The most wonderful and perfect thing about AI is that we won't have to suffer through the insipid and annoying acceptance speeches by the like of Meryl Streep, Mark Ruffalo, Jane Fonda and all of their ilk. In fact, it would be best if they never aired an award ceremony again. Part of the contract negotiations should be that none of these dolts should ever see an 'award' again. Their paycheck should be enough. They are tedious. The whole bunch.
"They are tedious. The whole bunch." And therein lies the problem. They have convinced themselves that simply because they play interesting characters, they themselves are interesting (and worth listening to).
Yup!! And they are all so self absorbed that they fail to connect the dots between their annoying wonderfulness and the plummeting ratings for all these award shows. I have not watched one in 16 years.
I have said it before, and it bear saying again: If a machine can do your job, it will.
Same with AI.
If AI can write scripts and screenplays, it will. If it can replace actors, they will. Deal with it, Hollywood. Don't like that? Don't care. It is literally impossible for me to care at all for this mess you got yourself in. You took any goodwill you had and willingly shit it away in the last six plus years, so like I said; it is physically impossible for me to care about your current issues. And I am not in the least bit sorry to say that.
--
AI will replace writes, "journalists" and other individuals in the creative sphere. And that's a good thing. Those most at risk are those in the "suck at your job" to "sorta average in your job" range and that's good. Don't like it? Shoulda future-proofed yourself, champ.
Good writers, the truly talented creatives, will not lack for work. They're gonna be fine, they have talent, and (like my drum instructor at Oregon used to say) "talent will win out every time."
Every new technology has created more opportunities than jobs that were destroyed. Every time. And it will be no different this time.
--
Last note. I just got a new job. True story. And in the process of reworking my resume, my cover letter and creating questions for the subsequent interview... I used AI extensively. I'm not ashamed to admit it. It's a tool that literally saved me hours of busy work.
I would love an AI to proof this article for me. I can't afford an editor. And that's where AI could be helpful.
And I'm with you: if you can't do better than a machine "mining" old TV scripts, then you really were not really a writer to begin with. And if you can't act with any more emotion than a machine (Bella Swan I'm talking to you), then what has the customer lost really?
You will never be redundant. Given that my phone and my Word program are always trying to change "it's" to "its" and vice versa when I'm right, humans will never be redundant.
Modern pop music is produced using a method called "track and hook". A beat and a melody are combined and Rihanna has another hit. In a similar vein, storytelling can be diagrammed and plots developed (i.e. copied) by changing the names of characters using eternal themes.
Hollywood has long been controlled by China and maybe that's the best thing. It will save Meryl Streep's knees.
While I suspect that AI will eventually grow tired of humans and wipe us out, I use Bing's AI daily to learn things and I will soon find it indispensable.
"While I suspect that AI will eventually grow tired of humans and wipe us out, I use Bing's AI daily to learn things and I will soon find it indispensable."
Already I must eat my words. This morning I asked Bing's AI which countries allow cluster bombs. Initially, a long answer was posted, stating that more than 100 countries have banned them (I believe the USSA and Ukraine are the only countries that haven't) and listed the countries that have been hit with cluster bombs. Within seconds, that answer disappeared and Bing said, "Sorry I can't answer that question". Bing is no longer my default search engine. Yandex is.
I still don't quite get this whole "These weapons are waaaay too weapony to use is a real war, Bub." thing.
I think that a big part of what's supposed to deter one from doing actual war stuff is that it is so gory and bloody and awful and deadly that you would want to avoid it at all costs.
The point is that cluster bombs have a "dud" rate, which means they're killing and maiming people long after the war is over.
Hilariously enough, I was listening to Walter Kirn and Matt Taibbi while I was pulling weeds this morning, and they were talking about how Andrew Sullivan is trying to sell "our" clusterbombs as being okay because they don't have nearly the "dud" rate the Russian clusterbombs do and that makes them "safer" as if "safe" is a word that can be used on an implement of mass death and destruction.
It is a very broken and psychotic world we live in, my friend.
Jul 18, 2023·edited Jul 18, 2023Liked by Lillia Gajewski
The most relevant reasearch skill will become separating the wheat from the chaff. I suspect most of the truths will [edited for... I don't know why I wrote that] still be accessible.
I am almost certain that Powerball will make me a billionaire tonight. I will be driving my Deusenburg around town a lot and not participating on Substack so often. But I will invite all my subscribers to join me for a trip on the Orient Express once all the paperwork is complete. And that is the Washington Post truth!
Jul 17, 2023·edited Jul 17, 2023Liked by Lillia Gajewski
At some point, I'll get around to laying out the whole story. Or not. I dunno. I'm a duck who rides a bike, and I get lazy and tend to put things so far on the back burner they sometimes fall off the stove entirely.
When the Summer heat becomes unbearable and you feel especially lazy, try floating in a mountain stream. The water will literally fall off your back when you get out.
Oh, there's a story there. For certain. When I got a bit of space on it, maybe I can get it out in an entertaining fashion. Right now, much about this transition still makes me angry, to be honest.
