What seemed to be pure fiction turned out to be a portrait of reality. An episode of the sixth season of Black Mirror and the strike unleashed in Hollywood has much more to do with each other than we might imagine.
Several weeks ago, screenwriters began a movement to demand better working conditions, the payment of residuals from streaming services, and regulation of the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
At first, people didn’t pay that much attention until the actors’ union joined in, as their work would also be affected by technology, as they were approached with the idea of making use of their image and only paying them a day’s pay. Does the story sound familiar?
Actress Fran Drescher, president of the actors’ union (SAG-AFTRA) pointed out that “we are all going to be in jeopardy of being replaced by machines and big business who cares more about Wall Street than you and your family,” as posed in the episode ‘Joan Is Horrible’ in the sixth season of Black Mirror.
What Is ‘Joan Is Horrible’ from Black Mirror 6 about?
In this episode, we see a woman named Joan, who unknowingly gives up the rights to her life on a streaming platform, which makes a series that reveals even her worst secrets. It highlights the big issue of reading the terms and conditions, but more importantly, how actors (and anyone else) can be replaced by technology.
Every detail of her life is transmitted by a streaming platform. The character, played by Salma Hayek, unknowingly gives the company access to her image… in the end, she discovers that it was not the best idea.
Hollywood Actors Seek Protection from AI
Several Hollywood actors are worried that what is raised in the episode of Black Mirror will become a reality, which is why they decided to join the strike started by the screenwriters.
“The actors see Black Mirror’s ‘Joan Is Awful’ as a documentary of the future, with its footage sold and used in any way the producers and studios want. We want a solid path. The studios responded with ‘trust us,’ we don’t,” some actors told Deadline.
After this issue created controversy in the world, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) assured that what was said about digital replicas of background actors and the use of their image to cut costs was false.
So far, there is no clarity on this issue, but it is clear that the actors and screenwriters will continue the strike, with no tentative end date. In the meantime, production and the industry will be directly affected.
This story was written in Spanish by Nayeli Párraga in Cultura Colectiva
