Are you losing income due to the actor strike?

[IamfeelingFrustrated]

If I wrong - can someone please correct me. But my understanding is the actors could have striked for example two days a week - keeping productions (and other associated businesses) operational for three days a week until they reached an agreement. But instead they have decided to go on a full strike and so now all the other professions related to the film industry are suddenly losing their jobs as production companies stand these other film related professions down. It’s very common in the industry to be on contracts associated with each film - the film stops working completely so the other industries stop working completely. By this I mean camera technicians, make up and hair artists, runners etc etc.
IABU - I think it’s ok for the actors to go on a full strike and the fact other related professions are losing their jobs is a necessary consequence.
IANBU - sure the actors can protest and strike but could have chosen an option where the other professions working on their set did not lose their jobs as a consequence.

Unless this has been because my phone is slow to update - there’s been six votes hugely in favour of ‘IABU - I think it’s ok for the actors to go on a full strike and the fact other related professions are losing their jobs is a necessary consequence.’
But not a single supporting comment as to why this is ok and why it was not better for the actors to strike in a more staggered way so that related professions did lose their jobs.
I would appreciate others people’s views. We can’t be the only family in a film related industry affected by the strike and now worried about the future.

A strike is useless unless it’s causes disruption. Its purpose is to put pressure on the people at the top to stop implementing harmful policies or change.
Surely anyone who works within the film industry cannot be in favour of the use of AI instead of emptying humans for the creative jobs? You mentioned runners and make-up artists in your OP; these people will be entirely redundant if the use of AI in film is not restricted.

Hi, I’ve had two jobs fall through at the last minute due to the strikes. I am now having to travel overseas to work away from my family for a month and just hope it all goes ahead too otherwise things are going to get v tight for us. However, I can’t imagine any HETV or MMP going ahead on a three day week basis. So much of their budgets are equipment hire and studio hire(one of the many reasons they are so reluctant to reduce the. 12hr day) so I imagine it’s more cost effective to shut down and stop paying people than spread it out with currently no end in sight.
I do think it’s worth it though for the long term implications for the industry as a whole

As an aside though, my colleagues on various productions have been stood down indefinitely, unpaid obviously, with anything from a days to a weeks notice. If this was happening in other industries that have recently been striking ie education, transport etc, there would be a national outrage. However, like we were treated in covid, there’s a complete indifference to us. The reaction, even from my wider circle outside the industry, is ‘oh that’s nice you get more time home with the kids’ rather than, ‘so everyone’s effectively been sacked and you’ve lost all employment for the next six months with zero notice’
My mortgage has just gone up by nearly £500 a month so it’s been terrible timing for my family(we both work in the industry)

My brother works in construction on film sets. Without construction there would be no sets and therefore no films. The work construction produce is very physically exhausting and can be dangerous working at heights. My brother is now out of work and has a mortgage and a young family. I think the actors are being unreasonable definitely.

My BIL, who works freelance on a crucial aspect of production has lost work and has no income. Having paid for a long term accommodation to see him to what was supposed to be the end of this contract. Big outlay, no income.

I’m not sure that the right people are feeling the pressure.

I thought this was a US-based strike - is it also having a large impact over here then?

Can I suggest reading this article and then watching the YouTube video of the French women’s World Cup advert?

https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/french-soccer-ad-goes-viral-ahead-of-the-womens-world-cup/

look at how they’ve used AI to create existing footage so it looks like the men scoring, when it reality it was the ladies. Does it really not scare you to see how these deep fakes can be used to literally manipulate reality and distort the truth? They literally won’t need actors anymore. Already you can see through films like the fast franchise how the use of CGI is overtaking everything to create stunts, so why would you need actors when you could create them all on a computer screen?

let alone the fact that writers are also faced with the prospect of AI taking their work and creating scripts.

simultaneously while none of them are getting paid for their work.

seriously this should scare all of us,

We have been affected but I agree with the strikes and the way that they are being carried out. AI isn’t just a threat to the actors, it’s a threat to everyone involved.

I am a teacher who supports teacher strikes and often have to defend my choice to friends and family members.

However, if my striking meant support staff would also not get paid, I would definitely not strike.

My DP works in the film industry and now has no work. Our rent is going up. Everything is going up. We used all of our savings during Covid when he couldn't work and had no income. I am surprised there is little media coverage of the wider impact these strikes are having.