I'm less angry now that I'm standing atop a pyramid of my enemies skulls, drinking in the sweet ale of victory.
I love your style of writing. It’s pointed and humorous while also informative and thoughtful. I get to smile, laugh and learn all at the same time. To my knowledge, industry has been seeking to lower production costs via automation for many centuries. Whether it was replacing humans with horses to carry and plow, using the wheel to transport, telegraphs to carry messages, or bombs to kill enemies. I think what is different is the velocity of change; previous generations were reasonably familiar with the technology of their great grandparents; today’s children will likely experience several technological revolutions. With regard to Hollywood, my view is that the creativity is mostly with the writers and directors; and that the actors and actresses bring some but relatively little creativity to the final product. If Wokology didn’t already make most whites obsolete in Hollywood, AI surely will finish them off. Finally, I would advise those starting a career to look hard at the trades (eg carpentry, electrical, etc) because most of the office and work-from-home stuff is on the AI chopping block for sure. Indeed what will happen is that industry and government will streamline the policies and practices such that the tasks needed for commerce will be designed to be done by AI from the beginning (eg too difficult for a human to efficiently do). If we can replace women with biological men, we can certainly replace actresses with flawless AI hotties.
My theory is we protect everyone or we protect no one. There are only going to be so many trade jobs, and immigration, particularly the off-the-books kind, is a problem in the trades. My husband's uncle used to install staircases in Las Vegas, and he said you should see the people running when Immigration and Naturalization made a visit to the job site.
And that in the end is the point. We have been allowing the undercutting of American workers for a very long time, so why should we stop at AI? Or if we're going to stop at AI, perhaps it's time to go back and right some other wrongs. Otherwise, you singling a specific group out for preservation and letting others fall through the cracks.
"It’s pointed and humorous while also informative and thoughtful. I get to smile, laugh and learn all at the same time."
Well... only a day late. Apologies, My Friend Lillia. Tex is publishing up a storm and you're putting out super good stuff daily. Work emergency starting over the weekend is just finally cleaned up and... there are almost 50 comments on this here post. Good Gravy, Lil. *smiles bigly*
Someone found a turd in the punchbowl. Or, well, if it was that obvious it wouldn't have slipped into production. More ... Doodie.
But we made the calls and people are buying the stuff we're supposed to present to them. Because our clients pay us to make their stuff available to people who will pay. We had people willing to pay. They just couldn't.
And Tex is publishing up a storm and I'm just treading water... But, dag, you guys are killin' it.
And while I'm typing, the next vid YouTuibe queued up for me:
Bishop: "I was hoping to squeeze in nine holes before this rain starts."
Love the clips. I didn't appreciate the humor in the first Caddyshack until I got quite a bit older. But now I find it hilarious.
Sorry about the work emergency, especially on a weekend. You have a life and a job. I get it. I hope you found something to enjoy, even a day later. And I always appreciate how much you read and comment.
They can fight it all day and put it in contract from here until whenever. The bottom line is AI is going to impact them and they need to get onboard and learn to get the most out of it rather than fight it. If used right it can make writers and actors more creative and more productive. But most aren't smart enough to understand that.
"The bottom line is AI is going to impact them and they need to get onboard and learn to get the most out of it rather than fight it. "
Well, yeah. See, it's not _their_ jobs that AI is taking. It's the _job_ bestowed upon them. If AI can do it Better, Faster, and/or Cheaper (can only do 2 at a time) then they deserve the job.
Remember when the Hollywood writers and actors supported the Truck Drivers? The silver lining of the SAG-AFTRA strike may very well be that Americans will realize that our lives can go on just fine without them! Listening to Fran Drescher whine on about their victimhood, I was waiting for a “ BUT MR. SHEFFIELD!!’” 😝😝😝
The "we're defending the rights of all workers" is a bit of an over-reach, as you suggested, but I do believe that they are earnest in their defense of lower-paid actors and actresses - the background actors, character actors, etc., the ones who do have to take two or three jobs to try and stay afloat. Those are the ones that the studios are trying to get rid of through AI (on the off-chance that a background actor then strikes it big, they can then use their AI model to try and reap profits). It's like when they discover an actor who is now a star was in a low-budget film years before, and they re-release the stinker but package it with the new "star" on the cover, even though he or she played a bit part in it. I do believe that if you had to ask which side you were on, you would be on the side of the writers and actors, even if they are overpaid and out of touch with the rest of us. Because the studios and their executives do seem truly evil.
I am not as coldhearted as I seem. I understand what they are doing and AI was always a threat to those who work with their minds rather than their backs, which is the dream of a lot of people (including mine at one point or maybe even this point). I have proofread for a living. A good enough AI program could do my job.
The part that irks me is that this has been a problem for a while and no one in the upper echelons of Hollywood noticed. I also find it rich that people who make millions per movie are complaining that studio execs make too much when they could just as easily share their salary with the underlings as the studio execs could.
