WGA/SAGAFTRA Strike Discussion Thread | SAG Ratifies Contract

[Celedhring]

Not American, but I already got an offer to polish an AI re-written script (it was an old unproduced script which they used an AI to "update", and now they needed a human to polish the result). I flatly refused.

 

In my experience, many producers view writers (and many other creatives involved in moviemaking) as just interchangeable tools, not people that can make their unique contributions and provide a vision. Once you assume that mindset, of course they are going to replace us with an AI as much as practicable.

[AMC Theaters Enjoyer]

I was at a meeting recently with some folks I do work with, and the recent court decision that AI art can’t be protected under copyright came up. Obviously, the next thing studios will try is that they’ll have human writers to rewrite those scripts to get around that. Even then, with the way AI art uses pre-existing creations to form its own work, thats guaranteed to happen with screenplays and that seems like it’s own disaster waiting to happen in terms of plagiarism. 

[ChipDerby]

I can tell you that people in charge of companies in every industry, don't know shit about anything. Just absolutely clueless on how to run their own business and the only reason these businesses aren't failing are the people that actually do the work. And the disconnect is going to continue to become greater unless/until Unions start popping up everywhere and taking back the power.

[Dementeleus]

53 minutes ago, CloneWars said:

I see where they're coming from, but AI has zero imagination. All they will get is boiler plate scripts,…

Do you think they care about that, though? They absolutely do not.

[Dementeleus]

46 minutes ago, Celedhring said:

Not American, but I already got an offer to polish an AI re-written script (it was an old unproduced script which they used an AI to "update", and now they needed a human to polish the result). I flatly refused.

 

In my experience, many producers view writers (and many other creatives involved in moviemaking) as just interchangeable tools, not people that can make their unique contributions and provide a vision. Once you assume that mindset, of course they are going to replace us with an AI as much as practicable.

One of the things the strikes have really driven home is a change in attitude. Previously, both sides saw each other as partners: the studios would put up the capital, the artists would write/act/direct/etc and both sides would share in profits past the break-even point. Now it’s very clear the studios see all the creatives as workers, underlings who can be dictated to.

[Kon]

21 minutes ago, Plain Old Tele said:

One of the things the strikes have really driven home is a change in attitude. Previously, both sides saw each other as partners: the studios would put up the capital, the artists would write/act/direct/etc and both sides would share in profits past the break-even point. Now it’s very clear the studios see all the creatives as workers, underlings who can be dictated to.

 

I'm pretty sure studios have always seen creatives as underlings. I mean, the guilds exist, because the studios didn't want to pay residuals.

 

It's just that before studios couldn't abuse their workers too much, because they really need their work.

 

Studios behavior about AI is exactly what all companies do when new technologies allow them to hire fewer people.

Edited August 30, 2023 by Kon

[YM!]

https://deadline.com/2023/08/hollywood-ceo-meeting-writers-strike-1235529614/
 

In particular, “thin skinned” Iger and Zaslav are “stunned,” according to one insider, that they have been so vilified by the guild and its members over the past several months. “Almost everyone is looking for someone to blame,” another insider says of the backbiting among the core CEOs. “They’re paralyzed, even as the clock is ticking, and it’s Ted’s fault, Iger’s fault, even Tony Vinciquerra’s fault, depending on who you ask,” the source added, name-checking the Netflix co-CEO, the Disney CEO and the Sony Pictures chair and CEO. “It’s not helping the situation, or anyone.”

 

 

Lmao. Get fucked losers.

[TheDude391]

I really hate that in today's media landscape I have to know studio CEOs by name and have opinions on them. Feels like we never knew producers/execs as much as we do today? The artists were always more at the forefront.

 

I hope that thin skinned comment in Deadline ruins their day today, if they truly are that ego bruised.

[Porthos]

14 minutes ago, YM! said:

https://deadline.com/2023/08/hollywood-ceo-meeting-writers-strike-1235529614/
 

In particular, “thin skinned” Iger and Zaslav are “stunned,” according to one insider, that they have been so vilified by the guild and its members over the past several months. “Almost everyone is looking for someone to blame,” another insider says of the backbiting among the core CEOs. “They’re paralyzed, even as the clock is ticking, and it’s Ted’s fault, Iger’s fault, even Tony Vinciquerra’s fault, depending on who you ask,” the source added, name-checking the Netflix co-CEO, the Disney CEO and the Sony Pictures chair and CEO. “It’s not helping the situation, or anyone.”

