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Queen Bitch

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Posts posted by Queen Bitch

  1. 18 minutes ago, mdmost said:

    If it can be replaced by a machine, companies that strictly operate on the desire to increase shareholder value will take full advantage of anything that cuts out salaries and increases the revenue of the company. If a machine can give them a decent idea that can be polished by one person, the studios will go straight to that option and remove human salaries that are a drain. 

    100%

    If they had it their way, the studios would go to the computer and say "Computer, whip up ten scripts for the new season of The Night Agent. Here are a couple of loglines we can use in marketing." Then Shawn Ryan, the series' creator would probably receive a weeks' worth of pay (maybe two if his agents really pushed) to polish the scripts and make the characters sound like humans. All while keeping a close eye on how to eventually eliminate him from the process altogether... on the show HE created...

    Side note, when David Simon asked if he'd be willing to work under similar conditions in an interview, he said "I'd rather blow my brains out" lol

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  2. 7 minutes ago, Neonmoon said:

    I don’t think AI will replace writer/actors, but I do believe it will become a tool that is used. Like any technology, will it cut down on some jobs, sure, but it won’t replace talent. 

    I don't entirely disagree with you, but we as a guild absolutely cannot trust that the studios will act in good faith and do the right thing by us. Hell, they literally ran to the media thirty-six hours ago and said they'd rather us lose our homes than return to the negotiating table before October. We also cannot in any way afford to wait until the next contract expires in three years to address the AI problem. Our position is that, by then, it'll be far too late to start retroactively putting protections in place. 

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  3. 3 hours ago, immamac said:

    All this would be solved if streaming went away and the actual consumers of entertainment had a way to you know, pay for that entertainment at a market value established by them instead of some idiots in a studio somewhere who charge 24.99 for a fucking Blu-ray. Why not just charge 6-9 dollars for a downloadable movie that you can opt to have streamed from some centralized place cuz you don't wanna manage the storage/files etc. 

    That would fix everything. Pay comes in, pay goes to studios, pay goes to actors, everyone knows how much everyone is consuming or buying. 

    Streaming has fucked everything up and it's really weird because it doesn't really actually save anyone any money including the studios. 

    *This* is what kills me the most. The execs love to say "The business has changed, the business has changed..."

    Well yeah, because you broke it. You stopped properly monetizing your studios' output and library and went all in on vertical integration chasing the solitary Netflix model. It's not our fault y'all forgot how to diversify. That's your literal job as a suit. Leave the world-building, character arcs, and third act story problems to us. Sure, we'll take your notes if they're good. Hell, sometimes they are. In the meantime, remember what made film and television wildly profitable for its first century and maybe keep your focus on that -- cuz if *you* can't wildly profit off it too, that should reflect YOUR compensation, not ours.

    And regarding AI -- it's fool's gold. It won't be able to tell good stories. It's regressive and draws from what it already knows. A Barbie AI movie wouldn't appeal to a single fucking adult, but the wildly inventive take (for a Mattel toy) by A FUCKING HUMAN CREATIVE is on the verge of a $100 million opening. So yeah, if we don't stand up and fight *now*, the suits will go all in on AI trying to make it work. Once they inevitably realize they can't rely on AI to tell stories, it'll be years too late. And by then, the business will be permanently, irreparably broken. 

     

     

     

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  4. 1 hour ago, Longhornsnus said:

    As an industry outsider I have an opinion, and I’m not sure if it’s a shared one from industry outsiders or not, but the AI stuff actors and writers are going to have to live with. The toothpaste is out of the tube and zero executives are going to deny the ability to use potentially the most efficient and profit optimizing tool since the internet.

    Can't speak for SAG, but AI and room minimums are the two biggest issues discussed on the WGA lines. The nuances of room minimums are slightly harder to explain to an outsider, but AI instantly resonates with any worker -- hence it's the one that gets the most press.

  5. Actors have been on the lines with us since day one. Less out of solidarity (although that too, obv) and more because they're also rightfully fucking pissed.

    Oh and re: that "We're fine admitting in print that we want the writers to suffer so much that they lose their homes"... there's this delicious morsel. Come quick, the C-suites are fighting!!!

     

  6. He thought he was signing up for a documentary about Jury Duty, hence the show getting to do their due diligence to make sure he was the guy.

    He also didn't suspect, to the point where, when the show stopped shooting, he was paranoid it was still happening. Cast members including Marsdsen had to call to tell him it was really over, and there were no extra pranks / hidden cameras around the metaphorical corner.

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  7. 16 hours ago, ChickenSandwich said:

    If a movie was being filmed overseas, presumably with a full script, would they be able to hire local writers for simple rewrites and edits outside of the union?

    Those writers would be scabs and banned from ever joining the guild. 

  8. This would've happened in May 2020, when the last contract was up... but Covid basically killed any negotiating power the guild had. Leadership knew there was no way they'd get a massive strike authorization vote. AI/ChatGPT weren't on the radar yet, but all of the other issues would've prompted a strike. So this moment has really been in the back of minds since then, on both sides.

    Also, picketing rules, and I've met more writers in the last week than I have since joining the guild 5 years ago.

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  9. I didn't love it either (and was surprised how bored I was on second viewing, when I was really hoping to be drawn in on the emotion) but I think it's a rad and worthy Best Picture winner.

  10. 2 minutes ago, someguy said:

    I also didn't see Charlbi Dean - you know, one of the main actresses in a Best Picture nominee who tragically died at 32 in August.

    According to Twitter, she was included in the In Memoriam QR Code, which.... WOOF

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