I hope you don't think I was disagreeing with your point, because I do think that the SAG-AFTRA statements about doing this for "all of the workers" is disingenuous. But I do believe that in their hearts, they are fighting for the other members of their union. And while it's true that they could share their salaries with the underlings as much as the studio execs could, we all know that's not gonna happen (having never been in a union, I'm not sure if this happens where all members share their salaries for the benefit of all, this sounds like communism). Sadly, it makes more sense to have someone more famous and recognizable making these statements. More people know Fran "The Nanny" Drescher than some random background actor, so the media (and us 'normals') are more likely to pay attention to what she is saying rather than the random person. I didn't pay much attention to the WGA strike when it started, and most of the images and stuff I saw in the media were one of two things 1) A picket line with some cleverly written statements on the placards; or 2) A famous actor showing up at the picket line showing their support.
I took it as you were reminding me that there is another side and that most of these people are just trying to get by, but even if you were disagreeing, that is just fine. It's a scary world when everyone agrees. And every point you make is entirely valid.
I like to think it's a "concurrence", like when a Supreme Court justice agrees with the majority opinion, but then wants to raise an additional point. :) And yes, it would be a scary world where everyone agrees, which is why it's so sad that modern media doesn't seem to feel that way...
Thanks for your perspective that Hollywood is only complaining now that the problems affecting every other industry hit home. I hadn’t thought of that and you’re right.
My husband is a TV editor, out of work since May due to the strike. It’s a brutal industry. Editor jobs baseline 50 hours/week and at deadlines they can work late into the night and weekends. (For heavens sake, they’re making television, not performing life saving surgery.) They’ll work you that way for several months then suddenly the show is done and you’re unemployed and have to “network” into your next job. The employer is not interested in your professional development. On non-union jobs you don’t get paid holidays or overtime. Or health insurance. The writers are being squeezed by shorter seasons, meaning they have to find new jobs more often, and apparently the studios are trying to get by with fewer writers per show, hence a heavier workload. My husband says the studios are making tons of money and want to share less of that with the workers.
Yes these are cushy white-collar jobs, but it isn’t wrong to want some job security, work-life balance that allows you to see your children, and the ability to pay your mortgage. Maybe the characters in this strike aren’t sympathetic due to their political ideology, but the work environment in America is a race to the bottom for many industries and we really should be having this conversation as a nation. Happy to discuss!
So now that I've said that, your turn if you don't mind. What is the union really looking for in a contract (meaning is my interpretation based on media reports that its about streaming revenue and AI accurate, or is it broader issues) and how much hope does your husband have that they will get it?
1. Yes AI is a big issue. For writers, the studios want the right to use AI to generate a script and then hire writers for maybe a few days to polish it. That puts writers almost completely out of jobs. For actors, studios want to pay a small fee to capture an actor’s body, then have AI place the actor in media, indefinitely, without paying them or needing permission to use their likeness.
2. Currently studios pay residuals to writers and actors whenever a show is rerun on broadcast TV or cable. This provides long term-income and is deserved because the work is still making money. Residuals are nonexistent, or pennies, on streaming platforms. The writes and actors are asking to be paid for streaming the same as broadcast. Studios are claiming that streaming is still “experimental”. They won’t release profit numbers for streaming and are refusing to develop a sharing formula.
3. Apparently writers are now being paid for 3-4 months of work to write for a show. But then the studios insist the writers remain available to show up on set if needed for another 6 months. They don’t pay for those months-- only for days the writer may actually come in-- but this arrangement blocks the person from taking their next paying job.
4. Studios are apparently making record profits as evidenced by their stock prices.
5. No one knows how this is going to end. It’s the biggest strike in 60 years and the issues are existential for the unions. Whatever the outcome, it will determine how television is made for years to come.
6. In anticipation of the writers’ strike, work started drying up the early part of this year. No one wanted to start a project to see it indefinitely put on hold. So many writers, actors, editors, crew etc. have been without work for many months already.
I like your husband's earful. I understand better now. Would you mind if I put it in a post? I'm not going to sic people on you. It's just really good to have another perspective, and I think they'd be interested too.
Forgive my ignorance, but I don't want to assume I know for sure: when you say your husband is a TV editor, does he work with the scripts or does he edit video or does the work encompass something else? And his he part of the writer's union, or is his work affected because of the strike?
Jul 18, 2023·edited Jul 18, 2023Liked by Lillia Gajewski
Good morning. Sure, if you found the info useful then go ahead and use it. It is an interesting impasse. To answer your questions, the strikes affect any work by unionized writers and actors. Scripted TV is all union (writers, directors, actors, editors, etc.) My husband is an editor in the editors union (IATSE) which is not part of the strike. Yet he’s affected because with no scripts, there is no production and no post-production (editing). Unscripted TV, such as reality shows, is not unionized (don’t ask me why) so reality TV is not affected and you’ll probably see more of that on the airways to fill the scripted void.
Edited to clarify: My husband is a video editor, which means he cuts together the raw footage to turn it into a show.
Jul 17, 2023·edited Jul 17, 2023Liked by Lillia Gajewski
Ah so you’ve had an experience in the industry. Let me ask my husband and get back to you with a better answer about what the unions hope to get. He has told me that the writers are striking because they feel they have nothing to lose. The directors recently caved, and his union (IATSE) almost went on strike last year but then accepted a not-so-great contract.
