Voice Actors Preparing to Strike
Come this Saturday, the 22nd of October (NZ Time), if SAG-AFTRA's demands haven't been met, then some of the industries largest video game publishers may find it difficult to acquire the best voice actors for their titles. SAG-AFTRA is an actor's union that's said to have 150,000 members working across all manner of media - from film and television, to radio and games, and their strike is set to target some of the biggest companies in gaming.
The union appears to be seeking contingent compensation for actors work (back-end payments on successful games); restrictions on vocally stressful voice-over sessions; transparency in the roles that actors are going for - with the required information including "the game, the role and essential information about the nature of the performance," and finally that stunt coordinators be present whenever stunt or other dangerous work is to be performed - a more and more common need with the introduction of motion-capture.
Listed in the Strike Notice are the list of struck employers who will be most affected by this strike, and those companies include publishers and developers like: Disney, Activision, EA, Insomniac Games, Take 2 Productions, and WB Games.
Speaking about the reasons the union is conducting the strike, the union writes:
"The videogame employers we are striking continue to operate under the terms of an agreement structured more than twenty years ago for an Industry that was only beginning to utilize professional performances. Since then, games have evolved to provide increasingly immersive and cinematic experiences that compete with television and theatrical motion pictures for consumer dollars. It is time for this now mature industry to pay and treat professional performers according to the standards and precedents that our union has established and defended for generations.
We have the support and cooperation of our sister unions all over the world for this effort, as demonstrated by a resolution adopted by the International Federation of Actors (“FIA”) supporting SAG-AFTRA’s demands in this negotiation and calling for all FIA affiliates to provide cooperation and assistance to our effort.
Our negotiations for a successor to the Interactive Media Agreement have been going on for nearly two years. We have consistently conveyed to management both how serious we are
about achieving these important aims for our members and our willingness to come to a reasonable deal. While we are disappointed that management’s intransigence has forced to make this difficult choice, we remain available to bargain and continue to seek a fair and reasonable conclusion to this negotiation."
While this strike is in effect, "All covered services must be withheld, including, but not limited to: voice acting; motion or performance capture work; background work; principal on camera work (including singing, dancing and performing stunts); authorizing the use of your voice or of a sound-a-like voice in a videogame; consenting to the reuse of prior work into a struck game; performing on a trailer for a struck game and performing on “downloadable content (DLC)” or other ancillary content connected to a struck game."
Word has it that SAG-AFTRA and game industry representatives are conducting last-minute talks this week, but should they fall through, then the strike will commence this Saturday (NZ Time). However, according to the union, in a statement made during their news release, "based on past experience, we are not confident management is willing to make the changes necessary to bring this contract up to the standards of our other agreements."
Source: SAG-AFTRA, Ars Technica
http://nzgamer.com/news/10637/voice-actors-preparing-to-strike.html
