My take on the previous negotiation crises (and this may be incomplete or inaccurate) is that the AMPTP negotiated a profitable deal with the DGA, then made a few small concessions to the WGA, but got away with murder (DVD revenue, profit transparency, streaming revenue, etc.), after which the AMPTP used its success with the DGA and WGA to bully SAG (and then SAG AFTRA) into a position of weakness. But while the prodcos and streamers got what they wanted once again from the DGA (surprise, surprise), they lost ground to writers (thanks to a formidable campaign from WGA negotiators and support from SAG-AFTRA and content producers like the late night hosts et al.), the prodcos have tried to stonewall SAG-AFTRA out of fear that the producers will lose a few beans on issues like AI appropriations from acting and voice work. Justine Bateman was one of the most perceptive voices supporting writers on the issue of streaming in 2012. I hope writers will return the favor and use their expertise to help SAG-AFTRA with their struggle.

With the shift to episodic narrative (both broadcast and streaming), the role of directors is becoming more and more secondary (the auteur theory is moribund, if not dead)--which is why I think the DGA has been so amenable to the sops from the AMPTP's table. I hope WGA and SAG-AFTRA will combine forces to ensure that movies and television are as engaging as they are profitable.