Nail on the head. It’s so wildly frustrating. I mean look at the SAG-AFTRA/WGA strike. I am a professional shooter/editor but not in the hollywood side anymore, so I had the luxury of working as an editor at a salaried job while my friends suffered during the strike. Their near-unanimous approval of the strike still made it incredibly difficult and they’re already terrified of IATSE/Teamsters striking this summer.
Was it worth it? Yes. Absolutely. But my god it was hard. I don’t think people realize the strain it put on folks. I saw $800/day crew members at coffee shops pulling shifts. I saw veteran cam ops lamenting the unemployment process as they basically begged anyone they knew for a corporate gig. Folks who leaned on their parents to financially support them in their 30’s as the strike played out. It wasn’t picket lines and signs and high spirits all day every day. It was hunger and fear of losing the roof of their heads. All for the chance to maybe have a better work situation moving forward, to be determined at an unknown date.
Absolutely. It’s really good to hear your perspective on the matter, because yeah - that shit is brutal and SAG-AFTRA was a ‘good outcome’. Many - especially those without the benefit of millions and millions of dollars, celebrity backers, and mass public support, do not have good outcomes.
If you’re interested in this kind of thing, “Germinal” by Zola is what I find to be the best depiction of a real strike. Because it has genuinely good intentions, but it’s also fucking terrible, and essentially everyone involved ends up worse for wear after it’s done.
Nail on the head. It’s so wildly frustrating. I mean look at the SAG-AFTRA/WGA strike. I am a professional shooter/editor but not in the hollywood side anymore, so I had the luxury of working as an editor at a salaried job while my friends suffered during the strike. Their near-unanimous approval of the strike still made it incredibly difficult and they’re already terrified of IATSE/Teamsters striking this summer.
Was it worth it? Yes. Absolutely. But my god it was hard. I don’t think people realize the strain it put on folks. I saw $800/day crew members at coffee shops pulling shifts. I saw veteran cam ops lamenting the unemployment process as they basically begged anyone they knew for a corporate gig. Folks who leaned on their parents to financially support them in their 30’s as the strike played out. It wasn’t picket lines and signs and high spirits all day every day. It was hunger and fear of losing the roof of their heads. All for the chance to maybe have a better work situation moving forward, to be determined at an unknown date.
Absolutely. It’s really good to hear your perspective on the matter, because yeah - that shit is brutal and SAG-AFTRA was a ‘good outcome’. Many - especially those without the benefit of millions and millions of dollars, celebrity backers, and mass public support, do not have good outcomes.
If you’re interested in this kind of thing, “Germinal” by Zola is what I find to be the best depiction of a real strike. Because it has genuinely good intentions, but it’s also fucking terrible, and essentially everyone involved ends up worse for wear after it’s done.
Never read that, appreciate the recc