 

 

Lmao. Get fucked losers.

 

Not quite "laugh out loud" worthy of a reaction, so left a simple like.  But I think the reaction that closest mirrors mine as I read the piece was:

 

 

(the other classic Ron Swanson gif also works, though that leans a bit more toward "excited") 

[ChipDerby]

As soon as industries started being run by "businessmen" rather than people that either started the company or by someone who worked their way up, it started to make everything worse. These people don't care about what they make, they care about making a successful business ($$$)

[JWR]

40 minutes ago, YM! said:

https://deadline.com/2023/08/hollywood-ceo-meeting-writers-strike-1235529614/
 

In particular, “thin skinned” Iger and Zaslav are “stunned,” according to one insider, that they have been so vilified by the guild and its members over the past several months. “Almost everyone is looking for someone to blame,” another insider says of the backbiting among the core CEOs. “They’re paralyzed, even as the clock is ticking, and it’s Ted’s fault, Iger’s fault, even Tony Vinciquerra’s fault, depending on who you ask,” the source added, name-checking the Netflix co-CEO, the Disney CEO and the Sony Pictures chair and CEO. “It’s not helping the situation, or anyone.”

 

 

Lmao. Get fucked losers.

 

Cracks are beginning to form... 

[The GOAT]

Just now, ChipDerby said:

As soon as industries started being run by "businessmen" rather than people that either started the company or by someone who worked their way up, it started to make everything worse. These people don't care about what they make, they care about making a successful business ($$$)

i mean they're all publicly traded companies. Most ( Netflix, Apple, Disney, etc) are even the lynch pins of the Economy. 

[AMC Theaters Enjoyer]

The studios tried to have the unions divided and cause in-fighting, but now that’s what’s happening in the AMPTP while the unions are still sticking strong together.

 

Some beautiful irony there.

[ChipDerby]

1 minute ago, The GOAT said:

i mean they're all publicly traded companies. Most ( Netflix, Apple, Disney, etc) are even the lynch pins of the Economy. 

 

Oh I know, but companies like Disney and WB used to be run by the people who loved creating movies and art and tv. Netflix was never run by someone who did that, because Netflix didn't MAKE anything when it started, it was just a service, and they've treated their shows and movies mostly that same way, just providing content to a consumer.

 

[Jonwo]

23 minutes ago, ChipDerby said:

As soon as industries started being run by "businessmen" rather than people that either started the company or by someone who worked their way up, it started to make everything worse. These people don't care about what they make, they care about making a successful business ($$$)

Like Bob Iger? He started his career as a weatherman and worked his way up. I do think people forget it's called show business for a reason. 

 

 

[Jonwo]

19 minutes ago, ChipDerby said:

 

Oh I know, but companies like Disney and WB used to be run by the people who loved creating movies and art and tv. Netflix was never run by someone who did that, because Netflix didn't MAKE anything when it started, it was just a service, and they've treated their shows and movies mostly that same way, just providing content to a consumer.

 

Walt was a businessman as much as he was a creative. It's a bit silly to suggest that he went into making movies for fun.

[Kon]

57 minutes ago, TheDude391 said:

I really hate that in today's media landscape I have to know studio CEOs by name and have opinions on them. Feels like we never knew producers/execs as much as we do today? The artists were always more at the forefront.

 

I hope that thin skinned comment in Deadline ruins their day today, if they truly are that ego bruised.

Honestly, I feel it's better we know the studio CEOs by name and have opinions on them.

 

Actors were forefront in the industry in the past, but that gave studios CEOs anonymity. This is one of the reasons why they weren't so accountable for their actions.

[Celedhring]

8 minutes ago, Jonwo said:

Walt was a businessman as much as he was a creative. It's a bit silly to suggest that he went into making movies for fun.

 

Yeah, I feel like people are forgetting how awful Golden Age Hollywood producers were. There's a reason why WGA/SAG precursor organizations came about in that era.

[CloneWars]

13 minutes ago, Jonwo said:

Walt was a businessman as much as he was a creative. It's a bit silly to suggest that he went into making movies for fun.

Sure, but Walt Disney was also one of the greatest creative geniuses of all-time from his films to the idea of bringing his creations to life by creating Disneyland. Only a handful of people alive today have the genius Walt had.

Edited August 30, 2023 by CloneWars

[ZeroHour]

I don’t think we can in good conscience turn a strike thread into a Walt Disney appreciation thread of all things lol. His history with striking workers was not great.