Three years after arriving in the United States, Russell Boast, the head of casting and co-head of Chapman University’s screen acting program, experienced a wake up call during the 2007 Writers Guild of America (WGA) Strike. Boast remembers the strike, which lasted over 100 days, as an “eternity,” but looking back, he recognizes the importance that this strike had, especially for setting the precedent this past summer.

After 118 days of standing on the picket line, Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) members reached a deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) on Nov 8. The deal was ratified by SAG-AFTRA members on Dec. 5.  

The new deal includes residual payments for actors whose projects are on streaming platforms, an increase in compensation, steps toward inclusivity in the workplace and a lengthy segment on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in film and television, something not all members saw eye to eye on. 

The 18-page deal includes five pages on AI, which seems to be one of the more contentious parts of the deal. Actors wanted to guarantee that they would know exactly how studios plan on using AI in projects that they’re involved with, but these details were not clearly defined, leaving some members feeling vulnerable. 

“If ratified, SAG-AFTRA members who consent will be digitally exploited in ways not clearly defined and are currently beyond our individual abilities to control,” actor Matthew Modine wrote in a Nov. 23 statement against SAG-AFTRA’s deal. “The U.S. Government, with all its resources, doesn’t know how to create AI guardrails to provide protections for citizens… SAG-AFTRA certainly doesn’t have the financial resources or technology to navigate the AI tsunami crashing upon the shores of the entertainment industry.”

Sophomore screen acting major Olivia Brown told The Panther that although she didn’t always keep up-to-date with the news of the strike, hearing the results of the deal has her feeling optimistic about her future in film as a woman and person of color. In an effort to increase inclusivity in the industry, one of the arrangements in the deal is that there must be hairstylists and make-up artists who are experienced with diverse hair and skin types.

“Being a woman and also being a person of color with curly hair, I think that it's so important to feel supported by your cast and crew because I know how weird it feels showing up to a set and needing to do your own makeup or hair because the person on set usually don't know what they're doing (with POC) makeup or hair.”

While not every demand was met to all members’ satisfaction in the deal, the strike itself is a testament to the efficacy of protests and proves the power of coming together.

“There is never a right time for creatives to stop creating, knowing that they’re going to lose the limited income they already have, but strikes like these are important to negotiate better working conditions, fair wages, benefits and other contractual terms that will help current industry professionals and set a precedent for an industry's future,” Boast said.