An episode of &#039;Black Mirror&#039; had already partly predicted the reason for the currently ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike in Hollywood

Reel Meets Real: How a &#8216;Black Mirror&#8217; Episode Reflects the SAG-AFTRA Strike Premise

Imagine a scenario where your face, voice, and body become accessible to anyone
anywhere for any purpose without your knowledge or consent. Imagine a digital
copy of yourself that looks and sounds just like you. You would lack control or
consent over your identity and its usage in this imagined reality. It’s
unsettling, isn’t it? Well, the Hollywood actors’ union (SAG-AFTRA) is currently
on strike, at least partly, for this very issue. Eerily, there is an episode of
a popular series on Netflix that kind of did predict this happening.

The first episode of the sixth season of Black Mirror
[https://netflixjunkie.com/tag/black-mirror/], explored this premise. An episode
titled Joan Is Awful, featured Salma Hayek as ‘Joan’, a famous actress that
signed away her rights to her AI likeness. She found out that a production
company could use her digital double for any project they want, without her
knowledge or consent. And they did exactly that. They released a show that
featured Joan’s activities and exposed her hidden secrets, imperfections, and
missteps. Desperate to regain control over her image, she tried to halt the
show’s production, only to realize that she no longer possessed any authority
over how she was portrayed.

[data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==]Credits:
Imago

This episode exhibited striking similarities to the SAG-AFTRA strike within the
entertainment industry. A key concern of actors is the increasing influence of
AI and deepfakes. They fear that studios could exploit their faces and voices
through replication without their consent or fair compensation. 

Additionally, the striking actors strive to safeguard their individuality,
public image, and professional rights as performers. They seek to control their
likeness and earn money from it. Above all, the actors aim to avoid experiencing
a fate like Joan’s scenario where she unknowingly lost her rights.

ALSO READ: Black Mirror (2023) 6.1- Joan is Awful- Calls for One to be Alert in
the Age of AI 
[https://www.netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-black-mirror-2023-6-1-joan-is-awful-calls-for-one-to-be-alert-in-the-age-of-ai/]

Actors and writers are not the only ones who are bearing the brunt. The entirety
of Hollywood lies at a standstill now.


STUDIOS VS. SAG-AFTRA: HOW IT IS CONSUMING HOLLYWOOD

The SAG-AFTRA strike coincides with the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike
and is the first time in six decades that both writers and actors are on strike
together. Hollywood is worried by the scenario, as many upcoming projects that
were scheduled for or already in production have to be stopped. A potential
crisis is that Hollywood will lose both money and box-office hold if no
resolution happens and no new streaming content or blockbuster movie will come
out from American soil.

> As seen on the #SAGAFTRAstrike
> [https://twitter.com/hashtag/SAGAFTRAstrike?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw]
> picket lines in NY… pic.twitter.com/wCDV8saN5K [https://t.co/wCDV8saN5K]
> 
> — SAG-AFTRA (@sagaftra) July 15, 2023
> [https://twitter.com/sagaftra/status/1680337086640181250?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw]



Many Netflix and other streaming productions, along with hugely anticipated
movies like Deadpool 3, could be delayed owing to the strike
[https://www.netflixjunkie.com/hollywood-news-deadpool-3-at-risk-may-face-these-problems-if-sag-strike-remains-in-force-witg-the-writers-strike/].
Notably, many big-name actors have also joined the protest. Recently, the cast
of massively acclaimed director Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer skipped its
London premiere to join the SAG-AFTRA strike. Many big productions now face
uncertain fates and numbers unless a resolution happens soon.

ALSO READ: SAG-AFTRA Strike Fallout: Aiming $240M Start, ‘Mission: Impossible –
Dead Reckoning’ to Halt Production for Part 2
[https://www.netflixjunkie.com/hollywood-news-sag-aftra-strike-fallout-aiming-two-hundred-forty-million-dollars-start-tom-cruise-mission-impossible-dead-reckoning-to-halt-production-for-part-2/]

What did you think of this uncanny resemblance between Black Mirror and
SAG-AFTRA? Do you think the strike is justified? Let us know in the comments
below.

Imteshal Karim

Comment

Reel Meets Real: How a &#8216;Black Mirror&#8217; Episode Reflects the SAG-AFTRA Strike Premise - Netflix Junkie

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Imteshal Karim is a Hollywood News reporter at NetflixJunkie. With a penchant for writing in multiple forms, he is a published writer with his works published in anthologies. A star at his college’s writing competitions, he loves telling a good story and hopes to tell impactful ones about the unexplored side of the Entertainment industry. Imteshal found the movie of his life in 2014’s Interstellar, which fascinated him with the perfect blend of science and cinema, leaving him curious about Hollywood. In his leisure time, you will find him indulging in photography, gardening, and cycling.

