USATODAY UPDATE: Actor Unions might strike over video game profits

[dmonk]

Do they really have to hire SAG actors to do voice overs?


Would anyone really care?

Just seems a little petty. Game dev people should be demanding the same thing then.

[toonman]

As always, it boils down to money issues... personally, I don't care if Chuck the Duck is voiced by James-Earl Jones, or my neighbor Timmy... good gameplay and a storyline (if applies) are more important, I think.

[Unled]

I don't know, voice talent has gotten much better in games these days. I'd say it's important to have good voice acting because I remember bad voice acting ruining a lot of older games. They may be asking for a little much in this case though.

[Ghostscape]

It's just self-important people wanting more money, like every other story involving Hollywood "talent." :)

[Slurry]

People who actually work on the game, programmers, artists etc...should get a piece of the pie before the actors do.

Actor's egos could be causing them to over-estimate the importance of their contirbution to the overall product.

They are already grossly overpaid in other mediums.

Art

[Spater]

I'm sorry, I may be speaking out of ignorance here, but do actors go through horrendous crunch time?

I wholeheartedly agree programmers and artists should see a cut before these guys.

[toonman]

I don't know, voice talent has gotten much better in games these days. I'd say it's important to have good voice acting because I remember bad voice acting ruining a lot of older games. They may be asking for a little much in this case though.

Ok, maybe I exaggerated a little... :). However, my point was that if you get an actor telling you (the dev) he wants more money because he's famous and he was the voice of Wanna-be Kenobi for some other game, just kick his sorry [****] out of the project. There are a LOT of unkown actors out there who would do the job with gratitude and responsability.
I'm not saying "$crew the actors!!" either... being fair means paying them well for the job they do. But seeing them trying to cash on OTHER people's work (game artists, programmers, administrative staff, concept artists, etc) just because they think this is a good opportunity to make a buck, makes me sick.
GREED.

[heavyness]

i agree the actors should be paid their worth. good voice acting in a game makes it more enjoyable and movie-like [if your shooting for that]. but, this is something else that will make game production more $$$ and in return drive the game prices up [maybe not millions, but still].

we can all remember a time when there was no voices in games, and they were just as good.

and as for asking "does an professional voice talent that is in an union need to do the voice, or can joe shmo do it." i think that depends on the studio. i'm sure the big ones [EA, Ubisoft, etc] have agreements with the union to only use professional vocie talents. but i don't know about the smaller ones.

sidenote : i remember Trey Parker and Matt Stone getting in trouble cuase they were voicing the characters from South Park and not part of any union/guild.

[SkyZero]

People who actually work on the game, programmers, artists etc...should get a piece of the pie before the actors do.

Actor's egos could be causing them to over-estimate the importance of their contirbution to the overall product.

They are already grossly overpaid in other mediums.

Art

Quoted for agreement! The people that actually develop games should be taken care of first and foremost. The way I see it, actors agreed to do voice-acting for a game for a certain amount. Now if they whining and want a bigger piece of the pie then I say turn around and use someone else as someone posted earlier.

The last thing we need is an actor driving up the price of a game because of their greed...

[dmonk]

Just my opinion, but If I owned a game company and I was paying voice talent fairly and they turn around and say they want a larger cut, I'd tell them to walk.

I'd sooner give that cut to people who actually develope that game. I don't know it just seems a bit greedy. it would completely turn me off to hiring Union Actors.

[toonman]

it would completely turn me off to hiring Union Actors.
i remember Trey Parker and Matt Stone getting in trouble cuase they were voicing the characters from South Park and not part of any union/guild.

It's funny how an organization that was born from the genuine desire to help people and protect those less protected can turn into a freakin' monster once they gain enough power and money... the protector becomes the tyran... *sigh*

[richcz3]

Just my opinion, but If I owned a game company and I was paying voice talent fairly and they turn around and say they want a larger cut, I'd tell them to walk.

I'd sooner give that cut to people who actually develope that game. I don't know it just seems a bit greedy. it would completely turn me off to hiring Union Actors.
Well put. They read the reports about the gaming industries profits and assume that they are getting a raw deal. Just what do they think the people who actually create these games get? Their strike is doomed to failure.
Somewhat OT. But that Supermarket grociers strike in California last year. Yeah....failed. Companies lost huge money and whole lot of strikers ended up losing their jobs. These unknown voice actors should rethink things out a little bit.

[DigiLusionist]

As far as I'm concerned, entertainment unions are a blight. I was a member of AFTRA/SAG/AEA and left the acting business fifteen years ago because of the greedy and power hungry individuals who populate the management positions in those unions.