I think the AI is a smaller deal while revenue-sharing from streaming is much bigger. They won’t reveal how much money they’re earning from streaming so a conversation can’t even be had. Actors probably have somewhat different perspective than writers.
Unfortunately, I doubt this strike will effect a larger conversation. Here in L.A. hotel workers are striking for a “living wage”— that’s a whole other discussion. The largest school district, LAUSD, recently caved to teachers and staff giving them massive, retroactive pay raises. Wonder where the money will come for that.
I wouldn't have called it experience in the industry. I would have called it trying to make ends meet after losing my job due to "restructuring" at the local college writing lab and then finding out nobody (most of all me) wanted me dealing with grumpy people at the Barnes and Noble coffeeshop. But, yes, I believe you because of my experience.
I'm looking forward to hearing what your husband thinks.
One more point; AI companies need not just coders. It also needs people who understand the complexity and nuances of language, conversations and stories. Might want to research it a bit and see if he can’t find a way to help AI companies.
Everyone is talking about AI but I’m not sure anyone really knows what it’s good for, yet. ChatGPT is a cute parlor trick. I admit I haven’t spent the time learning about the current state of AI. (Which is funny because I just finished an 18 month stint at Microsoft working on their AI computing platform-- I’m an electrical engineer). As for my husband, eventually productions will start back up and he will get work. He’s had a few weeks of work on a reality show over the summer, so he’s luckier than many.
First, I do hope you and your husband find a positive outcome from this stress. Second, I will share how I managed similar challenges in my career. I was born and raised poor; 9th of 10 children, father was a bartender, mom stayed at home. Point is I earned my way and didn’t receive scholarships or family money. I started my career while I’m high school by joining the military. Put 4 years in and got GI Bill to attend college. Chose a co-op university (Drexel) so I could future career while I’m college. Got an MBA and then was recruited for Big Pharma. But essentially I was always taking classes and always taking on risky assignments. Wound up an exec and secure comfortable retirement w pensions from multiple companies. Wife was stay at home mom as we lived within our means. Catholic k-12 and college education for 3 kids covered. Several siblings attained similar results starting their own companies. From my view, it’s a combination of luck, intelligence, broader economy, personal sacrifice, personality, and risk taking. If the future you are in doesn’t look bright, I suggest changing before everyone else sees the writing on the wall as well and floods the fewer jobs left there. Best wishes. I am being brief and truly trying to be helpful.
It sounds like you made a success out of your life circumstances, good for you. Our family will be just fine, even in ridiculously expensive California. One of the reasons I work is to carry the family through the ups and downs of the entertainment industry. (I would have liked to be a stay at home mom but that hasn’t been an option for us. Maybe for the best, my career has become more interesting since having my children.)
I'm sorry for your husband. I'm glad you're here. That's a perspective completely outside my purview, and I appreciate it.
For about a year, I produced the evening news at the local NBC station. On the one hand, it appealed to the creative side of me, but on the other it paid just barely above minimum wage, I lost all my nights, and it was stressful.
I don't care about political ideology. What bothers me is as you say that they just now noticed when it was happening to them. I have a similar problem with the right and their complains about the intelligence agencies. They've only seemed to notice now how monstrous those agencies can be that they've found themselves in their crosshairs.
But maybe if there is any good to come out of this, we will finally have a conversation and come up with some reasonable protections for all workers.
"I have a similar problem with the right and their complains about the intelligence agencies. They've only seemed to notice now how monstrous those agencies can be that they've found themselves in their crosshairs."
Excellent point!
I might add that it's more the establishment Republicans that have had that epiphany, than those with a genuine libertarian streak (see Rand Paul).
The most wonderful and perfect thing about AI is that we won't have to suffer through the insipid and annoying acceptance speeches by the like of Meryl Streep, Mark Ruffalo, Jane Fonda and all of their ilk. In fact, it would be best if they never aired an award ceremony again. Part of the contract negotiations should be that none of these dolts should ever see an 'award' again. Their paycheck should be enough. They are tedious. The whole bunch.
"They are tedious. The whole bunch." And therein lies the problem. They have convinced themselves that simply because they play interesting characters, they themselves are interesting (and worth listening to).
Yup!! And they are all so self absorbed that they fail to connect the dots between their annoying wonderfulness and the plummeting ratings for all these award shows. I have not watched one in 16 years.
I have said it before, and it bear saying again: If a machine can do your job, it will.
Same with AI.
If AI can write scripts and screenplays, it will. If it can replace actors, they will. Deal with it, Hollywood. Don't like that? Don't care. It is literally impossible for me to care at all for this mess you got yourself in. You took any goodwill you had and willingly shit it away in the last six plus years, so like I said; it is physically impossible for me to care about your current issues. And I am not in the least bit sorry to say that.
--
AI will replace writes, "journalists" and other individuals in the creative sphere. And that's a good thing. Those most at risk are those in the "suck at your job" to "sorta average in your job" range and that's good. Don't like it? Shoulda future-proofed yourself, champ.
