From the post a few months ago, most people didn’t seem aware/invested in the writers strike, but for those who are at least somewhat keeping up, what do you think about actors joining in too?

43 comments

  2. It’s necessary. The content producers have no interest in negotiating, the industry needs to be shut down.

  3. The studios have a long history of taking advantage of their actors and other crew. Lots of people know the big names that pull in huge bucks and lots of people get into the industry hoping to become one of them. But, there are hordes of people who are critical to making those projects happen that get paid barely anything. I’m all for them standing up and trying to push back against the studios.

  4. I can’t say I’m fully knowledgeable/invested in it, but from what little I’ve read regarding the AI issue in particular (which admittedly I’ve only heard one side of the story of), a strike seems pretty justified. Like, [the actors’ allegation that the studios’ proposal involved background actors giving up their rights to their likeness in perpetuity to be used for AI-generated background performers](https://www.theverge.com/2023/7/13/23794224/sag-aftra-actors-strike-ai-image-rights) seems worth fighting about.

  6. As I switch from binge watching Scrubs to Seinfeld to Community, to Parks and Rec, I didn’t even know these people have been working the past 10 years.

  7. I hope they all get paid/treated better but I’m not gonna lie and say I’m personally invested in this dispute. I’d like the writers to get some concessions from the studios but it’s not at the top of the list of problems concerning me right now compared to say Ukraine or Trump or China.

  8. It is some much-needed solidarity between the unions as the stage is being set for how rewards for labor will be distributed as streaming and AI become a settled reality. If the unions fail to come away with solid deals here, working in TV/movie production is going to be a hellishly undercompensated industry for all but the most premiere talent while all of those entertainment dollars continue to roll in for the production companies.

  10. I work in the industry so I’ve been VERY aware of it. I’m glad it’s getting more traction and popping up here. The actors and writers have very different career paths obviously, but many of the same concerns overlap. The director’s guild was able to agree on a contract with the AMPTP recently that seemed good enough for them, but most of that union is actually stage managers and production managers whose jobs are less immediately threatened by AI so I think they were able to come to a consensus. For the WGA and SAG-AFTRA, AI seems to be an impasse with the AMPTP. When these talks started it was expected that the biggest ask for the guilds would just be a residual system similar to what we have with broadcast TV and then BOOM suddenly we’re arguing about fuckin robots! So I’m a little biased but I whole-heartedly support the strike, I’ve walked what must be thousands of miles on those lines by now and I think SAG joining in (although unofficially plenty of actors have been on those picket lines since day 1) will only help in bringing the absurd and borderline criminal tactics of the AMPTP to heel – and hopefully get them to get a deal done so we can all work again.

  11. People need to be paid wages that reflect their work. It seems like writers are imperative to the entertainment industry but are overworked and underpaid.

    I’m not in that industry, so my opinion doesn’t go beyond that.

  13. It’s good to see the solidarity, and I hope this ends with the unions getting everything they’re asking for and the AMPTP eating a giant pile of shit.

  14. I’m with the striking workers. The culture of paying people as little as possible and pushing all of the money to the shareholders is unhealthy for our long term economy.

    People who go to work everyday should get a decent share of the profits from the work that they do.

  15. I hate it. As a visual effects artist I’m not going to be able to find a job after my current contract is over. We don’t have unions to protect us. It’s bad enough that I currently don’t have health insurance or paid time off. No idea what I’m going to do.

  16. Normally I couldn’t care less, but apparently the contract the actors rejected involved being paid a day’s wages to have their image captured for what was very clearly AI stuff and then they’d be giving the studios license to use it for whatever. That’s legit the “AI replacement” conspiracy theory, except it’s not a conspiracy anymore because they actually tried to do it. No rational person would ever agree to a contract like that.

  17. It’s possibly gonna drain my savings, goes long enough I’ll find myself on the street.

  18. I’m not actively keeping up with it, but I live in southern California. It’s kind of hard to avoid hearing about it.

    ​

    Anyway, I’m all for the strike. In particular, the stuff regarding AI disturbs me. Being able to use their likenesses in perpetuity without additional compensation? Hell. No.

  19. I support the strikes. A few days wages then being able to use an actor’s likeness forever!? No thanks. I hope we get regulations on the usage on AI soon, but this is America, so I’m not counting on it.

  20. Every time there is a new creation in the TV and film world, this happens, and it is usually needed. For instance, I just used to get paid no residuals for TV or movie reruns. So yes, the original Star Trek cast is getting nothing from all those episodes being played over and over again. They get money from some of the movies though, after the strike was successful.

  21. 100% in support. Capital is bleeding labor dry. Greed literally kills. Between this and the upcoming UPS strike could be on the way to a general strike. And while that may mess up my fall business restocking and my other employer’s selling, it would be worth it.

