Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA’s chief negotiator and national executive director, on July 13 denounced the proposal for only paying background performers for one day of work in exchange for the rights to their digital likeness ‘for the rest of eternity with no compensation.’ He added, ‘If you think that’s a groundbreaking proposal, I suggest you think again.'”

USC history professor Steve Ross, who studies entertainment labour, says this time there’s an “existential threat to writers and potentially to actors. This is no longer just about improving your wages and your benefits. This is about keeping your job in the future.”

My take: Workers of the world, unite!

The Hollywood Reporter reports that China Shuts Down All Cinemas, Again.

Only two weeks ago it appeared China was gradually reopening some of its thousands of cinemas while maintaining strict physical distancing, among other health measures:

“‘To lower the risk of infection, cinemas should strictly implement epidemic prevention measures, and audiences are required to have their body temperature tested and present their health codes at entrance and wear masks during the show time,’ Yin Xin, spokeswoman for the Shanghai municipal government, told the state-backed news service Xinhua. Theaters also will be required to leave an empty seat between patrons in every direction.“

According to THR:

“The phased reopening of China’s vast network of 70,000 movie screens had promised a rare bright spot on the global distribution map, given that cinemas are shuttered in virtually every other major market around the globe, including North America, Europe, Japan and elsewhere. Beijing’s decision to reclose — or stay closed — was met with dismay by stakeholders throughout the Chinese industry.”

My take: hmm, okay, which is it? Either the authorities predict the pandemic is coming back, or patrons simply continued to stay home out of fear. Or it might be that having an empty cinema seat between everyone just doesn’t seem like much fun — might as well just stay home on the couch.