I don’t think voice actors are responsible for my feelings. I don’t expect them to fix the video games industry. I’m just trying to explain some of the reluctance game companies have to getting into royalty deals, not so much trying to justify it. Why I felt the need to do so, I’m not sure! Pent up explaining, I guess.
…nah mate, I understand where you are coming from and you’ve explained yourself well. 
You guys work your arses off and deserve much much better.
Why in would this offer anything? It’s about someone who is primarily an non-voice actor who is hired for his fame rather than vocal talents for use in a movie. And it says nothing about how much he is paid or anything.
You already pointed out the obvious. All that matters is whether or not the striking voice actors are important enough that video game companies are willing to negotiate. Nothing about your anecdote establishes anything either way on that front.
There is no need to post what seems to be an attack on Carrell’s personal character, and, by implication, an attack on the personal character of voice actors. Carrell is not a typical voice actor, and would actually be viewed negatively in the voice acting community since he only does his own voice.
The “real” voice actors spend years developing various voices, and learning what voice to apply to what character based on the character’s look and characteristics.
What are the typical terms in these signed agreements? Disclosure of the project ahead of time? Mandatory stunt coordinators? Residuals at the 2 million sold mark? Hours cut from 4 to 2 without loss of pay? As I understand it, those were the big asks.
Have they been won on those 45 games?
…why are you asking me those questions, and not SAG-AFTRA? There were a whole range of “asks.” Compromises have already been made by both sides. Its a negotiation. The individually negotiated agreements are for individual games only: so probably don’t include “mandatory stunt coordinators” but probably do include “a stunt coordinator for that particular game.” But this is a factual question. Ask the people with the answers.
You’ve got quite a list of questions to put to SAG-AFTRA now. I’m not your monkey. If you want answers to your question do your own leg work. My posts were made with publicly available information. If you want more in-depth answers: then go ask the people who know.
SAG-AFTRA are in overtime with the producers’ guild over their latest contract. The contract expired at midnight last night, but they’re now on a day to day basis. Movie and TV actors may go on strike if the union calls a strike vote. So, no TV or movies. This could actually kill soap operas.
Now that I would not support in any way. That’s just striking against people who aren’t even involved in the negotiation. I do not support striking against a third party.
…nothing to do with the videogame strike. This is the negotiation between the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers and the Guild.
So far as I am aware, “SAG” does not post here; neither does “AFTRA.”
Your posts were made in a way that suggested the strike negotiations ended well for for the strikers in those 33 game companies. I was asking you because your posts left that impression. Since you don’t have any actual information, it’s good to highlight that fact for anyone reading your positive-sounding posts.
…and I am not a spokesman for SAG. So asking me questions that only either the union or the contracting party would know doesn’t make any sense. I’ve linked to the official SAG position. If you want to know more then you need to be talking to them.
What I actually wrote:
“SAG-AFTRA have already signed 45 games (33 game companies) to independently negotiated video game agreements during the strike. They have already come to agreement on a number of issues. There are still a few up for negotiation. So what you “just don’t see as working” already “has” worked to a degree.”
The strike negotiations haven’t “ended well” for the strikers yet. Because the negotiations are on-going. An agreement has been struck with those 33 companies to keep 45 games in production that can use SAG-AFTRA voice actors. But those are independent agreements that end when those games are published.
That post was in response to the statement “I just don’t see it working.” But you guys don’t seem to understand the purpose of negotiating. The strike hasn’t failed if the Guild doesn’t get 100% agreement. The strike hasn’t failed if a percentage of the gaming public generally don’t support it. I don’t think in the history of the labour movement the strikers have gotten 100% of everything they asked for. And I don’t think in the history or the world a group has gone on strike without upsetting some segments of society.
The Guild withdraws labour. The production companies threaten to go “off-union.” This is just how it works. They will argue. They will compromise. Both side will declare victory. Its kind of pointless to be trying to figure out “who is winning” at this point of the negotiation.
I’ve linked to what SAG-AFTRA are asking for. I’ve linked to the positions that both parties have agreed to, I’ve linked to the ones that are still in dispute. SAG-AFTRA have won some battles, and lost some others. They have compromised. This is just how it works.