    Anti-worker policies, anti-choice attacks on women and girls, they’re all designed to keep labor desperate and to line the pockets of the elite.

  22. Very interested in how it develops for the potential ripple effect on other industries with an organized workforce. And good on the actors for joining, strength in numbers.

  23. I guess even background actors need their AI-generated doppelgängers to have a say. Fight on!

  24. It doesn’t affect me much personally and I only know surface level details, but from what I know I’m for it. The AI thing is ridiculous and worth striking over on its own and I believe everyone should be paid fairly for the work they do.

    The biggest direct impact of the strikes on me as someone pretty removed from the entertainment industry is new seasons of shows I watch being delayed. I’m okay with that. There are years of older shows and movies I haven’t seen for when I run out of new stuff. Between that, games, and books I won’t be running out of entertainment any time soon. They should strike for as long as they need to.

  25. The only bad union is the police union. Full support. I hope they can win, considering the studios seem to be willing to do literally anything other than pay their fucking workers

  26. My opinion is I’m not a media nationalist, and there’s perfectly good stuff that comes out of Canada, Korea, Britain, and others. Plus the huge backlog that already exists.

    I’m completely neutral to the respective positions of all parties. Both sides with walk away with an agreement, and the industry as a whole will continue to compete globally, and we’ll either get some good media from Hollywood, or we won’t, and things will change again in the future.

  28. I support both the writers and actors. I think the AI issue is something they need to get ahead of and they should be able to make more money from streaming.

  30. When I’m paying $12 for movie tickets, $18 for a drink and popcorn, and my cable/internet is $220 a month now, it’s kinda hard for me to give a shit at all. Whatever the resolution, the consumer is the one taking it in the shorts.

  31. I’m totally in support of them.

    The studios are making some absurd demands about the use of CGI and AI to replace actors. This is an existential threat to acting as a profession. They’re completely justified to strike for contractual promises to avoid that use of AI.

    I also support the writer’s guild strike, for much the same reason.

  33. I guess the studios want AI to take over acting too? Next thing you know, AI will be accepting awards at the Oscars! #NotOnMyWatch

  35. I’ll be marching in downtown Manhattan today cause that’s my union. I’ve already been to picket lines for the WGA but I think what made things worse was the AMPTP statement about paying Background actors once and then using some kind of scan for AI use in perpetuity.

    200 bucks, or less if you’re non union and a version of you is theirs for you to compete with if you do make a name for yourself.

    Most of the 160,000 plus marching aren’t living it up in Malibu doing coke by the beach or in a penthouse looking down at Central Park. We’re middle class if that

    It originally seemed to be about residuals being shit with streaming compared to cable and more traditional channels. The AI statement just made things worse

    Edit: I also forgot about self tape auditions. Instead of going in to audition with a casting director and potentially networking even if we don’t get cast we have to bother family or hire someone to be a reader for lines, buy a tripod, ring light, backdrop, a mic, and then to find a proper location for it all. Some people want either compensation or to go back to in person auditions

  37. I’m pretty indifferent to it beyond hoping the writers etc get what they feel they need out of it. I don’t know much about it and I don’t watch a lot of current media so I’m kind of out of the loop. I like movies but there’s a hundred years worth of movies to choose from and I haven’t seen many from the last few years anyway. For instance, yesterday my wife and I watched Sante Fe starring Randolph Scott (it was okay) and the previous night we watched A Knight’s Tale which we hadn’t seen in a while. I know that right now there’s a few movies in theaters I can tell you the name of (Indiana Jones, Oppenheimer, Barbie) but that’s rare, usually I couldn’t name a single one. I am aware the current argument has something to do with AI but beyond using AI to write I couldn’t really tell you what.

  40. I’m in favor of it and the writer’s strike. Fuck those greedy studios that make billions and don’t want to pay people a fair wage for their contributions that made it possible for the studios to even exist.

  41. The quality of entertainment (with very few exceptions) coming out of Hollywood means that I spend most of my screen time viewing shows from overseas via VPN or through one of a few streaming services.

    It’s not going to bother me in the slightest, but I do hope it shakes up enough of the industry that we get some better shows and movies out of them.

  42. Good for them. They’re fighting for their rights as workers, I’m definitely with them

  43. Sucks for them. Hope they are able to get compensation and protection from exploitative practices.

    But personally, I’d like to see Hollywood break apart and begin to expand beyond LA.

    Major video game companies kinda do this, to a degree, where they have multiple studio locations.

    Certainly, the dynamics of making a game is different than a movie but….I feel a lot more creative projects could occur if things were more spread out and therefore, allowed more opportunities for a larger pool of execs/producers/financiers/actors/directors/crew/etc to network.

    Hollywood needs to move away from being centralized around LA, essentially. Once they do that, I think they can ‘mine’ other regions for ideas. I’m willing to bet the next Star Wars or Terminator type IP will be found in Texas rather than LA.

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