The mobilization of 160,000 actors and actresses represented by the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA for its acronym in English) has brought problems to the global machine of entertainment: they will not shoot new movies and TV series for big studios.
The mobilization seeks to better regulate the use of Artificial Intelligence, since it (and its progress and development) could put the work of artists at risk: as was curiously stated in a chapter of the popular series “Black Mirror”.
Due to the appearance on the Internet of titles such as “Mortal Kombat” and “The Last of Us” and this strike, confusion was generated thinking that this was affecting the production of video games, but it was not. Could occur? It’s likely, but not yet. We explain why.
Actors can continue working on some things
SAG-AFTRA explained yesterday how, after more than four weeks of negotiations, the Alliance of Film and Television Producers (PTAMP), the entity that represents the main studios and streaming platforms, including Amazon, Apple, Disney, NBCUniversal, Netflix, Paramount, Sony and Warner Bros. Discovery, showed no predisposition to reach an agreement that would address their different demands.
This generated a call for unemployment, but mainly in jobs related to movies and series. As they explain from Vanity Fairthe call for a strike annuls the agreements for movies, TV series and streaming platform productions operated by companies represented by the AMPTP.
Considering that, they can work in theater, musicals, reality shows, and game shows. And the video games? In the Vanity Fair report, the experts do not believe that there is any impediment for those represented by SAG-AFTRA to continue practicing their profession in this sector, either in work as voice actors or as motion capture actors.
But this could still go forward.
In 2017 it did affect the gamer industry
Although the gamer production industry is governed by the Interactive Media Agreementwhich covers programs or video games in which the viewer or user can manipulate, affect or otherwise alter, in real time, the sequence or presentation of the same”, and would not enter the current mobilization, if it affected them in 2017.
The 2016-2017 video game voice actor strike was a nearly year-long strike launched in October 2016 by the SAG-AFTRA union campaigning for better pay for video game voice actors and actors.
The request at the time was addressed to eleven US video game developers and publishers (Activision, Blindlight, Corps of Discovery Films, Disney Character Voices, Electronic Arts, Formosa Interactive, Insomniac Games, Interactive Associates, Take-Two Interactive, VoiceWorks Productions and WB Games), after their talks to renegotiate existing contracts failed.
It was the first union strike of its kind in the video game industry.
confusion on the internet
There is confusion on the Internet due to the mention of “Mortal Kombat” in this topic: but it is not because of video games. It is for audiovisual productions. Movies like “Gladiator 2” and “Mortal Kombat 2” have halted their production.
This could affect the making of series linked to that world, such as “The Last Of Us” as well. Although others are still filming, such as HBO’s “La Casa del Dragón”. Because? Because the cast of actors in the Game of Thrones prequel is made up mainly of artists from the United Kingdom who work under contracts supervised by the local union, Equity.
And an important fact: Equity members do not have legal permission to show solidarity with SAG-AFTRA. There is also another key fact: the actors can continue working with 100% independent production companies. So even if at some point demands from the area of video games were added, we could continue to have performances and dubbing in indies.