But the strike ***has ***worked to a degree. And thats all I said. Do you disagree? 45 games in production have bypassed the negotiators, engaged independently with the guild and have come to an agreement so that production can continue with the use of SAG-AFTRA members. That is a positive outcome. Games are being made, voice actors are getting work. We don’t actually need to know the details.
SAG: . . . and a stunt coordinator on set for motion capture.
GAME COMPANY: Yes, OK, very interesting. Um, counter-proposal: we give you free sodas while you’re working. And that’s it. By the way, here’s a list of 200 non-union voice actors ready to go to work.
SAG: We accept your counter-proposal. (aside) The strike worked! Free sodas! (pause) To a degree. It worked to a degree.
No, Banquet – to assess the statement, we DO need at least some details.
I feel rather comfortable assuming that if a few game companies relented and signed deals with SAG it probably didn’t include complete capitulation by SAG.
Probably. But the 08 WGAE and WGAE strike was, by any fair assessment, not a big win. So I think it’s fair to point out that the “degree,” in question may not be particularly significant.
Well, it would be helpful to know how many games were getting made with SAG involvement a year or so ago, before the strike. If it’s 45 games out of a typical 200 (for example) then it’s a bit of spin to call it “positive” when the number of games is 25% of the jobs SAG was getting.
…if this is the deal that was made then whats your problem? If free sodas was an acceptable position to SAG membership, and they took this deal, then yeah, it worked.
But you know as well as I do that this is nonsense. SAG negotiates on behalf of the SAG-AFTRA membership, and the initial strike action was supported by 97% of SAG-AFTRA voice actors. Do you actually think they would continue to show faith and solidarity with the union if the temporary agreements they made were as ridiculous as you suggest?
No **we **don’t need any details. **You **need the details: because the relative success or failure of this strike is important to whatever the heck it is you are trying to debate. (What is the debate again exactly?)
ANYONE, you, me, or we, who wishes to independently assess the success of the strike needs those details.
The debate is:
…all of this information is available on the SAG website. I’ve already cited it, I’ve already posted a link to the non-struck titles. I’ll do it again for you.
These games are non-struck:
https://www.sagaftra.org/files/non-struck_video_game_productions_list_5.26.17.pdf
And these games are struck:
https://www.sagaftra.org/files/struck_video_game_productions_list_3.20.172.pdf
Yes: I think it is positive that there are games are in production and that people are working. Do you think differently? Well we are all entitled to our own opinions.
…why do we need to assess the success of the strike? What does that have to do with the point that you want to debate?
If this is the debate: then why do we need to know the details of an agreement between the guild and a games production company? What do these details tell us about how pivotal voice talent is to the success of some video games?
Following the 07-08 WGAE and WGAW strike, Joss Whedon wrote a song called “Strike,” for his musical “Commentary: the Musical,” a musical libretto to the DVD commentary soundtrack for Dr. Horrible.
The lyrics are very clever, but they end on a note which I believe is a fair summary of the results of that strike:
I think this is an example of a strike in which the initial optimism of sweeping change was replaced with the realization that the prospects for actual change were much smaller, and ultimately the union accepted a much less robust proposal than they had first contemplated.
I contend this happens when the striking group overestimates its value to the industry. In the case of the WGA strike, the surge of reality (non-scripted) TV productions greatly weakened their bargaining position. In this strike, the ease of replacing SAG-AFTRA voice talent with non-union voice talent is similarly detrimental.
That “Struck” list is sort of weird. For example, it lists Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007), Shadowrun: Hong Kong (2015) and LEGO Star Wars (latest possible is 2016 for The Force Awakens) for a strike that started in October 2016. Beyond that, it’s really just a small handful of publishers with most of the list dominated by Disney Character Voices, Voiceworks Productions and Formosa Interactive with a smattering of Activision, EA and WB titles among others.
I think it’s more positive than zero games but far less positive than the potential number of titles judging from the length of the struck list. Half a cake is better than none but still worse than a full cake.
Though, really, if that strike list is accurate than it pretty much has zero impact on most people’s gaming unless you really like Disney products.