Good writers, the truly talented creatives, will not lack for work. They're gonna be fine, they have talent, and (like my drum instructor at Oregon used to say) "talent will win out every time."
Every new technology has created more opportunities than jobs that were destroyed. Every time. And it will be no different this time.
--
Last note. I just got a new job. True story. And in the process of reworking my resume, my cover letter and creating questions for the subsequent interview... I used AI extensively. I'm not ashamed to admit it. It's a tool that literally saved me hours of busy work.
I would love an AI to proof this article for me. I can't afford an editor. And that's where AI could be helpful.
And I'm with you: if you can't do better than a machine "mining" old TV scripts, then you really were not really a writer to begin with. And if you can't act with any more emotion than a machine (Bella Swan I'm talking to you), then what has the customer lost really?
Omg I am learning I’ll be made a redundant volunteer proofreader by AI in the comment section of an essay about AI. Say it ain’t so!?
You will never be redundant. Given that my phone and my Word program are always trying to change "it's" to "its" and vice versa when I'm right, humans will never be redundant.
And I'm very glad to hear about the job. I knew you were worried. How is the wrist?
I freaked out about my wrist, it's gonna be OK...
Oh, I have been there and done that and gotten the ER bill to prove it. ;-)
Modern pop music is produced using a method called "track and hook". A beat and a melody are combined and Rihanna has another hit. In a similar vein, storytelling can be diagrammed and plots developed (i.e. copied) by changing the names of characters using eternal themes.
Hollywood has long been controlled by China and maybe that's the best thing. It will save Meryl Streep's knees.
While I suspect that AI will eventually grow tired of humans and wipe us out, I use Bing's AI daily to learn things and I will soon find it indispensable.
PEACE
"While I suspect that AI will eventually grow tired of humans and wipe us out, I use Bing's AI daily to learn things and I will soon find it indispensable."
I, for one, welcome our Bayesian Overlords.
Already I must eat my words. This morning I asked Bing's AI which countries allow cluster bombs. Initially, a long answer was posted, stating that more than 100 countries have banned them (I believe the USSA and Ukraine are the only countries that haven't) and listed the countries that have been hit with cluster bombs. Within seconds, that answer disappeared and Bing said, "Sorry I can't answer that question". Bing is no longer my default search engine. Yandex is.
Russia, the USA, China, and Ukraine, not exclusively, but they have not banned cluster bombs. Or so I've picked up from various articles.
I still don't quite get this whole "These weapons are waaaay too weapony to use is a real war, Bub." thing.
I think that a big part of what's supposed to deter one from doing actual war stuff is that it is so gory and bloody and awful and deadly that you would want to avoid it at all costs.
The point is that cluster bombs have a "dud" rate, which means they're killing and maiming people long after the war is over.
Hilariously enough, I was listening to Walter Kirn and Matt Taibbi while I was pulling weeds this morning, and they were talking about how Andrew Sullivan is trying to sell "our" clusterbombs as being okay because they don't have nearly the "dud" rate the Russian clusterbombs do and that makes them "safer" as if "safe" is a word that can be used on an implement of mass death and destruction.
It is a very broken and psychotic world we live in, my friend.
The most relevant reasearch skill will become separating the wheat from the chaff. I suspect most of the truths will [edited for... I don't know why I wrote that] still be accessible.
I am almost certain that Powerball will make me a billionaire tonight. I will be driving my Deusenburg around town a lot and not participating on Substack so often. But I will invite all my subscribers to join me for a trip on the Orient Express once all the paperwork is complete. And that is the Washington Post truth!
Deusenburg dies in Darkness!
And just so that you know, 😜 m pulling for you on that PowerBall thing.
Congrats on the new gig, Pato!
At some point, I'll get around to laying out the whole story. Or not. I dunno. I'm a duck who rides a bike, and I get lazy and tend to put things so far on the back burner they sometimes fall off the stove entirely.
When the Summer heat becomes unbearable and you feel especially lazy, try floating in a mountain stream. The water will literally fall off your back when you get out.
You'd mentioned in one of your posts that there might be a story.
Oh, there's a story there. For certain. When I got a bit of space on it, maybe I can get it out in an entertaining fashion. Right now, much about this transition still makes me angry, to be honest.
I'm less angry now that I'm standing atop a pyramid of my enemies skulls, drinking in the sweet ale of victory.
"I'm less angry now that I'm standing atop a pyramid of my enemies skulls, drinking in the sweet ale of victory."
Now _that_ is the Duck we've all come to know and love.
I love your style of writing. It’s pointed and humorous while also informative and thoughtful. I get to smile, laugh and learn all at the same time. To my knowledge, industry has been seeking to lower production costs via automation for many centuries. Whether it was replacing humans with horses to carry and plow, using the wheel to transport, telegraphs to carry messages, or bombs to kill enemies. I think what is different is the velocity of change; previous generations were reasonably familiar with the technology of their great grandparents; today’s children will likely experience several technological revolutions. With regard to Hollywood, my view is that the creativity is mostly with the writers and directors; and that the actors and actresses bring some but relatively little creativity to the final product. If Wokology didn’t already make most whites obsolete in Hollywood, AI surely will finish them off. Finally, I would advise those starting a career to look hard at the trades (eg carpentry, electrical, etc) because most of the office and work-from-home stuff is on the AI chopping block for sure. Indeed what will happen is that industry and government will streamline the policies and practices such that the tasks needed for commerce will be designed to be done by AI from the beginning (eg too difficult for a human to efficiently do). If we can replace women with biological men, we can certainly replace actresses with flawless AI hotties.
