Ben Affleck had a lot to say on Joe Rogan’s podcast and if you don’t understand what’s really going on with AI, he sounds really smart. I mean, he is, just not about this. His self-comforting thoughts are an epidemic in Hollywood. People like Affleck are grappling with the six stages of grief, and have not yet fully accepted reality. They are, as psychologists say, “bargaining.”
Honestly, I’m surprised Affleck didn’t mention six fingers, a problem with image generation from 2023. Tilly Norwood is a publicity stunt, and he fell for it, which proves the point. If you can’t tell the difference, there is no difference. Lucky for him the only thing the algorithm will not replace is celebrity.
James Cameron said he’ll save $300 million on his next film without taking anyone’s job. That is a mathematical impossibility. The $300 million represents fees and salaries for actual people. Unlike Affleck, who is plainly ignorant, and in denial (not uncommon in these parts), Cameron, who is on the board of Stability AI, must know he is flat-out lying. I think less of him for it.
AI does not care about liars or delusional, grieving philosopher kings. Ironically, both Affleck and Cameron’s jobs will be fine. It’s the middle-class workers, the below the line people, the drivers, grips, gaffers, hair stylists, carpenters and costumers, that will be crushed. They were being crushed before, of course. Runaway production to cheaper locations has crippled Tinseltown. Netflix is building sound stages in New Jersey.
Just this week, Goldman Sachs is set to take control of the historic Radford Studio Center in Los Angeles after the current owner, Hackman Capital Partners, defaulted on a roughly $1.1 billion mortgage and failed to secure a loan restructuring. The 55-acre lot, once a silent-era movie site and later home to productions like Gilligan’s Island and Seinfeld, will be returned to lenders led by Goldman following months of unsuccessful modification talks. The default reflects broader strains in Hollywood real estate amid declining production and rising financing costs. The property had been appraised at about $1.8 billion in 2021. There’s a housing shortage in LA, so the land will no doubt be put to better, more lucrative use.