There are so many great undiscovered actors out there. There is no need to hire union actors. Unions know this, which is why they want to extort companies into only using their people.

If well known actors don't want to work in a fair manner in the game industry, there is no compelling reason to hire them. Not when unknown or non-union actors do exist.

[PhilOsirus]

Hahahaha! Does the SAG include Canada? Just outsource them!:p

[heavyness]

if you look at it from the voice actor's point of view, they might see the game industry as the same as the movie industry. in the movies, the actors make all the money. in the game industry, the modelers [carpenters and set designers], animators [umm, dance coordinators/stand ins?], and programmers [lighters, effect artist] make the money. the money travels completely backwards in both industries.

so i think the voice actors shouldn't expect as much $$ as Mike Meyers received for doing Shrek's voice for doing a main character's voice in Halo, MGS, or a Splinter Cel game.



also, sorry for the comparisons, but you get my drift.

[skycastle]

I think they have the right idea! And for that matter CG artist should do the same thing.
These companies would not have a single red cent if it were not for the artist and software
engineers. I think game dev teams and film crews should ALWAYS get a piece of the profit action. Sure these companies put up the up front money but most of they time the money came from profits from the last project done for them by us, the crews...

[dmonk]

I think they have the right idea! And for that matter CG artist should do the same thing.
These companies would not have a single red cent if it were not for the artist and software
engineers. I think game dev teams and film crews should ALWAYS get a piece of the profit action. Sure these companies put up the up front money but most of they time the money came from profits from the last project done for them by us, the crews...

You have a point, but your suggestion would cause some to cry bloody murder.

If the game dev people could feasibly take the same route, I would agree.

[Projectkmo]

well, I can see the actors point....but...if it means Higher Prices for Games...then I say DONT USE SAG Actors....

Hell, use folks from the development team....use your mom, I dont care...if it keeps the cost down...or where it is now...thats all Im realy worried about.

[Cman]

People who actually work on the game, programmers, artists etc...should get a piece of the pie before the actors do.


I agree with this. But don't the artists and programmers get benefits like shares in the company and stuff? Or is that the "good ole days"?


Actor's egos could be causing them to over-estimate the importance of their contirbution to the overall product.

They are already grossly overpaid in other mediums.

Art

Totally disagree with this.
Everyone always remembers really bad performances. A bad performance can never save a script. The actor is often the face, or voice, you associate with a game or character.
The next closest comparison would be the music in a game, imho.

But you're right - they should all share in like 20% of the gross profits.

[dmonk]

Should a voice over person who spent a week in a studio recording dialogue receive more money than a game dev person who spent 6+ months in crunch mode?:hmm:

[Cman]

Should a voice over person who spent a week in a studio recording dialogue receive more money than a game dev person who spent 6+ months in crunch mode?:hmm:

Depends.

If management hire Arnold Schwarzennegger and/or Tom Cruise to do the VO, they'll probably pay more for them than anyone else.

You average scale SAG VO actor isn't getting that much, in terms of the entire budget.

Should they get residuals? Sure.
But I think all the artists should receive residuals as well: writers, animators, etc.

[Lyr]

I agree with this. But don't the artists and programmers get benefits like shares in the company and stuff? Or is that the "good ole days"?



The bigger, more profitable companies offer sizable bonuses that vary depending on how well the company did. I've heard of bonuses as high as 30% of base salary.

[magic6435]

All they are doing is standing in a little room talking from a script. they need to stop there complaining or go work at wendys and see how much most people take talking into a mic.!!

[richcz3]

I think they have the right idea! And for that matter CG artist should do the same thing.
These companies would not have a single red cent if it were not for the artist and software
engineers. I think game dev teams and film crews should ALWAYS get a piece of the profit action. Sure these companies put up the up front money but most of they time the money came from profits from the last project done for them by us, the crews...
There's a problem with any business and its called Risk. Here in California, Business insurance, Workmans comp and a slew of other business operating expenses are things most employees are completely oblivious to. If you take a job offer from an employer for reasonable pay you agree to, what financial risk are you taking?

Once People open up their own shops and watch the money fly every which way, they have a greater appreciation for the decisions some companies have to contend with. For every company like EA, there are many others scrapping to make a hit title. I don't believe the union process is realizable anymore and definately is not suited to such a competative business for the reasons many have already mentioned.

If the gaming market was such a sure money thing, Just buy stock in game companies right? Take a risk and ride their coat tails. They obviously have a license to print money.

[Cman]

All they are doing is standing in a little room talking from a script. they need to stop there complaining or go work at wendys and see how much most people take talking into a mic.!!

No offense, but imho this statement reads like you really don't know what you're talking about.
Good V/O actor do not come a dime-a-dozen.

