Jennifer Allen
By Jennifer Allen
“Now’s not the time to get silly, so wear your big boots and jump on the garbage clowns.” ~ Bob Dylan
An odd line from one of the most influential musicians in modern history… and while such words were highly ridiculed back in 1971, they couldn’t be more poignant in the world at large today.
Bob Dylan was always a man who kept people guessing. He can reinvent himself while at the same time remain relatively unchanged within his true values. His musical and literary prowess are still felt through multitudes of song covers and random quotes often attributed to his constant esoteric view of everything around him.
But this essay isn’t meant to become endless praise for such a man.
Instead, let’s just let his words sink in for a moment… a good long moment.
The American entertainment industry has reached yet another breaking point. Between the endless supply of streaming services quilting our brains with so many shows it would require each of us to be cloned at least twice to even watch it all and the threat of Artificial Intelligence duplicating intellectual properties without permission to further crank out said content… well it’s been a roller coaster to say the least.
I’ve already mentioned in a previous article that higher ups approving such controversial ideas is strictly criticized throughout more than a dozen science fiction stories. Ironically some of these stories have even been approved by said executives (and probably without fully understanding the veracity of said subject matter).
went to a recent convention, which catered to a wide variety of artists including actors and writers, it was such a surprise to see not only an outpouring of support for the strike, but also compassion between the fans and the guests who (because of obligations to the Screen Actors Guild) could not mention the very properties (films, TV shows) each was there to celebrate.
It was heartwarming to see such appreciation for their craft and the creative ways each Q & A panel was handled. TV and movies could not be discussed, but voice performances, theater, and documentaries were still on the table.
As we all know, sci-fi & fantasy fans can truly be some of the most amazing and welcoming people out there, though as with all fan communities there are bad eggs out there (you know who you are).
As for the ever-growing fear of AI duplicating likenesses, voices, and movements of actors… well we’ve seen some of that already with the ‘de-aging’ process of actors for flashback scenes in higher budget projects. What’s to stop those same companies from using that data later without the consent of the performer?
Disney, in particular, had to place a clause in their contracts for their performers to offer permission to their likeness and voice for various pieces of merchandise. This was due (in part) to an incident where they used Robin Williams’ Genie character in certain marketing materials without his consent.
This led to some considerable bad blood between him and the studio which was never truly settled even upon his passing.
Voice actors went on strike themselves a few years ago just to fight this very eventuality. In the end, it was decided that all voice work is owned strictly by the actor themself. Any use of their voice for other projects must be approved by the performer beforehand. This (as I’ve recently discovered) includes any added lines to games by fans which were not originally recorded.
Currently the South Asian entertainment industry has been unaffected by AI, but who’s to say a studio won’t try and use such technology to replicate the late Lata Mangeshkar’s singing for new films? What if they decide to ‘resurrect’ Irrfan Khan for a cameo? Hopefully it won’t ever come to that… but only time will tell.
As of writing this, negotiations between the Writers Guild, the Screen Actors Guild, and the studios they’re striking against have remained at a stalemate.
Hopefully it won’t be too much longer and each of these talented people can go back to doing what we as fans have grown to love.
Until then… wear your big boots proudly and stay strong.
Jennifer Allen works at Saathee and is also a Podcaster, Blogger, Photographer, Graphic Artist, Gamer, Martial Arts Practitioner, and an all around Pop Culture Geek. You can reach her at saathee@saathee.com
