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Wednesday, November 08, 2023
Studios Allegedly Want the Rights to Deceased Actors’ Likenesses in Latest AMPTP Offer
The Mary Sue: SAG-AFTRA is countering the AMPTP’s most recent offer after the labor union found the artificial intelligence proposals unsatisfactory. Allegedly, the AMPTP’s offer contained language that suggests studios are interested in securing the rights to use deceased actors’ likenesses without permission.
This is absolutely wild. Imagine your mother has died and you’ve grieved, then her image pops up in some movie that you had no clue about and have received no compensation for. This feels so dystopian-future that I can’t believe real, actual people are requesting this. It is so entitled for these executives to believe that they can own someone’s likeness. And it’s not as though they are offering to pay a decent amount, they simply want to be able to use it and not be penalized. It is as if they will try anything to not have to pay actual, living people to do a job so they can maximize their profits. I didn’t even realize it was already happening. As mentioned in the article, The Flash used CGI recreations of deceased actors. It just feels sneaky and rude. I agree with the closing of the article, that we have to let SAG-AFTRA take their time and negotiate.
Damn that is absolutely dystopian. That is something straight out of a Black Mirror or Twilight Zone episode. They want to make death something they can consume, something they can suck the marrow out of. And all of this without even compensating the actors’ family or estate, what absolute nonsense. I would bet money that this idea started really getting big after Disney used Carrie Fisher’s likeness in those last two Star Wars movies. And that wasn’t even good! It felt really wrong watching her likeness on screen. It was wrong deep in my soul. It felt like the company wasn’t finished with her yet so it attached strings to her body and made her dance like a puppet when she should have been resting and at peace. Like she was a tube of toothpaste and they just wanted to squeeze the last little bit out of her. I think that this is seriously disturbing and if for nothing else SAG- AFTRA could at least object due to different religious beliefs in the union.
It is so creepy to think that the studios thought it was okay to own an actor’s likeness. For anytone trying to support themselves in the industry, being paid a day of wages for studios to use you forever doesn’t even make sense. Can you imagine watching a movie or TV show and seeing your own face on screen doing something you have no say over? I'm so glad those of SAG-AFTRA who are leading The negotiation were able to catch this detail. for the first time I really feel as if the industry is getting ahead of the rapidly expanding technology. As it continues to grow we'll have to revisit this in a few years but at least for now we know that at least actors are protected from legal use. Of course this means nothing for all of the illegal uses of AI recreating someone's likeness, like we've seen for Tom Hanks, the Weeknd and Drake.
3 comments:
This is absolutely wild. Imagine your mother has died and you’ve grieved, then her image pops up in some movie that you had no clue about and have received no compensation for. This feels so dystopian-future that I can’t believe real, actual people are requesting this. It is so entitled for these executives to believe that they can own someone’s likeness. And it’s not as though they are offering to pay a decent amount, they simply want to be able to use it and not be penalized. It is as if they will try anything to not have to pay actual, living people to do a job so they can maximize their profits. I didn’t even realize it was already happening. As mentioned in the article, The Flash used CGI recreations of deceased actors. It just feels sneaky and rude. I agree with the closing of the article, that we have to let SAG-AFTRA take their time and negotiate.
Damn that is absolutely dystopian. That is something straight out of a Black Mirror or Twilight Zone episode. They want to make death something they can consume, something they can suck the marrow out of. And all of this without even compensating the actors’ family or estate, what absolute nonsense. I would bet money that this idea started really getting big after Disney used Carrie Fisher’s likeness in those last two Star Wars movies. And that wasn’t even good! It felt really wrong watching her likeness on screen. It was wrong deep in my soul. It felt like the company wasn’t finished with her yet so it attached strings to her body and made her dance like a puppet when she should have been resting and at peace. Like she was a tube of toothpaste and they just wanted to squeeze the last little bit out of her. I think that this is seriously disturbing and if for nothing else SAG- AFTRA could at least object due to different religious beliefs in the union.
It is so creepy to think that the studios thought it was okay to own an actor’s likeness. For anytone trying to support themselves in the industry, being paid a day of wages for studios to use you forever doesn’t even make sense. Can you imagine watching a movie or TV show and seeing your own face on screen doing something you have no say over? I'm so glad those of SAG-AFTRA who are leading The negotiation were able to catch this detail. for the first time I really feel as if the industry is getting ahead of the rapidly expanding technology. As it continues to grow we'll have to revisit this in a few years but at least for now we know that at least actors are protected from legal use. Of course this means nothing for all of the illegal uses of AI recreating someone's likeness, like we've seen for Tom Hanks, the Weeknd and Drake.
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