October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month @cbulancermedia cbubanner.com
ISSUE 1
VOLUME 71
SEPTEMBER 29, 2023
The writers’ strike ends after 148 days BY GABI RIGGIN A&E EDITOR
One of the longest strikes in the history of the Writer’s Guild of America (WGA) has finally ended. WGA began its 148-day strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTM) on May 2 and ended recently on Sept. 24. The writers claimed that they would like to ensure they receive fair compensation for the work they contribute to productions, according to Vulture. This is not the first time the WGA has gone on strike. The guild also went on strike in 1988 to increase cable TV residuals and between 2007 and 2008 because of writing rooms being downsized. Though the 1988 strike lasted 153 days, the 2023 strike had more stipulations. With the strike ending, they have reached a tentative agreement. This agreement involves a compromise of 3.5% and 5% and newly negotiated payments in residuals regarding streaming, meaning that writers will now receive bonuses on shows that are trending on streaming services. They will also receive a guarantee of staff for certain amounts of episodes in a series and employment of at least 10 weeks for shows airing along with AI regulation. The Eastern and Western WGA branches all voted to accept the deal
two days after the agreement, according to the Associated Press. “After the vote, they declared that the strike would be over and writers would be free to start on scripts at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday [Sept. 27],” according to AP. Now that the strike lifted, writers may return to work but they will still need to ratify the contract themselves in October, the guild announced. Hollywood is composed of many guilds and unions, such as the WGA, the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), the Directors Guild of America (DGA), the International Cinematographers Guild (ICG), and the Producers Guild. According to WGA’s website, the point of these unions is to arrange and administer contracts to protect their creatives within the union. These guilds hold power over many of the jobs in the industry. Within WGA alone, 11,500 people involved in the guild went on strike, according to WGA. Many in these guilds lost jobs and work due to the strike, which has resulted in the cancellation and postponement of shows and movies. The writers were unsure when they would return as the strike had been ongoing for nearly five months. Michael Eaton, professor of film studies and film production, works as a director, writer, editor, producer, and
cinematographer who is part of the ICG. “I do know some writers who are out of work as well as many others who are out of work, such as actors and DPs [directors of hotography]. I have also lost a little bit of work,” Eaton said. The main reason for the strike is insufficient payment. Back in the days of cable TV, writers initially received payment for writing the story and selling it to someone in the industry to use and possibly get hired to continue writing. Then actors and writers were paid through the box office with a percentage or fixed payment, and television writers would earn a certain residual for shows and reruns aired on cable TV. “The issue is that the way that the television structure for cable television and cable networking was working is how all the contracts and revenue were set up through that. Obviously, that’s not applicable anymore,” said Brooke Donovan, senior film production major Brooke Donovan. Eaton mentions his perspective on why residuals with streaming wouldn’t make as much sense as they did with cable TV. “Should actors and writers get paid for every single stream on every single platform? I actually don’t think so. Nobody else gets paid that way. Book authors get paid to write the
Alexza Bahnmiller | Banner book and for each book sold, not for each time that book is read. Most people who work on TV shows and movies get paid for their work on those days that they work only and I’m not sure that it’s administratively possible to continue paying actors and writers of these productions for each stream,” Eaton said. A lack of writers can significantly impact the
entertainment industry as they write the stories that lead to film productions. “Writers are so essential in every aspect of the film industry,” said Hannah Lee, senior film production and screenwriting major. “Everything you see on screen has been planned and written out by the writers. Everything unique about a show or film begins in the writer’s room.”
While this strike is significant, it is also important to note that the WGA does not represent everyone in the industry. According to Eaton, with the WGA on strike, everyone in the union is not working, but independent writers are still able to.
WRITERS’ STRIKE | PAGE 12
Community Life hosts the first weekend event of the semester BY ALEXZA BAHNMILLER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Community is a big part of the college experience. From late night study sessions to attending sporting games, hitting the cafeteria and all the moments in between, it is the people around us that turn school years into lasting memories. At CBU’s Community Life department, staffers make it their priority to encourage the fostering of friendships through creative events. Starting a new trend, Community Life will be scheduling events that include weekend dates this year. The first event of the semester, Pop N’ Paint, took place on the evening of Saturday, Sept. 16. Sela Thomas, senior Christian studies and behavioral science major, explained the reasoning behind hosting Pop N’ Paint. “We wanted to do a creative artistic event to bring friend groups, roommate groups, and especially individuals who may not know anyone, together in a
Josselyn Guillen | Banner At Pop N’ Paint, students enjoy sipping on soda and snacking on popcorn, poprocks, and other “pop” themed treats while painting and listening to pop music. lowkey and chill environment. We figured a lot of people like painting whether they are amazing artists or whether they just do it for fun. We thought it would be a cool opportunity for people to get to know each other better,” Thomas said.
Kate Goodwin, senior elementary education major and Community Life intern, added that it is important for them to start doing events on the weekends. “We are starting to do more weekend events to get people
involved during the weekend. Some people say it gets kind of dead on campus during the night or on the weekends so we just wanted to find ways to get people involved and to bring
SEE POP N’ PAINT | PAGE 3
Josselyn Guillen | Banner Abigail Trestik, freshman radiologic science major, showing off her painting at Community Life’s Pop N’ Paint event.
CHRISTIANS IN CULTURE
DANGERS OF INFLATION
NEW TUNES FOR THE FALL
Professors share the many ways people practice Christianity across different countries.
Graduates fear for their career as inflation eliminates job opportunities across countless industries.
Get cozy and enjoy a pumpkin spice latte while listening to these fresh fall tracks.
Faith & Lifestyle, pg. 7
Business & Tech, pg. 11
Vision, pg. 4