Since the start of Covid, the emerging AI renaissance, and this year’s rising levels of inflation, the acting and writing industries have been faced with several hardships. Many writers and actors are in fear of being replaced with AI due to its cheap cost and efficiency, and have also struggled to get by because their wages haven’t kept up with inflation.
Many actors have already dealt with companies using AI to include their faces and voices in projects they didn’t consent to being a part of. Tom Hanks, a high profile actor, had an issue where a dental company used a deepfake of his face for an advertisement without his knowledge at the start of October. This prompted him to make a post on Instagram with the caption “There’s a video out there promoting some dental plan with an AI version of me. I have nothing to do with it.” Back in April, before the strikes began, Hanks shared his views on AI and gave an insight into how the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) and the Writers Guild of America (WGA) wanted to handle the issue on Adam Buxton’s podcast, saying “I can tell you that there are discussions going on in all of the guilds, all of the agencies, and all of the legal firms to come up with the legal ramifications of my face and my voice – and everybody else’s – being our intellectual property.”
A month after the interview, the WGA went on strike, followed closely by SAG-AFTRA in mid July. Members of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA began to strike because of low payment and unregulated use of AI. The WGA strike began in early may, and the SAG-AFTRA strike followed soon after, beginning mid July. The strikes resulted in many highly anticipated film productions being delayed, like the upcoming Avatar movie and season 5 of Stranger Things. As of September 27th, the writers guild received justice and ended the strike. They secured higher wages, streaming bonuses, minimum staffing requirements, and restrictions on the use of AI generated material, meaning that entertainment companies must explicitly specify what part of their projects were made by AI.
Now that an agreement has been made between the AMPTP (Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers) and the WGA, attention has shifted to negotiating with SAG-AFTRA, who are hoping for similar results. In addition to advocating for higher minimum wages and restrictions as AI usage, the guild is also hoping to enforce tighter safety restrictions, especially following an incident on the set of Rust, where Alec Baldwin was using a prop revolver as the gun was accidentally discharged, fatally shooting the production’s cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins. The first few meetings between the actors guild and AMPTP occurred on October 2nd, 4th, and 6th, and will continue for the weeks to come.
Fran Drescher, the SAG-AFTRA president, has made many statements offering insight into what she wants to get out of the negotiations: “When a CEO is making $78,000 a day, when a studio makes $1 billion on a weekend, please do not plead poverty to me. Just make a good deal. You could be the hero in the story. Just pivot. Start being inclusive. Start realizing that we’re not peons. We’re not serfs. We’re in this together. Honor our artistry. Exalt what we bring to the world. Share the wealth and you’ll see that, you know, the business will have much more longevity and much less of this kind of thing.” Her voice represents the anger against the corrupt production companies and also represents the hopes for a better future that each member holds.
Before the WGA strike ended, many people stood in solidarity with the guild and showed support by commenting on the accounts of the corporations under fire, such as Netflix, demanding that they pay their writers. Now that the strike is over, commenters have switched their attention over to the SAG-AFTRA strike and have begun following in Drescher’s footsteps by demanding better pay for actors. One of Netflix’s Youtube accounts, “Still Watching Netflix”, recently made a community post with the caption “Never too old for a slide”. Many commenters responded with witty comments like, “Never too old to pay your actors” and “It would be even cooler to see you pay your actors fair wages.”
As a result of the actors’ strike, many actors in the union have been unable to promote their movies by appearing in film festivals and other events. Many directors have been attending promotional events instead, which has helped them gain more publicity and given them a turn in the spotlight. However, many directors feel overwhelmed with taking over the burden of movie promotion. Film director Jimmy Chin shared his feelings in regards to attending film festivals alone, “It’s tough to have to try to speak for the actors,” as he waits for the strikes to end. It is unknown when the SAG-AFTRA strikes will end, however, public statements made by members have indicated that the meetings have been proceeding smoothly, and that everyone should keep high hopes for their success with the negotiations.
