After an abundant summer last year, SAG-AFTRA actors are now at a standstill

What was anticipated to be a bustling summer for actors in SAG-AFTRA following the permanent establishment of the Massachusetts film tax credit has now turned into a barren period with no projects in sight.

“I've had the privilege and pleasure of being a part of some really cool projects,” Rafael Silva, an actor who lives in Malden, said on Boston Public Radio. “And right now, because of the strike, that means nothing.”

Silva noted that a lot of the issues actors and writers are striking over are the same concerns that affect workers in other industries, like fair pay and the use of artificial intelligence. He said "we're all in this together."

“When the pandemic hit just a few years ago and everything shut down," he said, "the whole world turned to entertainment, turned to actors, artists, performers for inspiration, for help. ... Let's not forget that we all have meaning, we all have value, and we all matter."

In May, the Writers Guild of America called a strike over pay, streaming residuals and regulation of artificial intelligence in their work. In July, the actors union SAG-AFTRA followed, putting tens of thousands more workers off the job and onto the picket line.

This follows the permanent establishment of the film tax credit, which lawmakers approved and Gov. Charlie Baker signed into law in 2021. The tax credit is for productions that spend at least $50,000 in Massachusetts. More credits can be earned if the production either films 75% of the project or spends 75% of its budget in the state.

“Last summer, I had to turn down films because there were so many things filming at the same time. … It was just an abundance of work, and we were expecting it to be even greater this year,” said Andrea Lyman, president of SAG-AFTRA New England local.

The strike will continue to go on as long as workers can hold out, Lyman said. Meanwhile, actors have contracts in which they can work for commercials and independent productions.

“There's a thing called 'interim agreements' that people have applied for. And those are the independently funded productions,” said Lyman.

These independent-funded productions have agreed to the latest updates on the contract.

“And if they can afford to do it, then certainly the big studios and streamers can do it,” Lyman argued.

Silva explained that because of advertisers selling ads to cable networks and stations, television production companies had to reveal their viewership figures. As a result, actors would also be informed about the show's success based on its viewership metrics.

This proves to be a challenging task with streaming services since “they’re just not sharing” information, according to Lyman, so artists don't have the same leverage.

“There is nothing for us to go against and say, 'Hey, we should get a slice of the pie of what's going on.’ There's a lot of secrecy and a lot of veils within the streaming industry at the moment,” Silva said.

Another demand of SAG-AFTRA is a contract that explicitly demands AI regulations. One specific concern is that actors have been physically scanned for productions, and their digital replica is then used for future productions without their permission or additional pay. This approach is common for scenes with big crowds.

Lyman says it happened to her last year.

“It was this room, and it was like 70 cameras behind glass. And somebody is pushing a button and they're saying, ‘OK, and so raise your hand here, and clap here, and sit here,’” she recalled. “And I'm thinking it's just for that one movie.”

It wasn’t until later, she said, that she learned that film companies could manipulate that image and use it in perpetuity.

Silva argues that “a huge part of this conversation is informed consent.”

“A lot of the actors going into this don't even know that the studio will own this in perpetuity and that they will be able to make money off of this, regardless if you know about it or not,” he said.

Silva said legislation and regulation is needed to protect workers.

SAG-AFTRA will be holding a rally Wednesday at Parkman Bandstand on Boston Common. The Massachusetts AFL-CIO and the Greater Boston Labor Council will join.