An actor could as well say, "all CG guys do is sit on their butts at a computer all day, what are they complaining about." - and they'd be just as ignorant.

[Pixelmaestro]

Give them everything they want. Pay everyone in cash so they do not have to report it as income. Blah, Blah.....Blah, everyone in the game business on mattresses stuffed with cash. The industry is bigger than the Movie Business, let us not forget that important fact.

Please make sure that the Hollywood talent receives all the residuals for the foreign language localization versions of the games as well. It is probably their talent that drove everyone that shops at Walmart to purchase the games.

I hope they go on strike, and I hope they sit at home playing minesweeper on their laptops.

I hope the game industry adapts and hires non-SAG talent, and they spend the money on a director to Coax the best performance from talent that has a soul.

Dear Marketing Staff,

You continue to suck, Marketing is not pretending you work for an Advertising Agency, it is about Distribution and Product Placement. It is not about signing up a name that is on the top 100 google search list to sell a game.

So do your job, not the "fun" advertising crap. Let the people that have talent do that.

[DigiLusionist]

CMan, you're right, good voice over actors are not a dime a dozen. It is a specialization, true. But, only if you need a person who can do twenty different voices. Otherwise, there are plenty of actors out there who are still able to do a character well, without having to be SAG.

[charleyc]

I am no fan of unions. I would hate to see any aspect of the GC industry befall that. I do believe that actors are substantially overpaid (just like pro athletes, doctors, lawyers.......). However, there is a direct corralation between a films gross and the names associated with it. That is why they can and do ask so much (largly the same with other areas). However, is there such a corralation in games? I don't know when I last bought a game because of who did the voice in it. I really hope this won't lead the game industy down the same roads as Hollywood.

[Slurry]

Totally disagree with this.
Everyone always remembers really bad performances. A bad performance can never save a script. The actor is often the face, or voice, you associate with a game or character.
The next closest comparison would be the music in a game, imho.

But you're right - they should all share in like 20% of the gross profits.

For me personally, I have never associated an actor's name or face with a video game. Except for maybe Indianna Jones, and they simply use a 'likeness' of Harrison Ford and not his voice.
As far as actors being overpaid...take the Mexican for example:

Estimated budget - $38,000,000
Julia Roberts - $20,000,000
Brad Pitt - $10, 000,000

When two people take up 80% of the entire budget, there is something wrong. I know that is an extreme example but I merely use it to illustrate my point.
Actors are only one part of a group that work to create a director's vision. It's unfortunate that studios and media have placed one group in such a position of power. A similar problem is occuring with professional athletes. I have to admire David Kelly for firing his big name cast of the Practice. Nobody should be untouchable.
Not that the actors are entirely to blame. The system has corrupted itself. But the games industry should take note and do everything they can to avoid a similar pitfall.

Art

[noisewar]

I don't get it... are they bored of screwing their own artists over? Why the sudden move?

[jeremybirn]

The industry is bigger than the Movie Business, let us not forget that important fact.

Um, that's an urban myth, not a fact. Video games are a smaller sector than home video alone.

I hope the game industry adapts and hires non-SAG talent, and they spend the money on a director to Coax the best performance from talent that has a soul.

The theory that non-professional actors have more "soul" went out the window with reality television. As videogames start to support larger amounts of data and use more mocap, more real performances, larger amounts of dialog, the quality of acting talent matters more than it did for games with only a few simple soundbytes. I'm not saying they should necessarily hire big stars just to add star appeal to to games, but certainly casting the best professional actors you can should be as high a priority as building the best models you can or other parts of the experience.

-jeremy

[Schwinnz]

Screw actors then. Let's use mimes.

[Pixelmaestro]

Um, that's an urban myth, not a fact. Video games are a smaller sector than home video alone.


-jeremy

I was being sarcastic. I always here that urban myth repeated over and over again. That is in part why we have Voice over actors asking for residuals.

[veljko-lemonade]

well i dont know what games are you playing? In the games i play there is not much talk and great acting and whatever- its mostly plain old me driving a character around wielding a sword or a shotgun and tryng to stay alive..And for thoes few animated sequences or an occasional moan or a groan here and there the "great" vocal skills do not shine...:)

As for the games made from movies? i would just bundle the work for the game with the work for the movie into one contract...they are getting 30 milion per film- why not work a bit for it:)

[AdrianLazar]

guys, The Chronicles of Riddick - Escape From Butcher Bay has some of the most beatyfull voice acting that i saw in a game and it`s quite important IMHO - and i`m not refering only at vin diesel, but every character has it`s own voice and well acting tellings. It`s adding a lot at the feelign and experience that the game is offering you...

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