Michael Buckner/PMC
With an interim deal with the Directors Guild of America in place and the Writers Guild of America on strike, the SAG-AFTRA is playing a bigger role in the industry’s triennial labor contract negotiations than the Actors Guild has played in recent years. They are forced to play a big role.
This week, SAG-AFTRA will be at the negotiating table with an agenda that seeks to address the many ways technology is changing the profession of acting.
Streaming residuals and artificial intelligence, two of the union’s biggest concerns, are also key issues for WGA and DGA. The Performers Guild also has a unique focus on putting limits on the “self-recording” auditions that have become ubiquitous since the start of the pandemic.
To maximize its impact, SAG-AFTRA has already called for a strike approval vote. Voting closes at 5 p.m. Monday, and the unions are expected to get approval when they start negotiations with the Motion Picture and Television Producers Alliance on Wednesday.
The voting deadline comes the day after the DGA reaches a tentative agreement on a new contract. Meanwhile, the WGA has been on strike since May 2nd. SAG-AFTRA has just over three weeks left to negotiate the contract before it expires on June 30.
The SAG-AFTRA strike affected 160,000 performers and would immediately halt all remaining film and television production.
AI issues have become top of mind for actors in recent months as leaps in technology raise concerns across the creative world. The issue has been one of the biggest issues raised by many SAG-AFTRA members who attended the WGA picket lines in Los Angeles and New York in recent weeks.
“AI scares me, because everyone should be scared,” said veteran actor Brian George, known for his roles in “Seinfeld” and “The Big Bang Theory.” “The potential for abuse is entirely there.”
SAG-AFTRA has been considering this issue for several years, including clauses in commercial contracts and low-budget contracts to protect performers from using “digital doubles.” The union now seeks stronger protections in its basic agreements, including a clause banning studios from training AI programs based on actors’ work without permission.
The union is not trying to ban studios from using AI, but acknowledges that the technology can benefit actors. For example, some performers have already agreed to duplicate their voices.
However, SAG-AFTRA wants to be clear that using AI to replicate an actor or create a new performance requires the actor’s consent and payment.
Duncan Crabtree Ireland, executive director of the Guild, said: “We feel that we have taken a very rational approach when it comes to working with AI.”
He said the Guild could have taken an approach of, “Okay, let’s tell people this technology is evil and ban it.” But he said the combat technique probably won’t work in the long run.
“Our approach was, ‘There are potential benefits to AI for our members and for the industry as a whole,’” Crabtree Ireland said. “So why not talk about what guardrails, what reasonable limits are needed to make AI serve humans instead of humans serving AI? “
Many have expressed concern that AI will be used to eliminate jobs, and many are uncomfortable with its use in entertainment. Writer, producer and former “Family Ties” star Justin Bateman has warned of contracts involving broad language signatures over the right to use cast likenesses in as-yet-invented technology.
“If SAG doesn’t put hard limits on AI, the entire acting profession in movies and series will be destroyed under their scrutiny,” Bateman said in an interview. “I personally wouldn’t use any fucking AI for this. I think bringing AI into the entertainment business is the worst thing that has ever happened to the entertainment business.”
According to the outline of the DGA, the DGA agreement stipulates that “AI is not human and generative AI cannot replace the duties of members.” This overview does not indicate that limits have been placed on AI training. Details of the proposal will be announced later this week.
Like other guilds, SAG-AFTRA is also interested in improving the formula for residuals in streaming. As more shows switch to streaming, actors are finding their residual income dropping dramatically.
Joe Holt, who starred in ‘The Walking Dead: World Beyond’ and others, was previously allowed to guest star on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and could be paid $9,000 up front, and $20,000 after that. said it would be The program was broadcast in reruns.
“Streaming made that impossible,” he said. “You’re still doing the same quality work, but you’re not getting paid for ‘reruns.’ There has to be a way to monetize it. It’s been there forever. People. is streaming it all the time.”
George said the lack of residue in streaming is “a bane for all working actors”.
“We know the residue is part of the old system,” he said. “That’s a precedent. You can’t just say, ‘This is another technology.’ ”
Several actors said they were annoyed that streaming residuals were the same regardless of whether the show was a hit or a failure. Actors or anyone else doesn’t even know how many people are watching the show.
“In terms of ratings, there’s a shell game going on,” Holt said. “I feel like they’ll never know what the exact numbers are until they want to cancel the show. Of course they know how many people are watching. I know it’s monetized.”
The WGA is also interested in this issue. However, the DGA contract only provides for residual growth based on international subscribers, not viewership-based residuals.
Although SAG-AFTRA says it is not bound by the DGA agreement, AMPTP has often forced other guilds to accept the pattern adopted by the DGA.
SAG-AFTRA also wants the minimum interest rate to rise significantly given inflation, which is the highest since the last deal was negotiated in 2020. The DGA agreement provides for increases of 5%, 4% and 3.5%, which are higher than normal but not too high. As an increase requested by the WGA.
SAG-AFTRA is also considering regulating self-recorded auditions. Actors complain that face-to-face casting is almost non-existent now, and that it’s burdened with what was once borne by casting agencies.
Actors say casting directors want self-tape auditions with too many pages of material and too little time to prepare the tape.
Kevin Daniels, who has starred in “Will Trent” and “Modern Family,” said, “If you give me a call, I’m going to turn it in tomorrow morning on page 13.” “And you wonder, ‘Are people watching this?’ Why are you wasting my time on this?’
He said he also misses the chance to impress the show’s writers and producers in person.
“The biggest problem for me is not receiving notes,” says Rebecca Metz, who starred in “Better Things” and “Shameless.” Adjusting her own performance according to her feedback, she said, used to be an important part of the audition. “Right now you’re just sending this into the ether without any guidance on tone. You’re not doing 80% of your job.”
SAG-AFTRA is not trying to ban self-taped auditions, as many actors also enjoy the convenience. But the Guild is trying to impose limits. The current low-budget agreement already includes a five-page limit for self-recorded auditions, which could be one element of a larger set of rules.
Daniels said he and his friends had already voted to approve the strike because he wanted to give negotiators as much influence as possible.
“People want to get fair compensation for their work. That goes for any guild,” he said. “Nobody said this industry was easy. It just means we get paid for the work we do.”
Crabtree Ireland said he was optimistic that AMPTP would decide it would not be in the industry’s interest to end with a two-guild strike at the end of the month.
“We will do everything we can to reach an agreement,” he said. “You need a partner across the table to help you with that. So let’s see.”
