Barry Diller: Actor/Writer Strikes Could Lead to Hollywood’s ‘Absolute Collapse

[jficke13]

But this is at the core of the strike. They pay an actor for one day of work to capture their image, and then they use it forever with paying them.

It's one big issue.

No residuals on streaming platforms is another.

Hollywood accounting making it so that no productions *ever* turn a profit is another (see, John Cusack recently disclosing that he got "points" (share of) on net profits for "Say Anything" and that according to his residuals statements/the studio, that movie has *lost* $44M since it was released).

[WhiteTrash]

But this is at the core of the strike. They pay an actor for one day of work to capture their image, and then they use it forever without paying them.

Ha. That's funny.

[Pakuni]

But this is at the core of the strike. They pay an actor for one day of work to capture their image, and then they use it forever without paying them.

Just to be clear, the concern here is that the studios want to do this for background actors/extras, not leads.
Nobody is suggesting studios are going to take footage from "Top Gun" and make films starring perpetually 24-year-old Tom Cruise for eternity.

[jficke13]

That’s exactly who the union primarily exists to represent though right? The rank and file rather than the stars?

[Not A Serious Person]

That’s exactly who the union primarily exists to represent though right? The rank and file rather than the stars?

Exactly correct ... SAG wants to protect Tom Hanks and Matt Damon by selling out lesser stars.

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/hollywood-actor-sag-aftra-ai-artificial-intelligence-strike-rcna94191
Its proposal "only permits a company to use the digital replica of a background actor in the motion picture for which the background actor is employed. Any other use requires the background actor’s consent and bargaining for the use, subject to a minimum payment," an AMPTP spokesperson told NBC News.

The technology either exists now or is close to existing, making this a significant issue of the strike.

Restated, actors are on strike saying they fear the use of AI to replace them ... and "them" are the major stars.

[Pakuni]

Exactly correct ... SAG wants to protect Tom Hanks and Matt Damon by selling out lesser stars.

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/hollywood-actor-sag-aftra-ai-artificial-intelligence-strike-rcna94191
Its proposal "only permits a company to use the digital replica of a background actor in the motion picture for which the background actor is employed. Any other use requires the background actor’s consent and bargaining for the use, subject to a minimum payment," an AMPTP spokesperson told NBC News.

The technology either exists now or is close to existing, making this a significant issue of the strike.

Restated, actors are on strike saying they fear the use of AI to replace them ... and "them" are the major stars.

I believe you're misreading this. The "its" referred to in the portion you quoted is the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, i.e. the studios. They want to be able replicate background actors/extras after paying them once. This is what the union is opposing.

[Not A Serious Person]

I believe you're misreading this. The "its" referred to in the portion you quoted is the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, i.e. the studios. They want to be able replicate background actors/extras after paying them once. This is what the union is opposing.

My understanding is this is what they do now ... pay unknown actors for one day's work to go into a studio to get their likeness and use it forever via AI.  The union opposes this and wants them to get a royalty on the continued use of their image.

And the union also wants a ban on AI-generated lead characters.

So, they want to get some royalty crumbs for unknowns and completely protect the likeness/image of stars. And protecting the likeness and image of stars also means human stars never have to compete with "AI actors" for lead roles.

Please correct any of this that is not correct.

[mu_hilltopper]

I'm surprised they'd need to capture any background extra person's image.

AI is completely capable of generating new faces and bodies that look realistically human.

https://www.unrealperson.com/
https://thispersondoesnotexist.com/

[Pakuni]

My understanding is this is what they do now ... pay unknown actors for one day's work to go into a studio to get their likeness and use it forever via AI.  The union opposes this and wants them to get a royalty on the continued use of their image. [/qupte]

I don't know if the first part - that they do this now - is true or not. Source?
But yes, the union wants the actor to a)have to give consent for each use of his/her likeness and b) to be compensated for each use.

And the union also wants a ban on AI-generated lead characters.

I've seen nothing to suggest this. Source?
This story seems to suggest the opposite.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/18/business/ai-actors-strike/index.html

[Hards Alumni]

I support the striking workers.

Having said that, I also agree that change in entertainment will come fast and hard.  Writers and actors should fight for every dollar they can before technology replaces them.

Furthermore, this is just the first fight for jobs that can and will be made obsolete in search of profits for shareholders.

[lawdog77]

Nobody has made a joke about Keanu Reeves being the first AI actor? People are slipping here.

[Spotcheck Billy]

I think background actors/extras will lose in this strike.
Nobody is shedding tears for all of the animators that lost jobs, the NTSC standard is 25 frames per second. Animators used to hand-draw all of those frames now done via computers.
Once upon a time I was a rate clerk at trucking companies. Every terminal for each carrier used to have rate clerks, many unionized, rating was mostly computerized in the late 1980's and rate clerks became extinct.
Technology marches on.

[Not A Serious Person]

I support the striking workers.

Having said that, I also agree that change in entertainment will come fast and hard.  Writers and actors should fight for every dollar they can before technology replaces them.

Furthermore, this is just the first fight for jobs that can and will be made obsolete in search of profits for shareholders.

It is a fight for survival.

Netflix = $9.99/mo (basic) to $19.99 (premium)
Disney+ = $7.99.mo to $19.99
Apple TV+ = $4.99.mo
Amazon Prime = $8.99/mo
Hulu = $6.99/mo (ads) $12.99 (no ads)

I'm too lazy to look up the rest of the prices, but they are all in the same range

Paramount
Peacock
HBO
Showtime
Starz

And I'm sure I'm forgetting many more, not to mention foreign streaming.

