– Ongoing negotiations between SAG-AFTRA and the Joint Policy Committee
– Potential misuse of actors’ personnel images and scanned performances
– Seeking regulation to address consent and compensation for such use
The Screen Actors Guild‐American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) has been in talks with the Joint Policy Committee (JPC) about negotiating contracts, but potential misuse of performers’ personal images and scanned performances after their death is proving to be a stumbling block. There have been proposals regarding the non-consensual use of dead actors’ images or performances, posing a major concern for both sides, and consequently holding up the negotiations.
SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris said in a recent podcast interview, “There are companies out there that are now looking to virtually recreate people…they’re literally just trying to gobble up people, scan them and control that essence of them.” The issue of personal image rights and consent for dead actors has raised questions about exploitation and requires regulation, as Carteris noted that this is “more about how people control us and make money off of us without us having a say.”
Major studios and advertisers who sign the contract will have to follow specific regulations when using commercially available scanning technology to recreate dead actors for new productions. SAG-AFTRA is pushing hard to ensure that actors have control over their own image and that they are compensated for any use of their likeness — even after they have passed away.
Carteris mentioned, “This is not about bringing an actor back because the person was so great, this is about control,” she continued, “but there’s a contractual process by which you can decide if you will be utilized in such a way, and if you are utilized in such a way, what that means and what are the obligations that these people have to you and your estate. So this is a very big deal to us.” The ongoing negotiations will aim to address these concerns and set guidelines to protect actors and their images.