My theory is we protect everyone or we protect no one. There are only going to be so many trade jobs, and immigration, particularly the off-the-books kind, is a problem in the trades. My husband's uncle used to install staircases in Las Vegas, and he said you should see the people running when Immigration and Naturalization made a visit to the job site.
And that in the end is the point. We have been allowing the undercutting of American workers for a very long time, so why should we stop at AI? Or if we're going to stop at AI, perhaps it's time to go back and right some other wrongs. Otherwise, you singling a specific group out for preservation and letting others fall through the cracks.
I would gladly trade ten Jane Fondas for one Jessica Rabbit.
You can have all ten Hanoi Janes :D.
But what will all those Hollywood Woke Folk do when they can no longer wag their fingers at us with their self righteous virtue signaling?
Get a college professorship?
"It’s pointed and humorous while also informative and thoughtful. I get to smile, laugh and learn all at the same time."
Well... only a day late. Apologies, My Friend Lillia. Tex is publishing up a storm and you're putting out super good stuff daily. Work emergency starting over the weekend is just finally cleaned up and... there are almost 50 comments on this here post. Good Gravy, Lil. *smiles bigly*
Someone found a turd in the punchbowl. Or, well, if it was that obvious it wouldn't have slipped into production. More ... Doodie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPxiXGr9nFM
But we made the calls and people are buying the stuff we're supposed to present to them. Because our clients pay us to make their stuff available to people who will pay. We had people willing to pay. They just couldn't.
And Tex is publishing up a storm and I'm just treading water... But, dag, you guys are killin' it.
And while I'm typing, the next vid YouTuibe queued up for me:
Bishop: "I was hoping to squeeze in nine holes before this rain starts."
Pull Quote: "aaaarrrrgghghghghhgg RAT FARTS!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pe5eL8LQdY0
Love the clips. I didn't appreciate the humor in the first Caddyshack until I got quite a bit older. But now I find it hilarious.
Sorry about the work emergency, especially on a weekend. You have a life and a job. I get it. I hope you found something to enjoy, even a day later. And I always appreciate how much you read and comment.
I love Caddyshack and I'm hoping I can get NFT to drop a dime here - but I have to catch up on his Substack. It's not light reading.
We don't often have emergencies and today is shaping up to be a solid Hump Day Eve.
Thank you, for the shout-out!!
"I had plumb forgotten that the 'writers' were on strike."
Great minds...I make mention of this in today's dispatch!
"...and Hollywood having not only not said a word but thrown fundraiser after fundraiser for their chosen color in the Uniparty game . . ."
10 times out of 9, that color is blue.
Good for Ted to call out Chuck, but hasn't the US already fallen behind China?
In so many ways, the US has fallen behind China. Or perhaps more accurately, we took side road to a dead end worrying about ridiculous things.
They can fight it all day and put it in contract from here until whenever. The bottom line is AI is going to impact them and they need to get onboard and learn to get the most out of it rather than fight it. If used right it can make writers and actors more creative and more productive. But most aren't smart enough to understand that.
"The bottom line is AI is going to impact them and they need to get onboard and learn to get the most out of it rather than fight it. "
Well, yeah. See, it's not _their_ jobs that AI is taking. It's the _job_ bestowed upon them. If AI can do it Better, Faster, and/or Cheaper (can only do 2 at a time) then they deserve the job.
Remember when the Hollywood writers and actors supported the Truck Drivers? The silver lining of the SAG-AFTRA strike may very well be that Americans will realize that our lives can go on just fine without them! Listening to Fran Drescher whine on about their victimhood, I was waiting for a “ BUT MR. SHEFFIELD!!’” 😝😝😝
I could not take 5 seconds of that NYC whine.
The "we're defending the rights of all workers" is a bit of an over-reach, as you suggested, but I do believe that they are earnest in their defense of lower-paid actors and actresses - the background actors, character actors, etc., the ones who do have to take two or three jobs to try and stay afloat. Those are the ones that the studios are trying to get rid of through AI (on the off-chance that a background actor then strikes it big, they can then use their AI model to try and reap profits). It's like when they discover an actor who is now a star was in a low-budget film years before, and they re-release the stinker but package it with the new "star" on the cover, even though he or she played a bit part in it. I do believe that if you had to ask which side you were on, you would be on the side of the writers and actors, even if they are overpaid and out of touch with the rest of us. Because the studios and their executives do seem truly evil.
I am not as coldhearted as I seem. I understand what they are doing and AI was always a threat to those who work with their minds rather than their backs, which is the dream of a lot of people (including mine at one point or maybe even this point). I have proofread for a living. A good enough AI program could do my job.
