Writer and actors on STRIKE. Most main stream TV and Movies come to a stand still

[StreetHawk]

It is very common for underemployed actors to have a primary gig waiting tables, catering, driving uber, etc. It is far less common for IATSE folks to have additional income. They need to stay employed in production, but they've been dragged into the strike and told to to have "solidarity" while unemployment and their bank of health insurance hours run out.

Those lower end earning actors need another income source, one that is flexible enough to allow them to go and do auditions. Have to keep whatever times auditions are held open.

I don't believe a studio should be able to own a person's image/likeness forever. If they wish to scan people, it should still work like a residual in that each time they use it, there should be a payment to the person. it should just cost less all around. But, like ones said earlier, there is make-up, wardrobe (better for the environment to not have to make these extra clothes however), production staff, etc. behind the scenes that are impacted should the extra actors not be on set.

 

[Tawnos]

My guess it that actors expected the public to be on their side against the Studios which they are trying to project as the Evil Empire. They dont realize how actors' preachiness has turned the most people against them and they are not garnering any sympathy.

The general public seems to completely not care about this strike and is pretty much ignoring it.

We definitely live in different bubbles, because everyone I know is on the side of the actors and writers.

The general public not caring about the strike is ultimately going to be most harmful to the studios, but as others have mentioned, the backlog of content already written and filmed will take the studios at least through the end of the year, so they aren't seeing anything with it yet.

 

[kook10]

Those lower end earning actors need another income source, one that is flexible enough to allow them to go and do auditions. Have to keep whatever times auditions are held open.

I don't believe a studio should be able to own a person's image/likeness forever. If they wish to scan people, it should still work like a residual in that each time they use it, there should be a payment to the person. it should just cost less all around. But, like ones said earlier, there is make-up, wardrobe (better for the environment to not have to make these extra clothes however), production staff, etc. behind the scenes that are impacted should the extra actors not be on set.

Honestly I think the background scanning is a red herring. Any number of companies will be able to build AI models of people. You don't really need to use hired SAG background to do that.

Besides, there is not really reason to re-use specific background players. If the camera draws attention to an extra, they become "featured background" and get a bump. If they speak, they get upgraded to a speaking non-background contract which is a different thing. I can see possibly shooting something big and keeping a featured background player for a couple days, but I don't think I've heard of any featured background being reused or brought back on non-consecutive shooting days. They usually block it to shoot it all at once, even if it appears in different parts of the show. Also, films and tv have used crowd duplicating and additive vfx for years and it has been a non-issue. (and they aren't fighting for IATSE positions either)

 

[RandV]

Honestly I think the background scanning is a red herring. Any number of companies will be able to build AI models of people. You don't really need to use hired SAG background to do that.

Besides, there is not really reason to re-use specific background players. If the camera draws attention to an extra, they become "featured background" and get a bump. If they speak, they get upgraded to a speaking non-background contract which is a different thing. I can see possibly shooting something big and keeping a featured background player for a couple days, but I don't think I've heard of any featured background being reused or brought back on non-consecutive shooting days. They usually block it to shoot it all at once, even if it appears in different parts of the show. Also, films and tv have used crowd duplicating and additive vfx for years and it has been a non-issue. (and they aren't fighting for IATSE positions either)

Like Titanic, thanks James Cameron this is all your fault!

Just wanted to point out though there is a reason to use recurring background, I know someone who got a lot of work on one of the Star Trek movies as in an enclosed environment like a star ship they may want the 'background crew' to be the same.

 

[kook10]

Like Titanic, thanks James Cameron this is all your fault!

Just wanted to point out though there is a reason to use recurring background, I know someone who got a lot of work on one of the Star Trek movies as in an enclosed environment like a star ship they may want the 'background crew' to be the same.

You're right, and I forgot I've even worked on a show where they used the same kids in a classroom for the season.

 

[Jumptheshark]

flash back to 2008 from letterman

 

[SmytheKing]

No it's not. Note even close.

