3 ms·

> This is interesting, but it also stands to really weaken actors. First mover advantage. I look at Bruce Willis cutting this deal like music artists in the 50

by aliqot 4y ago

> This is interesting, but it also stands to really weaken actors. First mover advantage. I look at Bruce Willis cutting this deal like music artists in the 50's-60's who made a good returns on their recording contracts while artists of today sign '360 deals' named as such because the rights owners own everything while the artist makes a pittance, often most profitably from performance and merch.

WalterBright 4y ago
Supply & Demand. It's the Law.
neltnerb 4y ago
If he's decided to retire, for whatever reason, wouldn't it make sense to sell this sort of thing? Like, barring serious reputational issues, why not? You're not doing any work. They do have to pay a different actor to have you grafted onto still right? I don't really see how you avoid this but consider... who watches Bruce Willis films? How old are they? Even if Bruce Willis's likeness is in movies or ads, there's a pretty clear expiration date (ours) even if they could use his likeness forever. It seems pretty rational all around. New actors who can stand in for specialty CGI isn't that unusual right? And even if every actor got some kind of computer life extension and de-aging, the public interest in that actor won't last. Certainly the famous actors are being rational that their likeness may well earn more than their present day abilities can handle (including your ability to care about it). It seems like a limited short term problem until we get to the point where the human-indistinguishable CGI are invented and then people are shoved into the CGI character. I guess sort of. Except what else was Gollum? I have the feeling this is all small scale and overblown. How many people would this really apply to for celebrity status, 50?
- socialismisok 4y ago
  He's decided to retire because he has aphasia, and is therefore losing his ability to understand and use language.
  - neltnerb 4y ago
    Yes, I know that. It doesn't really impact that people enjoying watching a script read by Bruce Willis's voice and likeness will be commercially viable for a limited time. He's a fun actor, but all actors eventually stop being a good fit for the era. Old cowboy films are fun to watch from a historical perspective, but I sure don't care whether a modern film has a likeness and voice of John Wayne, that's just not much of a selling point anymore. I can see it buying you an extra 20 years maybe, but actors just sort of disappear from the limelight all the time and people don't even notice.

by aliqot 4y ago

WalterBright 4y ago

Supply & Demand. It's the Law.

neltnerb 4y ago

If he's decided to retire, for whatever reason, wouldn't it make sense to sell this sort of thing? Like, barring serious reputational issues, why not? You're not doing any work. They do have to pay a different actor to have you grafted onto still right? I don't really see how you avoid this but consider... who watches Bruce Willis films? How old are they? Even if Bruce Willis's likeness is in movies or ads, there's a pretty clear expiration date (ours) even if they could use his likeness forever. It seems pretty rational all around. New actors who can stand in for specialty CGI isn't that unusual right? And even if every actor got some kind of computer life extension and de-aging, the public interest in that actor won't last. Certainly the famous actors are being rational that their likeness may well earn more than their present day abilities can handle (including your ability to care about it). It seems like a limited short term problem until we get to the point where the human-indistinguishable CGI are invented and then people are shoved into the CGI character. I guess sort of. Except what else was Gollum? I have the feeling this is all small scale and overblown. How many people would this really apply to for celebrity status, 50?

socialismisok 4y ago
He's decided to retire because he has aphasia, and is therefore losing his ability to understand and use language.
- neltnerb 4y ago
  Yes, I know that. It doesn't really impact that people enjoying watching a script read by Bruce Willis's voice and likeness will be commercially viable for a limited time. He's a fun actor, but all actors eventually stop being a good fit for the era. Old cowboy films are fun to watch from a historical perspective, but I sure don't care whether a modern film has a likeness and voice of John Wayne, that's just not much of a selling point anymore. I can see it buying you an extra 20 years maybe, but actors just sort of disappear from the limelight all the time and people don't even notice.