The part that irks me is that this has been a problem for a while and no one in the upper echelons of Hollywood noticed. I also find it rich that people who make millions per movie are complaining that studio execs make too much when they could just as easily share their salary with the underlings as the studio execs could.
BOOM! which is exactly what former Paramount Studios CEO Barry Diller is suggesting.
Please be sure to see today's dispatch, coming later today...sorry for the shameless plug.
Thanks! I signed up but I’m tapped $$ out right now with paid subscriptions!
A free subscription is available, yes?
It will be a long time (if ever), that I offer premium content.
I hope you don't think I was disagreeing with your point, because I do think that the SAG-AFTRA statements about doing this for "all of the workers" is disingenuous. But I do believe that in their hearts, they are fighting for the other members of their union. And while it's true that they could share their salaries with the underlings as much as the studio execs could, we all know that's not gonna happen (having never been in a union, I'm not sure if this happens where all members share their salaries for the benefit of all, this sounds like communism). Sadly, it makes more sense to have someone more famous and recognizable making these statements. More people know Fran "The Nanny" Drescher than some random background actor, so the media (and us 'normals') are more likely to pay attention to what she is saying rather than the random person. I didn't pay much attention to the WGA strike when it started, and most of the images and stuff I saw in the media were one of two things 1) A picket line with some cleverly written statements on the placards; or 2) A famous actor showing up at the picket line showing their support.
I took it as you were reminding me that there is another side and that most of these people are just trying to get by, but even if you were disagreeing, that is just fine. It's a scary world when everyone agrees. And every point you make is entirely valid.
I like to think it's a "concurrence", like when a Supreme Court justice agrees with the majority opinion, but then wants to raise an additional point. :) And yes, it would be a scary world where everyone agrees, which is why it's so sad that modern media doesn't seem to feel that way...
"I am not as coldhearted as I seem."
That's what you have me for. *thumbs under suspenders, struts*
Thanks for your perspective that Hollywood is only complaining now that the problems affecting every other industry hit home. I hadn’t thought of that and you’re right.
My husband is a TV editor, out of work since May due to the strike. It’s a brutal industry. Editor jobs baseline 50 hours/week and at deadlines they can work late into the night and weekends. (For heavens sake, they’re making television, not performing life saving surgery.) They’ll work you that way for several months then suddenly the show is done and you’re unemployed and have to “network” into your next job. The employer is not interested in your professional development. On non-union jobs you don’t get paid holidays or overtime. Or health insurance. The writers are being squeezed by shorter seasons, meaning they have to find new jobs more often, and apparently the studios are trying to get by with fewer writers per show, hence a heavier workload. My husband says the studios are making tons of money and want to share less of that with the workers.
Yes these are cushy white-collar jobs, but it isn’t wrong to want some job security, work-life balance that allows you to see your children, and the ability to pay your mortgage. Maybe the characters in this strike aren’t sympathetic due to their political ideology, but the work environment in America is a race to the bottom for many industries and we really should be having this conversation as a nation. Happy to discuss!
So now that I've said that, your turn if you don't mind. What is the union really looking for in a contract (meaning is my interpretation based on media reports that its about streaming revenue and AI accurate, or is it broader issues) and how much hope does your husband have that they will get it?
Okay my husband gave me an earful.
1. Yes AI is a big issue. For writers, the studios want the right to use AI to generate a script and then hire writers for maybe a few days to polish it. That puts writers almost completely out of jobs. For actors, studios want to pay a small fee to capture an actor’s body, then have AI place the actor in media, indefinitely, without paying them or needing permission to use their likeness.
2. Currently studios pay residuals to writers and actors whenever a show is rerun on broadcast TV or cable. This provides long term-income and is deserved because the work is still making money. Residuals are nonexistent, or pennies, on streaming platforms. The writes and actors are asking to be paid for streaming the same as broadcast. Studios are claiming that streaming is still “experimental”. They won’t release profit numbers for streaming and are refusing to develop a sharing formula.
3. Apparently writers are now being paid for 3-4 months of work to write for a show. But then the studios insist the writers remain available to show up on set if needed for another 6 months. They don’t pay for those months-- only for days the writer may actually come in-- but this arrangement blocks the person from taking their next paying job.
My husband pointed to this tweet which lays out some of the (actors’) asks and the responses so far. If you are interested in the details. https://twitter.com/sentammoses/status/1681127057701617664?s=61&t=V2caTtigcKkjESn1emELSA
4. Studios are apparently making record profits as evidenced by their stock prices.
5. No one knows how this is going to end. It’s the biggest strike in 60 years and the issues are existential for the unions. Whatever the outcome, it will determine how television is made for years to come.
6. In anticipation of the writers’ strike, work started drying up the early part of this year. No one wanted to start a project to see it indefinitely put on hold. So many writers, actors, editors, crew etc. have been without work for many months already.
I like your husband's earful. I understand better now. Would you mind if I put it in a post? I'm not going to sic people on you. It's just really good to have another perspective, and I think they'd be interested too.
