𝗔𝗜 𝗜𝗡𝗗𝗨𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗬 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗬 𝗔𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗗, 𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗦.

As actors, we need to stay on top of what’s changing in our industry. You don’t have to follow every new AI tool or agree with the way it’s being used. But if a casting brief asks for your likeness, a producer wants to alter your performance, or a client wants to reuse your voice, you want to understand what’s being asked before you say yes.

Here’s what Claire and I think is worth paying attention to from the past two weeks.

𝟭. 𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗬 𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗞𝗜𝗦: 𝗪𝗛𝗢 𝗠𝗔𝗞𝗘𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗜𝗖𝗘𝗦?

Andy Serkis told LBC he sees uses for AI in film but doubts a generated Gollum or King Kong would be as effective as a character shaped by an actor. He used Hamlet as an example: give the same role to two actors and you’ll get two very different performances.

I think that’s exactly the point. We’ve all had a moment in rehearsal when another actor gives us something unexpected and suddenly the scene goes somewhere neither of us planned. That’s part of the work, and it’s one of the things I love seeing in our Saturday Scene Studies.

Read the LBC interview, 11 November

𝟮. 𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗜 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗔 𝗙𝗜𝗟𝗠 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗦

In Houdini: Back from the Dead, human actors supplied the expressions, timing and pacing beneath the generated historical appearances. Chris Bellinger voiced Houdini, and a surviving recording of Houdini himself was restored for the series. The producer told Forbes the overall headcount was comparable, although some camera and sound work shifted to AI roles. The production also delivered late.

Meanwhile, French director Bruno Dumont told Screen International he was making The End with generative AI, without actors or a traditional film crew. Both projects can turn up under the label “AI film”, but the label alone tells you very little about who was hired or whose work you’re seeing.

Forbes on Houdini, 31 October · Screen International on The End, 6 November

𝟯. 𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗘𝗥𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟 𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗢𝗧. 𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗬 𝗔𝗗𝗦?

Ogilvy announced ECHO, a platform that uses digital likenesses stored in the CAA Vault to create versions of ads from a single shoot. Ogilvy says the performer must sign off on each generated version before it’s published. The company hasn’t disclosed what individual performers are paid.

Imagine you shoot a commercial and six months later the client wants a new version in another language or a different market. Do you get to see it before it goes out? Can you say no? Does your original fee cover it? Those are questions I’d take to my agent before signing.

Read Ogilvy’s announcement, 9 November

𝟰. 𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗗𝗜𝗗 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗨𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗬 𝗔𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗘 𝗧𝗢?

German dubbing actor Matti Klemm’s professional association says he plans to sue Netflix, alleging his recordings were used for AI training without his knowledge or consent. The 12 November report describes a planned legal action and does not establish a filing or a ruling.

Separately, Beverly Randolph and Linnea Quigley said they signed on for a musical and raised concerns about how their work appeared in Return of the Living Dead: Aftermath. Their account doesn’t tell us what the contracts allowed, but it raises a question any of us could face: if a project changes after you record, does the permission you gave cover the new use?

I’d ask for permission to record, train a system and release or reuse the result to be spelled out separately. Even if someone says it’s only for internal use, ask who keeps the files and for how long.

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗽𝗽 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽: If you’re looking at a casting brief like this, The Actors Copilot’s Casting Brief Checklist can help you organise what the brief actually says and what you still need to ask your agent or union. If you haven’t tried the app, there’s a 14-day free trial.

Read the European Guild for Film and Audiovisual on Klemm, 12 November · Read Dread Central on Aftermath, 9 November

𝟱. 𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗡𝗘𝗬 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗔𝗗𝗢𝗕𝗘: 𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗪𝗔𝗦 𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗨𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗬 𝗔𝗡𝗡𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗖𝗘𝗗?

Disney and Adobe announced a multiyear partnership to develop custom AI tools. The examples they gave include exploring visual concepts and work for Disney’s parks and cruises. The announcement gives us a sense of where the companies are investing; it doesn’t announce a change to how Disney casts its films.

I can see the value of testing a visual idea before bringing a team together. When a tool uses an identifiable actor’s face, voice or recorded work, I want to know who authorised that use and what the tool can produce from it.

Read Adobe and Disney’s announcement, 9 November

𝟲. 𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗪𝗛𝗢 𝗧𝗘𝗟𝗟𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗬

In YouGov research commissioned by the RNIB, 65% of British respondents said they would not listen to an AI-narrated audiobook. Another 20% said they would listen but would prefer a human narrator. It’s a survey of stated preferences, so it can’t tell us what people actually buy. But it’s a useful reminder that listeners have opinions about who tells the story.

Read the RNIB findings, 5 November

𝗕𝗘𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗘 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗦𝗔𝗬 𝗬𝗘𝗦, 𝗥𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗠𝗕𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗖𝘀

𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲: Can I accept the acting job and decline the replica?
𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁: What can they capture, generate and release? Can I approve each new use?
𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁: Where are the project, time limits, markets and reuse terms written down? Ask your agent or union to look at the actual wording.
𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: What am I paid for the session, and what am I paid if they use my voice or likeness again?

Have you seen AI language in a casting brief yet? I’d love to know what it asked you to agree to and what you’d want clarified before saying yes. Share the gist here in the Green Room, without posting anything confidential.

Let’s go do the real work.

Tracey and Claire ❤️

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𝗔𝗜 𝗜𝗡𝗗𝗨𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗬 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗬 𝗔𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗗, 𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗦.