Studios Call Portions of SAG’s Negotiation Statements ‘Misleading’
By Movieguide® Contributor
The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers has responded to SAG-AFTRA’s account of the negotiations that led to the ongoing strike.
“Substantial portions of [the account] are misleading, either in the characterization of the Producers’ offer or in the omission of key details,” the AMPTP, which represents the studios and streamers, explained.
The group provided a chart outlining SAG-AFTRA’s different proposals and their responses to those proposals.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, “The group offered its take on the union’s asks and its responses, saying that the ultimate package it offered the union on July 12 was worth more than $1 billion in compensation and benefits increases.”
AMPTP rejected the union’s request that actors receive a portion of streaming services’ subscriber revenues because “the Union proposes to ‘share’ in success, but not in failure. That is not sharing.”
The AMPTP also refuted SAG-AFTRA’s claims that the group didn’t properly address their concerns about AI, claiming they provided a “comprehensive” proposal regarding consent when it comes to using “digital replicas” of background actors.
However, The Ringer reported that AMPTP’s deal for digital versions of actors involved “a one-time transaction that grants studios access” in perpetuity.
“That’s not real consent. That is fictional consent,” Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, a negotiator for SAG-AFTRA, said. “If you want to get hired and you have to grant consent to use of your digital replica for eternity, your choice is accept the job and accept those terms, or refuse the job and you don’t get hired. That is a dilemma that is not fair for our members.”
Movieguide® previously reported on SAG’s worries about the impact of AI:
As the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) joins the Writers Guild of America (WGA) on the picket line, media executives need to settle negotiations fast otherwise the repercussions could change the future of the industry.
Similar to the writers, the SAG is also protesting the use of A.I. to replace their jobs.
“People worry, in abstract, about A.I. replacing workers but here it is, it’s actually happening,” Taplin said. “[Studios] don’t want to have to pay for extras anymore, so they could have a scene that has 5,000 A.I. extras in the background.”
“The entire business model has been changed because of streaming, digital, and A.I.,” SAG President, Fran Drescher explained. “At some point, you have to say ‘No, we’re not going to take this anymore.’”
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