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Reel Meets Real: How a &#8216;Black Mirror&#8217; Episode Reflects the SAG-AFTRA Strike Premise - netflix-junkie

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Imagine a scenario where your face, voice, and body become accessible to anyone anywhere for any purpose without your knowledge or consent. Imagine a digital copy of yourself that looks and sounds just like you. You would lack control or consent over your identity and its usage in this imagined reality. It&#8217;s unsettling, isn&#8217;t it? Well, the Hollywood actors’ union (SAG-AFTRA) is currently on strike, at least partly, for this very issue. Eerily, there is an episode of a popular series on Netflix that kind of did predict this happening.
The first episode of the sixth season of <a href="https://netflixjunkie.com/tag/black-mirror/">Black Mirror</a>, explored this premise. An episode titled Joan Is Awful, featured Salma Hayek as ‘Joan’, a famous actress that signed away her rights to her AI likeness. She found out that a production company could use her digital double for any project they want, without her knowledge or consent. And they did exactly that. They released a show that featured Joan’s activities and exposed her hidden secrets, imperfections, and missteps. Desperate to regain control over her image, she tried to halt the show&#8217;s production, only to realize that she no longer possessed any authority over how she was portrayed.
<figure id="attachment_117688" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-117688" style="width: 3000px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-117688 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" data-src="https://image-cdn.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/imago0261715602h.jpg" alt="" width="3000" height="2000" data-sizes="auto" data-srcset="https://image-cdn.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/imago0261715602h.jpg 3000w, https://image-cdn.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/imago0261715602h-300x200.jpg 300w, https://image-cdn.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/imago0261715602h-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://image-cdn.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/imago0261715602h-768x512.jpg 768w, https://image-cdn.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/imago0261715602h-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://image-cdn.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/imago0261715602h-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://image-cdn.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/imago0261715602h-370x247.jpg 370w, https://image-cdn.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/imago0261715602h-800x533.jpg 800w, https://image-cdn.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/imago0261715602h-20x13.jpg 20w, https://image-cdn.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/imago0261715602h-185x123.jpg 185w, https://image-cdn.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/imago0261715602h-740x493.jpg 740w, https://image-cdn.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/imago0261715602h-400x267.jpg 400w, https://image-cdn.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/imago0261715602h-1600x1067.jpg 1600w, https://image-cdn.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/imago0261715602h-72x48.jpg 72w" sizes="(max-width: 3000px) 100vw, 3000px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-117688" class="wp-caption-text">Credits: Imago</figcaption></figure>
This episode exhibited striking similarities to the SAG-AFTRA strike within the entertainment industry. A key concern of actors is the increasing influence of AI and deepfakes. They fear that studios could exploit their faces and voices through replication without their consent or fair compensation. 
Additionally, the striking actors strive to safeguard their individuality, public image, and professional rights as performers. They seek to control their likeness and earn money from it. Above all, the actors aim to avoid experiencing a fate like Joan&#8217;s scenario where she unknowingly lost her rights.
ALSO READ: <a href="https://www.netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-black-mirror-2023-6-1-joan-is-awful-calls-for-one-to-be-alert-in-the-age-of-ai/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Black Mirror (2023) 6.1- Joan is Awful- Calls for One to be Alert in the Age of AI </a>
Actors and writers are not the only ones who are bearing the brunt. The entirety of Hollywood lies at a standstill now.
<h2>Studios vs. SAG-AFTRA: How it is Consuming Hollywood</h2>
The SAG-AFTRA strike coincides with the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike and is the first time in six decades that both writers and actors are on strike together. Hollywood is worried by the scenario, as many upcoming projects that were scheduled for or already in production have to be stopped. A potential crisis is that Hollywood will lose both money and box-office hold if no resolution happens and no new streaming content or blockbuster movie will come out from American soil.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
As seen on the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SAGAFTRAstrike?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SAGAFTRAstrike</a> picket lines in NY&#8230; <a href="https://t.co/wCDV8saN5K">pic.twitter.com/wCDV8saN5K</a>
&mdash; SAG-AFTRA (@sagaftra) <a href="https://twitter.com/sagaftra/status/1680337086640181250?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 15, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Many Netflix and other streaming productions, along with hugely anticipated <a href="https://www.netflixjunkie.com/hollywood-news-deadpool-3-at-risk-may-face-these-problems-if-sag-strike-remains-in-force-witg-the-writers-strike/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">movies like Deadpool 3, could be delayed owing to the strike</a>. Notably, many big-name actors have also joined the protest. Recently, the cast of massively acclaimed director Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer skipped its London premiere to join the SAG-AFTRA strike. Many big productions now face uncertain fates and numbers unless a resolution happens soon.
ALSO READ: <a href="https://www.netflixjunkie.com/hollywood-news-sag-aftra-strike-fallout-aiming-two-hundred-forty-million-dollars-start-tom-cruise-mission-impossible-dead-reckoning-to-halt-production-for-part-2/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SAG-AFTRA Strike Fallout: Aiming $240M Start, ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning’ to Halt Production for Part 2</a>
What did you think of this uncanny resemblance between Black Mirror and SAG-AFTRA? Do you think the strike is justified? Let us know in the comments below.

SAG-AFTRA Strike Fallout: Aiming $240M Start, ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead
Reckoning’ to Halt Production for Part 2

Black Mirror (2023) 6.1- Joan is Awful- Calls for One to be Alert in the Age of
AI 

Reel Meets Real: How a 'Black Mirror' Episode Reflects the SAG-AFTRA Strike Premise

News: Screen Actors Guild goes on strike Jul 12, 2023; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Members of actors union, SAGA-AFTRA and the

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An episode of 'Black Mirror' had already partly predicted the reason for the currently ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike in Hollywood!

Reel Meets Real: How a 'Black Mirror' Episode Reflects the SAG-AFTRA Strike Premise - Netflix Junkie

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An episode of &#039;Black Mirror&#039; had already partly predicted the reason for the currently ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike in Hollywood!

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Reel meets real: How a Black Mirror Episode reflects the SAG-AFTRA strike premise

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Reel Meets Real: How a ‘Black Mirror’ Episode Reflects the SAG-AFTRA Strike Premise

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