Forgive my ignorance, but I don't want to assume I know for sure: when you say your husband is a TV editor, does he work with the scripts or does he edit video or does the work encompass something else? And his he part of the writer's union, or is his work affected because of the strike?
Good morning. Sure, if you found the info useful then go ahead and use it. It is an interesting impasse. To answer your questions, the strikes affect any work by unionized writers and actors. Scripted TV is all union (writers, directors, actors, editors, etc.) My husband is an editor in the editors union (IATSE) which is not part of the strike. Yet he’s affected because with no scripts, there is no production and no post-production (editing). Unscripted TV, such as reality shows, is not unionized (don’t ask me why) so reality TV is not affected and you’ll probably see more of that on the airways to fill the scripted void.
Edited to clarify: My husband is a video editor, which means he cuts together the raw footage to turn it into a show.
Thank you!
Ah so you’ve had an experience in the industry. Let me ask my husband and get back to you with a better answer about what the unions hope to get. He has told me that the writers are striking because they feel they have nothing to lose. The directors recently caved, and his union (IATSE) almost went on strike last year but then accepted a not-so-great contract.
I think the AI is a smaller deal while revenue-sharing from streaming is much bigger. They won’t reveal how much money they’re earning from streaming so a conversation can’t even be had. Actors probably have somewhat different perspective than writers.
Unfortunately, I doubt this strike will effect a larger conversation. Here in L.A. hotel workers are striking for a “living wage”— that’s a whole other discussion. The largest school district, LAUSD, recently caved to teachers and staff giving them massive, retroactive pay raises. Wonder where the money will come for that.
I wouldn't have called it experience in the industry. I would have called it trying to make ends meet after losing my job due to "restructuring" at the local college writing lab and then finding out nobody (most of all me) wanted me dealing with grumpy people at the Barnes and Noble coffeeshop. But, yes, I believe you because of my experience.
I'm looking forward to hearing what your husband thinks.
"then finding out nobody (most of all me) wanted me dealing with grumpy people at the Barnes and Noble coffeeshop."
*furrows [] brow, ponders* I'm pretty sure I've never been to your B&N.
[another edit that I didn't realize was so wrong until the minute I reread it]
One more point; AI companies need not just coders. It also needs people who understand the complexity and nuances of language, conversations and stories. Might want to research it a bit and see if he can’t find a way to help AI companies.
Everyone is talking about AI but I’m not sure anyone really knows what it’s good for, yet. ChatGPT is a cute parlor trick. I admit I haven’t spent the time learning about the current state of AI. (Which is funny because I just finished an 18 month stint at Microsoft working on their AI computing platform-- I’m an electrical engineer). As for my husband, eventually productions will start back up and he will get work. He’s had a few weeks of work on a reality show over the summer, so he’s luckier than many.
All government money, benefits and services come from one and only one place; taxes.
So say we all!
First, I do hope you and your husband find a positive outcome from this stress. Second, I will share how I managed similar challenges in my career. I was born and raised poor; 9th of 10 children, father was a bartender, mom stayed at home. Point is I earned my way and didn’t receive scholarships or family money. I started my career while I’m high school by joining the military. Put 4 years in and got GI Bill to attend college. Chose a co-op university (Drexel) so I could future career while I’m college. Got an MBA and then was recruited for Big Pharma. But essentially I was always taking classes and always taking on risky assignments. Wound up an exec and secure comfortable retirement w pensions from multiple companies. Wife was stay at home mom as we lived within our means. Catholic k-12 and college education for 3 kids covered. Several siblings attained similar results starting their own companies. From my view, it’s a combination of luck, intelligence, broader economy, personal sacrifice, personality, and risk taking. If the future you are in doesn’t look bright, I suggest changing before everyone else sees the writing on the wall as well and floods the fewer jobs left there. Best wishes. I am being brief and truly trying to be helpful.
It sounds like you made a success out of your life circumstances, good for you. Our family will be just fine, even in ridiculously expensive California. One of the reasons I work is to carry the family through the ups and downs of the entertainment industry. (I would have liked to be a stay at home mom but that hasn’t been an option for us. Maybe for the best, my career has become more interesting since having my children.)
I'm sorry for your husband. I'm glad you're here. That's a perspective completely outside my purview, and I appreciate it.
For about a year, I produced the evening news at the local NBC station. On the one hand, it appealed to the creative side of me, but on the other it paid just barely above minimum wage, I lost all my nights, and it was stressful.
I don't care about political ideology. What bothers me is as you say that they just now noticed when it was happening to them. I have a similar problem with the right and their complains about the intelligence agencies. They've only seemed to notice now how monstrous those agencies can be that they've found themselves in their crosshairs.
But maybe if there is any good to come out of this, we will finally have a conversation and come up with some reasonable protections for all workers.
"I have a similar problem with the right and their complains about the intelligence agencies. They've only seemed to notice now how monstrous those agencies can be that they've found themselves in their crosshairs."
Excellent point!
I might add that it's more the establishment Republicans that have had that epiphany, than those with a genuine libertarian streak (see Rand Paul).