But the thing is as tough as it is if the AI and similar take over then all of those jobs would be even more at risk. The action is to protect the industry as a whole

My dh works for a TV and film construction company, he is a tradesman working in building the sets. So far he shouldn't be affected, the manager has some other bits for them to work on too, adverts for sport brands using footballers etc so we should be OK, for now.

My son works for a company that does the barriers and fencing for big events. Due to the cancelling of premiers in London his hours have been severely reduced and the long term future is in doubt which is worrying.

While this is concerning we do think the reasons are important though. If human creativity is going to be replaced by AI and other technological innovations it will be awful.

It will damage the economy and the human psyche.

I also think the speed of change in other areas will create a massive ripple effect and the ability to progress in one’s life will be dependent on one’s ability to code and implement said technology. Not so many of these people will be needed; not everyone is going to be able to take up the more manual jobs.

There’s an awful lot to unpick here and I am a bit groggy so can’t really expand.

In short, I agree with the principles of the striking actors, and I think we’re going to see a lot of disruption over lots of industries as redundancies start happening.

Strange and interesting times indeed.

Exactly this.

to the op who says their DH constructs film sets - if the actors don’t strike over the growing use of AI, film sets literally won’t exist in 3-5 years time. Entire movies will be created virtually, therefore the actors strike will be the best thing to try and save your husbands career in the long term

@Sapphire387

A lot of production is in the U.K. /outside of the USA so has impact far and wide. Local hotel manager is moaning hes had a 40 room block booking cancelled for tomorrow.

Strikes have to have the maximum impact otherwise there is no point

I support strikes in general.
There is way too much money and power in the hands of way too few individuals and we need to stand together to fight this. There is inevitably a short term cost and short term pain involved.
If you are angry with the strikers your anger is in my opinion misplaced.

The actors are only in part striking because of AI, they are in the main striking to support the writers. However, they should show the same level of solidarity to all other professions in the film industry.

AI has also been in use for years. It won't take over the film industry. That is typical Mumsnet hysteria.

Is it hysteria tho @bellamountain?

how much of the cinema these days is now filmed in front of a green screen? How many of the stunts are done by CGI not by trained stunt men? The stunts on the fast and furious franchise have got more outlandish because it’s all being created by computer, not on a set.

did you watch the link I posted earlier of the French video promoting the French women’s football team and how they literally showed how they used AI to turn the women into the men’s team? The fact that actors have to strike to protest their likeness, their voices being used in ways that they’ve never agreed to is disturbing.

What exactly are the demands of the actors in this strike?

"Never use AI in a film" is, uh... well, call me in 10 years and let me know how that goes.

I don’t think anyone is saying don’t strike - it’s that if the actors only stopped working a few days a week that would hurt productions companies but would mean the associated industries could still earn some income. As it stands - what disruption is being created for the production companies by actors standing down completely? The production companies have reduced their costs by just shutting down whole movies. The disruption you are talking about is disruption for the people in associated industries - putting pressure on the associated industries with these people now not having any incomes to support their families. But these associated industries have zero leverage.
If the teachers striked everyday for weeks / months - all the support staff would still get paid. But this is not what happens in the film industry.

This is exactly what I mean. I agree - I don’t think the right people are feeling the pressure and it’s individuals who have suddenly lost all their income who are getting the most pressure. I don’t have the answers but surely penalising this group of people is not one of them. A poster made a comment about AI affecting some of these people…not if they have had to move out of the industry because they need to feed their families.

The screenwriters were already on strike so things had already slowed down before the actor strikes. Screenwriters make much less money with streaming even with a hit series. They are also v worried about AI. I know people who work in the art/construction side in uk and have not worked since much earlier in year but as it is contract to contract they have a big rainy day fund. However the funds won’t last forever.

I think it’s important that people’s rights are protected in terms of their talent being used for AI without their permission or royalties….but your comment about actors not being needed? Although I can’t see that ever happening as I think there is always going to be a market for human connection…. and so what if actors aren’t needed? How many professions over the centuries have and come and gone because the market demanded something else? The basic principle of business is demand = supply. If humankind wants to see actors then actors will always be in demand.

@IamfeelingFrustrated in principle, I don’t disagree with your overall point that too many sidelined professions are being inadvertently hurt. You’re absolutely right, but from what I’ve read, I do believe that the writers and actors are right to strike.

I believe that theatre actors will be safe, but if a studio can get away with actors the will. With so many remakes, do they need writers now or can they just use the original scripts yet not compensate the original writers? I genuinely don’t know, but I do remember it took bloody years for a return to output after the last writer strike