About a month ago, Disney CEO Bob Iger talked about the ongoing dual SAG and WGA strikes. In his statements—which he clearly didn’t think through all the way—he mentioned how the demands by the unions were “not realistic.” This was his way of saying that the unions are asking for too much money. As you might expect, people quickly took to social media to talk about how he makes tens-of-millions each year and how ridiculous it was for Iger to call the demands from the WGA and SAG “not realistic” when he has such a massive salary. One of the folks really upset by the comments is none other than Charlie Kaufman, someone who has been very vocal lately about the strikes and the current Hollywood studio system.
In an interview with Variety, while at the Sarajevo Film Festival, Charlie Kaufman talked about the current strikes and, specifically, he responded to the comments from Iger. As you might expect, Kaufman is quick to point out Iger’s own salary, but he goes further by talking about how studio executives are really just the root of everything wrong with the current film industry.
“I’m wondering if his salary is realistic. I think saying something like that, from the position he’s in, is cynical. Or dishonest,” Kaufman said. “I think they grasp it. I think they know that their money comes from other people not getting money…It’s disgusting, because they don’t do anything. No, they do damage is what they do. They do damage to the art form. And by doing that, they do damage to humanity. And if everything is about the bottom line for them and saving money, then there’s nothing left to the art form.”
He continued, “[Studio heads] are not ushering in any kind of beautiful work by their presence. They’re kind of doing the opposite of that. And I think it’s evidenced in what Hollywood produces, and how the more expensive a movie is, the less value it has to the culture.”
Obviously, this is a way for Kaufman to, once again, extol the virtues of indie filmmaking, something he is very passionate about. And as we’ve said in many other articles, while indie filmmaking is the dream situation, where filmmakers are given complete control over their vision, the truth is that studio films are really the only things getting major distribution theatrically. So, in the case of indie films, many of them end up on a streaming service or VOD, with very little or no meaningful theatrical release. So, in the case of filmmakers, they have to decide whether the distribution warrants sacrificing a bit of creative control. And yes, this is a problem and backs up what Kaufman is discussing in his comments.
Hopefully, the strikes end soon and the unions are given a fair deal, as they so rightfully deserve. And who knows? Maybe then, with fair wages and compensation, artists can more embrace indie filmmaking in a real way.
