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A14 PEOPLE / ARTS
Thursday 20 July 2023

Am I crossing picket lines if I see a movie?’

‘By The Associated Press the visibility of their cause,
You watch movies. You and you’ll see many guild
watch TV. And now you’re members posting content
wondering how the dual with bespoke strike-related
Hollywood strikes a pitched hashtags. But actors aren’t
battle with actors and writ- supposed to promote any
ers on one side, and studios of their projects in the pipe-
and streaming services on line while on strike, so it’s
the other will affect you. unlikely that you’ll see a
We have answers. sea of #barbie and #op-
Do the strikes mean “Bar- penheimer hashtags from
bie” and “Oppenheimer” their star-studded casts.
aren’t coming out? The SAG-AFTRA strike web-
They and all other summer site had this advice for
releases are still on track! members wondering if they
Many flashy premieres were allowed to promote
have been canceled, themselves (or post #spon):
however, or dramatically “Yes! Promote yourself as
scaled down. an artist, a fashion icon, a
Am I crossing the picket union activist, a commer-
line by seeing one of those cial actor, and a proud
movies? SAG-AFTRA member. You
No, the unions have not can also promote brands
asked fans to boycott pro- Picketers carry signs outside Disney studios on Monday, July 17, 2023, in Burbank, Calif. using our groundbreaking
Associated Press
ductions, and are quick to Influencer Agreement or
make that explicit. Instead, Producers. When will I stop may be able to fill the gap. Monday, Sept. 18. But his- start a podcast.”
the guilds have asked sup- being able to watch new As for movies, there’s still a tory shows that awards It’s my dream to go to
porters who aren’t mem- movies and shows? steady stream on the hori- shows that proceed during Comic-Con will that be af-
bers to post on social me- That’s the big question: zon. strikes turn out to be bleak fected this year?
dia and donate to commu- When will the pipeline dry I have a ticket to a play affairs. And Emmy cam- Honestly, yes. Several show
nity funds. up? There aren’t clear an- starring my favorite actor. paigning will certainly be and movie panels have al-
Should I cancel Netflix, MAX swers. The impact of the Do the strikes mean the affected SAG-AFTRA and ready been canceled and
or the 16 other streaming writers strike has so far been show is going to be can- WGA members aren’t al- the strike notice forbids
services I subscribe to if I felt most acutely in the celed? lowed to take part in “for SAG-AFTRA members from
want to show support? world of television; now, No, stage actors in plays your consideration” events promoting any work made
Nope, there’s been no the actors strike has halted and musicals are governed under their strike notices by struck companies even
consumer boycott of any the bulk of film produc- by the Actors’ Equity Asso- and they wouldn’t be able if those projects were long
kind called yet. Some tion. Your favorite broad- ciation. A different union to accept awards for proj- in the past. There are cer-
guild members have said cast shows like “Abbott El- altogether, Equity has ex- ects produced by struck tain exceptions that would
watching their programs ementary” definitely aren’t pressed solidarity with SAG- companies. Can actors still allow members to attend
on streaming services if coming back by early fall, AFTRA and many actors are post to social media? some conventions, but the
they’re still on there actu- regardless of whether the members of both unions. Yes! Actors (and writers) bottom line is that major
ally helps make their cases strikes are settled by then. But Broadway dances on. do not have to fade gently events like San Diego’s
to the the studios’ bargain- Ditto for streaming favor- I love the Emmys will they into that good night while Comic-Con will indeed
ing arm, the Alliance of Mo- ites like “Stranger Things.” still air in September? they’re on strike. Social me- be diminished during the
tion Picture and Television International productions The Emmys are still set for dia actually helps boost strikes.q

Patterson, Atwood among thousands of writers urging AI

companies to honor copyrights

NEW YORK (AP) — James part. “You’re spending bil- Jonathan Franzen, Celeste
Patterson, Suzanne Collins lions of dollars to develop Ng, Nora Roberts and Ron
and Margaret Atwood are AI technology. It is only fair Chernow.
among thousands of writers that you compensate us for “If creators aren’t com-
endorsing an open letter using our writings, without pensated fairly, they can’t
from the Authors Guild urg- which AI would be banal afford to create,” Roberts
ing AI companies to obtain and extremely limited.” said in a statement. “If writ-
permission before incorpo- The letter is addressed to ers aren’t paid to write,
rating copyrighted work OpenAI, Meta, Microsoft they can’t afford to write.
into their technologies. and other AI producers. The Human beings create and
“Millions of copyrighted Guild announced Tuesday write stories human beings
books, articles, essays, and that other signers include read. We’re not robots to Author James Patterson appears at an event to promote his joint
poetry provide the ‘food’ the Pulitzer Prize-winning be programmed, and AI novel with former President Bill Clinton, “The President is Missing,”
for AI systems, endless meals novelists Jennifer Egan, Mi- can’t create human stories in New York on June 5, 2018, left, and Author Margaret Atwood
for which there has been chael Chabon and Louise without taking from human appears at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards in New York
no bill,” the letter reads in Erdrich, as well as authors stories already written.”q on Nov. 11, 2019.
Associated Press