Voice Actor Deal Includes Better Bonus Payments and More Project Transparency
After almost a year, the Screen Actors’ Guild — American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) has ended its voice actor strike against 11 video game companies following a “tentative agreement,” a new press release said today.
The unionized voice actors were demanding better residual payments, voice protection, and more transparency in regards to what projects they are working on. And while the agreement doesn’t necessarily agree with everything SAG-AFTRA had asked for, they will now receive a new bonus payment structure.
While it’s no residual pay, voice actors will receive a bonus based on sessions worked “beginning with a $75 payment on the first session and totalling $2,100 after 10 sessions worked.” The bonus will need to be paid either on or sometime before the game is released. New terms called “new transparency provisions” will benefit the voice actors by allowing game companies to disclose more information about projects like code names, genres, and details like if there is any profanity or sexual content.
The agreement also encourages employers to work more closely with the SAG-AFTRA regarding voice stress issues. There are also some items in the contract that the voice actors did not seek including fines for performers that are late or distracted.
The SAG-AFTRA national board will review the deal in an official capacity during a meeting sometime in October.