Unfortunately flattery doesn't feed the kids or pay the rent.
Yes, I know. I was being a bit tongue-in-cheek with that "Hollywood" defense we've heard all too often to dismiss theft.
One of the more appalling things I've seen in the US on this stuff is people saying "Well actors are so well paid why should we care". The thing is theres a very very tiny number of actors that are paid well, the stars. But the vast majority, and the ones currently being sold by the AI firms as being replacable by AI, are background actors and bitpart actors and these are the guys who MIGHT be getting $30K a year if they are in regular work, and more likely far far less (The mean wage for actors is around $56K but its heavily skewed by a small number of very highly paid star actors so in reality its down around the $40K wage. Burger flipper wages.
Here's a couple bit takes on solutions, going from shitty to not-so-shitty.
They should standardize a usage/likeness AI addendum within the standard contracts used today to protect human actors and actresses, hand them to their agents and argue those in-perpetuity contracts, include any standard riders (no nudity, smoking, etc.), and be done with this. Those that are "in" Hollywood now in any way, should probably be damn grateful they'll be grandfathered in to this deal. Because human actors in Hollywood is now a species that absolutely will go extinct. And besides, aging starlets known and beloved by humans today, will jump at the AI opportunity to be frozen at 25-30 years old on the silver screen. Forever. After all, we know how much vanity is worth in Hollywood. Just ask a Kardasurgeon. (Now available on the DoorDashian app.)
Human background actors may soon become as relevant as worrying about the weather while filming inside an IMAX-sized green-screen building. Sorry. You'd really have to have one hell of a human face to beat what AI will mind-fuck everyone into believing is the "perfect" screen actor or actress. I sadly feel the relatively unknowns in this class may already be out of a job that won't be re-listed.
And thats not even touching on the majority of workers in film, the crew, who have been getting fucked on ever since covid, worse in LA where large numbers of crew have been struggling with the fallout of the fires.
The concept of a Recession has been mauled by creative vernacular and definition to make Reality not look so bad over the last few years. Not the wisest move, because a more honest Reality might have forced people making burger flipper money for a bit too long to consider another profession a pandemic ago.
The fallout of the fires, is due to California leadershit. Not sure what more to say, but it wouldn't surprise me one bit if California lost Hollywood too. Leadershit would try and exit-tax Hollywood if they do move, which is the ultimate dick move to try and save a dumpster fire of a state, pissing off the top of the Hollywood sign and hitting all the constituency. Hell of a POTUS strategy. /s
Perhaps all of Hollywood should package itself as a massive bundle as-is, and argue that it is a National Monument. A key historical piece worth preserving. Put it on the stock market as a family of risk-tempered mutual funds. Make it a government asset. Or some other stabilized security that feeds the kids and pays the rents needed today. Others humans could be added, but it might simply be more AI created content now. Yeah, I know. We still have a likeness legal argument because some humans will undoubtedly end up looking a lot like AI. Or at least until Hollyweird (Hollywood+AI) starts imprinting three eyes, three tits, and no bellybuttons as the visually pleasing norm. Then no human will infringe.
Merely my two bits from the cutting room to offer a solution or two. The latter solution might be the most ideal, but this isn't going to be easy by any means.
We know what AI would ironically say. That's Hollywood, baby.
