Hollywood actors went on strike on July 14joining film and tv writers who’ve been collaborating in pickets since May. This is It was the first time since 1960 that actors and writers picketed togetherwhen Ronald Reagan was president of the Screen Actors Guild.
After unsuccessful talks with the Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers, on July 13 at the Screen Actors Guild press conference, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) announced a strike.
At the center of negotiations between the union and the guild these are two key issues: residual fees in the streaming era and ownership of an actor’s likeness whether it is reproduced by artificial intelligence. The union is asking for a fairer distribution of wages and stricter rules on artificial intelligence on these issues.
This strike is a watershed moment for the entertainment industry and a turning point for the way forward for work in the arts. But it will even have a widespread impact on the film and tv industry outside the United States, and Canada is bracing for the impact.
“Cataclysmic” problems are at stake
Association of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists released an announcement last week in solidarity with SAG-AFTRA: “[U.S. actors’] issues are ours, and performers deserve respect and fair compensation for the value they bring to every production.”
According to Canadian actor and producer Julian De Zotti, these problems are “cataclysmic”. De Zotti and I discussed these issues as a part of a broader conversation about the way forward for entertainment in the ongoing CTRL ALT DISRUPT seriesorganized by Artscape Daniels Launchpad and the City of Toronto’s Office of Creative Technologies.
He says the issues being negotiated are of an existential nature for creators around the world:
“We are at a turning point in the industry as massive technological change changes the way working and middle-class artists, actors, writers and craftspeople can create a sustainable life in the entertainment industry.”
(AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
To be clear, the developers should not questioning the technology itself. When it involves artificial intelligence, many professionals in the film industry they already use the tools like ChatGPT and Midjourney to assist prepare backgrounds for scripts or develop visual worlds and pictures for presentations.
De Zotti, who has won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Program or Web Series for the past two years, is already implementing artificial intelligence tools in his practice. He shouldn’t be afraid of recent technologies, but of how they will be misused.
Existential threat
Artificial intelligence poses a threat to actors specifically because their livelihoods rely on their identities. Specific barriers and parameters ought to be established to guard artists, their works and their image. They will need to have an influence on how their work and image is used and receive fair remuneration for it.
Technology evolves rapidly, sometimes exceeding our ability to completely understand its implications before adopting it. The strike provides a possibility to refrain from the unrestrained implementation of groundbreaking artificial intelligence technology.
“It can’t be like social media, where the technology came too quickly and there were no clear guidelines on how to use it, and now it’s completely out of control,” says De Zotti.
Instead attempting to clear regulatory backlogs after harm has been causedought to be considered at the outset to avoid harmful consequences, intended or unintended.
What the strike means for Canada
During the strike, service production, which accounts for many of the $11.69 billion in annual work done in Canada, it will stop. This will impact all U.S. productions, from big-budget blockbusters like Star Trek that shoot in Toronto to independent feature movies starring SAG actors.
This in turn will have a direct impact on people working in the film and tv industry on this country. But it could also open the door to a distinct business model, one which, as De Zotti notes, “isn’t about you packing your show or movie with stars to make it happen.”
While the streaming issue being negotiated centers around residuals and compensation, Canadian content creators face additional issues.
Streaming corporations have been organising shop in Canada for several years and promising to make shows hosted by Canadians. However, De Zotti claims this didn’t occur. “It was a mirage. Bill C-11 goes to vary all that, but that is still to be seen.
However, if the strike continues, perhaps markets outside Canada will look to amass Canadian content, as is already the case with The CW, which turned to Canadian content to fill out its fall schedule.
Is this Canada’s moment?
(AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Perhaps this strike is a moment for Canada to rise to the occasion; While the Canadian entertainment industry cannot compete with the sheer scale and buying power of Hollywood, it’s in an environment of massive change that we shine as vigorous, creative disruptors.
WITH Norman McLaren’s experimental work with the NFBBy creation of interactive documentariesdown the explosion of game-based virtual concert eventsCanada has all the time been seen as an innovator in entertainment.
As for the strike itself, its end result will definitely set a precedent. Whatever guidelines the WGA and SAG establish with the studios will be used as a template when it comes time to barter for Canadian unions.
The reality is that AI and streaming should not the technologies of tomorrow; they will each stay here. When the dust settles south of the border, now we have a likelihood to not only sit back and wait, but in addition lead by example.
We have the opportunity not only to create latest, unimaginable types of storytelling, but in addition to experiment with fairer business models based on transparent data and more equitable ways of using powerful tools that threaten to upend the industry.
