The movies that we watch today, be it a part of renowned series’ like Die Hard or solo works like Oppenheimer, have evolved to form the basis of entertainment in the world. However, subtle quakes do take birth in the vast ground this profession covers and to suppress such quakes as soon as possible is the only way to stop them from ever conjoining into a mass shockwave.
Such a quake was born on 14th July 2023, when the SAG-AFTRA union (short for Screen Actors Guild(SAG) – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists(AFTRA)), along with the WGA (Writers’ Guild of America) and many other unions in the visual entertainment industry took up a strike against numerous changes in the industry caused by online streaming and its effect on theatre, and new technologies like AI and digital recreation.
SAG-AFTRA was formed after the merger of SAG and AFTRA in March 2012, which allowed it to represent not only actors but also journalists, talk show hosts, and other broadcast workers and today consists of over 160,000 members all across America. However, the main reasons for which this ongoing strike is being undertaken produce shocking revelations about the behind-the-scenes atmosphere and culture of the Western entertainment industry.
According to a statement by the union, it wishes to bring to the notice of the high officials as well as the public several issues that have grown to cause extreme displeasure in the workers and labour. Many well known actors such as Sean Gunn and Daniel Radcliffe, screen-writers and other labour workers have opened up to the public about unequal work distribution and being underpaid as compared to their work. According to statistics, only 7% of SAG-AFTRA actors and performers earn $80,000 or more annually, meaning that a majority of their members are either underpaid or not paid enough to sustain themselves in a country where inflation rises to new heights everyday.
The visual animation industry on the other hand, together from theatrical areas, cinematic areas and v-game areas, expresses its displeasure with AI being more and more extensively used in the making and rendering of many computer graphics. For example, the entire 2 minute introduction for each episode of Marvel Entertainment’s new show ‘Secret Invasion’, was made completely using artificial intelligence! This is a big risk to the jobs of countless individuals who can now see the opportunity of utilising their skills diminishing by the year. This and the fact that many people are now switching permanently to online viewing platforms like Netflix or Amazon Prime Video has only depleted the numbers of audience going to the cinemas.
SAG-AFTRA hopes to provide a voice and a means to the oppressed to seek solutions to their problems. Although their pleas have not yet been negotiated by the supervisors and officials, their cause remains true and hopeful for a fair.
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