“Generative AI cannot replace the duties performed by members,” the DGA said in a news release.
The deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers also provides a 5 percent wage increase in the first year, with raises of 4 percent and 3.5 percent in the two subsequent years; reduces the length of assistant directors’ workdays by an hour; and expands safety programs.
One of those safety initiatives is an on-set ban of live ammunition, a year and a half after cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed on the set of “Rust.” Criminal charges against Alec Baldwin, who was handling a prop gun when it discharged, were filed and then dropped.
“This deal recognizes the future of our industry is global and respects the unique and essential role of directors and their teams as we move into that future,” DGA President Lesli Linka Glatter said in a statement. “As each new technology brings about major change, this deal ensures that each of the DGA’s 19,000 members can share in the success we all create together.”
The directors union, which began negotiations with producers on May 10, said the guild’s national board will consider approving the tentative agreement Tuesday. The deadline for a new DGA deal is June 30.
A directors strike would have left much of the on-screen entertainment industry on picket lines. The Writers Guild of America, which represents more than 11,000 Hollywood screenwriters, remains on strike after its own contract negotiations broke down.
Herb Scribner contributed to this developing story, which will be updated.