You sure? I mean, that list has Superman III and Sleepaway Camp on it. You really think you can find movies that have come out in the past 23 years that come close to that sort of cinema?

 

[johnjm22]

You sure? I mean, that list has Superman III and Sleepaway Camp on it. You really think you can find movies that have come out in the past 23 years that come close to that sort of cinema?

Given your examples, I'll assume you're joking.

But IMO, if you think any single year of film history is better than any 23 year span combined, it's likely just because you saw the former when you were younger.

I do have my criticisms of modern movies to be sure.

 

[Ben Grimm]

This is wonderful. We have centuries of the fine arts to enjoy. We can live w/o today's crappy movies and TV. Shakespeare didn't need the Writer's Guild and we don't either.

 

[BostonBob]

 

[Osprey]

That headline made me laugh. It sounds like something from The Onion. I wouldn't have thought that people whose jobs it is to come up with trivia questions would be unionized. I guess that they have reason to be scared, though. Eventually (if not already), AI could probably do their job very easily.

 

[John Price]

South Korean actors in Netflix originals want better pay. The company refuses to meet with their union

Netflix has provided immense opportunity for South Korean actors — but just for those at the top. The company declines to meet with the actors' union.

www.latimes.com

 

[Voight]

My guess it that actors expected the public to be on their side against the Studios which they are trying to project as the Evil Empire. They dont realize how actors' preachiness has turned the most people against them and they are not garnering any sympathy.

The general public seems to completely not care about this strike and is pretty much ignoring it.

I agree with this.

Theres a lot of people who dont like when actors lecture them about the environment while they fly private. Among other things of course.

 

[Nona Di Giuseppe]

My guess it that actors expected the public to be on their side against the Studios which they are trying to project as the Evil Empire. They dont realize how actors' preachiness has turned the most people against them and they are not garnering any sympathy.

The general public seems to completely not care about this strike and is pretty much ignoring it.

this is complete nonsense

 

[Nona Di Giuseppe]

Waiting on tables is a real job, acting is a hobby.

ur not serious, right?

 

[PeteWorrell]

this is complete nonsense

Not really. It's part of the reason why ratings for award shows have gone down.

 

[Voight]

Ricky Gervais said it best.

 

[MMC]

 

[johnjm22]

Dan seems like a great guy, and I always enjoy his videos.

I like the point he's making here; the two sides really aren't that far apart. The one exception is the streaming revenues/residuals.

I pointed it out previously, but I think the studios can hold out for a long long time. The strike is actually financially beneficial for them because most of them were losing money over spending on content.

It almost has characteristics of a lockout rather than a strike.

 

[PeteWorrell]

All the big corporations like Google, Meta, Apple, Microsoft... Are investing massively into AI so Disney were obviously going to do the same thing. I don't like it but it's obvious that AI is inevitable just like automation in industries was decades ago.

 

[Mario_is_BACK!!]

 

[PK Cronin]

The cat is out of the bag, it's inevitable now and people need to embrace it and figure out a different way to do what they do. People borrow ideas from others all the time, which was mentioned earlier in this thread for sure, it's now being done at a much quicker pace and without the need of the people who used to be relied upon to do so. How is anyone going to be expected to know which ideas generated from a human or an ai at this point?

 

[kook10]

The cat is out of the bag, it's inevitable now and people need to embrace it and figure out a different way to do what they do.

Unfortunately I agree, and making studio production contractually more expensive across the board only serves to create a huge area of opportunity for others to utilize AI and fill the gap. TikTok, Reels, Shorts, and new tech content will only get longer and continue to eat away at big production in a major way. I know SAG wants to bully "creators" into joining by threatening their ability to join later, but I don't know how they would or could effectively unionize social media.

 

[Jumptheshark]

interesting how many actors made a B line back to the stage

 

[Hale The Villain]

With how much studios spent on terribly written terribly acted movies that went on to bomb at the box office in 2023, if anything writers and actors should be getting paid less for their garbage work.

Zero sympathy for them at this point with how many of my favorite franchises they have absolutely butchered in the past couple years.