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Hollywood is officially a Black Mirror episode brought to life.
That’s a sentiment shared by SAG-AFTRA members and non-members, according to Rolling Stone, after it was announced on Thursday that the 160,000-member union would join the WGA on the picket line after failing to secure a new deal with executives from film studios and streaming services.
The Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) had been negotiating with the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers (AMPTP) for the past month, but the already-extended deadline expired late Wednesday night. SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher delivered a hurtful and empowering speech in which he denounced the AMPTP’s “shameful” and “disgusting” treatment of the union and said: “You cannot continue to be disadvantaged, marginalized, disrespected and dishonoured.”
Both SAG-AFTRA and WGA, which have been on strike since May 2, are the first time since 1960 that both unions have gone on strike simultaneously. One of the main points of contention for both groups has been the rapid development and implementation of AI, and concerns that it could potentially replace writers and actors.
And their concern was justified when chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland unveiled what the AMPTP has dubbed a “groundbreaking AI proposal,” which has the potential to completely derail entry into the industry and also represents a reliable revenue stream for many. The reported proposal was based on the possibility of background actors “being scanned and paid a day’s wages” and that the company “owns that scan of their image, likeness, and can use it for the rest of eternity.” in any project they want, without consent and without compensation.”
“When we heard that, literally all of our worst fears were confirmed,” actress Jamie Miller tells Rolling Stone. “It breaks people’s knees right from the start.”
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“How can I start a career when basically one of those options is to sell my soul?” asks actor Patrick McCann.
“The thing is, oftentimes, and even worse, a working actor is expected to be in a place where he needs the money,” says New York-based actress Megan Rae Ruskey. And with the industry already at a crucial tipping point, “as an actor, it’s like accepting that something else is footing the bills — and hoping you’re wrong.”
The serious consequences of AI effectively replacing background actors cannot be overstated. Background actors serve as backdrops for busy scenes and mass shooting in film and television projects, and fill otherwise empty restaurants, the passers-by on the street, the noisy party-goers; The minor characters in historical shows are dressed in appropriate attire.
Background work serves as a route for actors looking to break into the business. It allows them to learn how a set works, meet other actors and network with the industry. Eventually, this can lead them to qualify for SAG-AFTRA membership, which in turn can help them become more successful roles. The daily rate for union members is under $200 per day – for days that can last up to 16 to 18 hours. Some background actors can fully support themselves with such work, while others book shows here and there to supplement their bank accounts between performances or seek work in other industries.
“It’s crazy, it’s wrong — it’s taking money out of people’s pockets,” says a Chicago-based actor. “Studios are getting away with one thing at a time.”
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“It will make it impossible to break into the industry,” adds Miller. “If you don’t have the springboard to get in, if you don’t already have contacts and don’t come from fortune, start at the bottom and work your way up from the background work. Getting rid of that is a tragedy. Think of all the players who will not make it in the industry because they destroy the first step.”
The idea that studios could pay an actor less than $200 and own that person’s image forever to use in any project is terrifying, several actors tell Rolling Stone, especially when it comes to not knowing what your own image will be used for.
“There’s been a lot of talk on set about consent — AI is just another way to bypass actor consent, especially actors who were assigned female at birth,” says a New York-based background actor. “If for any reason they use my face and put me in a situation that I didn’t consent to, that’s very worrying.”
McCann points out that the practice could potentially limit how much someone can work. If an actor is working in the background for a particular company, there’s a good chance for that company to fall back on its AI database and use the previously filmed footage or scanned data for another show, rather than hiring that actor again — even if they did years later happens. “My career ended before it even started,” he says. “It’s taking every kind of agency and power that we have as artists and saying, ‘Well, that’s worth nothing.'”
Restricting roles and opportunities for background actors would also do untold damage to other production departments such as costume, hair and makeup departments, and assistant positions, since large projects often have entire teams dedicated solely to overseeing and handling background roles.
In the hours leading up to the SAG-AFTRA deadline, reports revealed the cruelty and desperately needed approach the AMPTP was preparing for towards the WGA union. Insiders said the plan is to “let it happen.” bleed dry” and will not return to the negotiating table until the end of October. “The end game is dragging things out until union members start losing their homes,” reported Deadline, a studio executive.
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The movie villain style adopted by the studio insiders has only infuriated and united both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA members. “It shouldn’t come as a surprise, but at the same time it’s pretty wild to watch,” says a West Coast background actor.
“The major studios have made it clear that profit is their only motive in this business and that they have no problem exploiting the resources of background actors. These are disappointing times for the industry.”