Members of SAG-AFTRA, the union that represents performers, say they are ready to walk off the job which would mark the first time since 1960 that both writers and actors would be actively on strike.
The looming strike could yield serious economic impacts on Hollywood’s film and television industry.
On Tuesday, SAG-AFTRA announced it had agreed to a last-minute request for federal mediation by the Alliance of Film and Television Producers, the trade union representing studios, but would not waver from striking at 11:59 p.m. Wednesday if no deal was reached.
Actors would be joining WGA writers who have been on the picket lines for more than two months since May 2.
The union previously reached a strike deadline on July 1 before talks were extended, but since then, no deal has been reached.
2024: the year of AI generated and produced content. Coming soon to a screen near you.
Considering how uncreative and soulless TV and movie executives seem to be, I wouldn’t be surprised. AI would churn out nonsensical tripe and the executives would eat it up like, “This is brilliant!” The South Park episode “Awesome-O” may have actually been foreshadowing for our current situation.
“New AI Generated children’s show teaches kids how to count to 12 on their hands and how to slip their amorphous feet into their shoes!”
This was apparently one of the studio’s proposals. Any background actor would need to have a full body digital scan. Those scans would be owned by the studios in perpetuity.
The studios would pay the actors for one day’s work when the scan was done, but then the actors wouldn’t get paid when their digital scans were used. Neither would they get any say over HOW their digital scans were used.
The actor’s union shot that one down. (Gee, I wonder why )