<P> There are also "Craft Chambers" (Handwerkskammern), which have less resemblance to ancient guilds in that they are organized for all crafts in a certain region, not just one . In them membership is mandatory, and they serve to establish self - governance of the crafts . </P> <P> In the United States guilds exist in several fields . </P> <P> In the film and television industry, guild membership is generally a prerequisite for working on major productions in certain capacities . The Screen Actors Guild, Directors Guild of America, Writers Guild of America, East, Writers Guild of America, West and other profession - specific guilds have the ability to exercise strong control in the cinema of the United States as a result of a rigid system of intellectual - property rights and a history of power - brokers also holding guild membership (e.g., DreamWorks founder Steven Spielberg was, and is, a DGA member). These guilds maintain their own contracts with production companies to ensure a certain number of their members are hired for roles in each film or television production, and that their members are paid a minimum of guild "scale," along with other labor protections . These guilds set high standards for membership, and exclude professional actors, writers, etc. who do not abide by the strict rules for competing within the film and television industry in America . </P> <P> The Newspaper Guild is a labor union for journalists and other newspaper workers, with over 30,000 members in North America . </P>

In the middle ages the function of the guilds was