r/IATSE

SAG members Casey Affleck, Gal Godot, Pete Davidson, and Isla Fisher are starring in an AI movie directed by SAG member Doug Liman. In which the lighting and much of the set dec are AI generated. No lighting crew was hired.

Obviously the producers consider all four SAG stars to be valuable parts of the film. There's a reason they didn't AI generate the actors: star power and the AI protections actors earned during the strikes.

Except of course: every single one of us who lost work during the strike ALSO earned it for them.

And here they are. Directing and starring in a film that could have employed thousands of IATSE members with the exact same budget. Using the AI for scope and spectacle on a dime.

What can we do? Can we strike a deal with SAG that forbids members participate in projects using AI to replace crew?

Are any IATSE locals talking about this?? Going on strike will only exacerbate our replacement but, in my opinion (and apparently these producer's opinion) audiences still want to see their favorite stars. I think SAG has the leverage to help us. And I think we should be talking about it a lot more.

All IA, No AI.

Made for local #122, available to IATSE everywhere. DM if you'd like your own!

I need some education on where leadership sees its relations with this new wave of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) wins in New York State.

I’m a SAG-AFTRA member.

I started paying more attention to DSA when they endorsed Cynthia Nixon for Governor in 2018. Nixon, who identifies as a socialist (not specifically DSA) was very vocal about ending all tax incentives to the film and television industry in NY State. I recalled her making remarks like all the money goes to Hollywood executives and they can pay their fair share. The DSA supported this.

What puzzled me to no end and personally disqualified Nixon as a viable candidate to me, was she appeared to have no idea how tax incentives worked or how putting dollars in local workers pockets even worked - and this was the industry she had been in since a child.

Essentially, her platform and the DSA endorsements told me they were absolutely fine with ending film and tv opportunities in New York State.

Then came Zohran Mamdani.

In the primaries the first, and I believe, only union to endorse him was IATSE - which, once again shocked me. When the open dialogue had been the DSA were progressive at wanting to end tax incentives for film and tv workers, why in the heck would IATSE support Mamdani? Because his mother is a filmmaker?

Mira Nair, Zohran Mamdani’s mother, has filmed some projects in NYC. Her last was The Reluctant Fundamentalist in 2012. Maybe the heads of IATSE felt a kinship with Mamdani through his mother? But were there incentives or promises made that would suggest an endorsement that would work in IATSE’s favor?

What troubled me about Mira Nair is over the years she has gotten much of her film funding from the DOHA institute of Qatar. The country of Qatar does have a unique relationship to US foreign policy since they have an official office for Hamas - a terrorist group. Qatar is also widely sited as upholding a culture of modern slavery against its workers, almost 80% of their workers are foreign labor. Much of this labor has their passports and ids held hostage in order to control the workers they import. It is rather troubling that Nair has kept this relationship with Qatar for over a decade.

Now with more DSA wins in the recent primaries, with many of these candidates having a shoe-in for the general elections, I’m trying to understand what IATSE is hoping to accomplish by endorsing these candidates?

Meanwhile, Governor Phil Murphy of New Jersey has created tax incentives to the year 2047!

Granted, I am comparing the powers of a governor to a mayor and local representatives, but going back to DSA’s endorsement of Cynthia Nixon, the platform by the DSA has been anti-tax incentives for the film and television industries.

So in review, what is the DSA doing for IATSE?

I am actually considering moving to New Jersey because I am seeing more and more work moving to New Jersey, especially in areas that may take me 3 hours in travel. It just makes more sense to be a local hire to a state currently making the workload more manageable for local hires.

Is there something I’m missing?

Designed and screened by one of our members; limited run shirts memorializing a fallen brother by the name of Ryder.

Putting the rebel loon on a shirt is a power move

Wouldn’t have it any other way