And I'm ignoring sports which is another long list.

---------------

There is not enough people with big enough budgets for all these streaming services to survive. They have to cut their prices ... and cut them a lot. So, the content producers are going to have to get less.

So, it does not matter which side one supports ... the costs inevitably have to come down.

[Uncle Rico]

It is a fight for survival.

Netflix = $9.99/mo (basic) to $19.99 (premium)
Disney+ = $7.99.mo to $19.99
Apple TV+ = $4.99.mo
Amazon Prime = $8.99/mo
Hulu = $6.99/mo (ads) $12.99 (no ads)

I'm too lazy to look up the rest of the prices, but they are all in the same range

Paramount
Peacock
HBO
Showtime
Starz

And I'm sure I'm forgetting many more, not to mention foreign streaming.

And I'm ignoring sports which is another long list.

---------------

There is not enough people with big enough budgets for all these streaming services to survive. They have to cut their prices ... and cut them a lot. So, the content producers are going to have to get less.

So, it does not matter which side one supports ... the costs inevitably have to come down.

They’ve been saying that since the invention of moving pictures.  Next.

[Not A Serious Person]

Mission Impossible was a disappointment. Indiana Jones was only lukewarm.

So, now the fate of theatres and maybe even the Hollywood strike rests on the take this weekend for Barbie and Oppenheimer.

If they disappoint, the future of theatres (aside from specialty types) will be questioned more than ever. A disappointment by "Barbheimer" will underscore again that everyone in Hollywood will have to realize EVERYTHING is now made for streaming.


https://www.smh.com.au/culture/movies/hollywood-is-banking-on-these-films-to-save-cinemas-will-it-work-20230711-p5dndl.html

[Uncle Rico]

Mission Impossible was a disappointment. Indiana Jones was only lukewarm.

So, now the fate of theatres and maybe even the Hollywood strike rest of the take this weekend for Barbie and Oppenheimer.

If they disappoint, the future of theatres (aside from specialty types) will be questioned more than ever. A disappointment by "Barbheimer" will underscore again that everyone in Hollywood will have to realize EVERYTHING is now made for streaming.


https://www.smh.com.au/culture/movies/hollywood-is-banking-on-these-films-to-save-cinemas-will-it-work-20230711-p5dndl.html

Lol

[Not A Serious Person]

They’ve been saying that since the invention of moving pictures.  Next.

Wait, have you been paying for Amazon for the last 100 years????

[Uncle Rico]

Wait, have you been paying for Amazon for the last 100 years????

Amazon is doomed.  Start a thread about it.  I look forward to what else you deem doomed.  Make sure to post links.  Thanks

[Pakuni]

Amazon is doomed.  Start a thread about it.  I look forward to what else you deem doomed.  Make sure to post links.  Thanks

Apple. Doomed.
NFL. Doomed.
Cities. Doomed.
Hollywood. Doomed.
Human actors. Doomed.
Amazon. Doomed.

I'm beginning to see a trend.

[jficke13]

It is a fight for survival.

Netflix = $9.99/mo (basic) to $19.99 (premium)
Disney+ = $7.99.mo to $19.99
Apple TV+ = $4.99.mo
Amazon Prime = $8.99/mo
Hulu = $6.99/mo (ads) $12.99 (no ads)

I'm too lazy to look up the rest of the prices, but they are all in the same range

Paramount
Peacock
HBO
Showtime
Starz

And I'm sure I'm forgetting many more, not to mention foreign streaming.

And I'm ignoring sports which is another long list.

---------------

There is not enough people with big enough budgets for all these streaming services to survive. They have to cut their prices ... and cut them a lot. So, the content producers are going to have to get less.

So, it does not matter which side one supports ... the costs inevitably have to come down.

It is very funny to me that the thing that this cries out for is not actually reduced prices (people were paying this and more on cable before everything went ott), but for a cable company to bundle it all together so there's one dang subscription to manage/pay.

[tower912]

Yes.    Bundle it at a slightly discounted rate, be a hero.     Some see opportunities, some see doom.   

[Pakuni]

It is very funny to me that the thing that this cries out for is not actually reduced prices (people were paying this and more on cable before everything went ott), but for a cable company to bundle it all together so there's one dang subscription to manage/pay.

Sounds like a great idea, but why would a Netflix or a Max play along?

[jficke13]

Sounds like a great idea, but why would a Netflix or a Max play along?

Oh don't get me wrong, I don't expect them to actually do this.

[Hards Alumni]

I think background actors/extras will lose in this strike.
Nobody is shedding tears for all of the animators that lost jobs, the NTSC standard is 25 frames per second. Animators used to hand-draw all of those frames now done via computers.
Once upon a time I was a rate clerk at trucking companies. Every terminal for each carrier used to have rate clerks, many unionized, rating was mostly computerized in the late 1980's and rate clerks became extinct.
Technology marches on.

SAG represents all actors, not just extras.

[Hards Alumni]

Mission Impossible was a disappointment. Indiana Jones was only lukewarm.

So, now the fate of theatres and maybe even the Hollywood strike rests on the take this weekend for Barbie and Oppenheimer.

If they disappoint, the future of theatres (aside from specialty types) will be questioned more than ever. A disappointment by "Barbheimer" will underscore again that everyone in Hollywood will have to realize EVERYTHING is now made for streaming.


https://www.smh.com.au/culture/movies/hollywood-is-banking-on-these-films-to-save-cinemas-will-it-work-20230711-p5dndl.html

Make better movies.