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Here’s what we know about Australian shoots impacted by SAG-AFTRA strike

Apples Never Fall halts production but La Brea has completed and Mischa Barton has wrapped on Neighbours.

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The strike by SAG-AFTRA is already being felt in Australia, despite having the support of the MEAA.

Productions which involve SAG-AFTRA members have begun closing down, although some were able to complete filming before the strike deadline:

– Production on Peacock’s Apples Never Fall stopped at 5pm on Friday. The show’s star, Annette Bening, reportedly said goodbye to cast and crew on the Gold Coast on Thursday and planned to fly out of the country yesterday. Production had been scheduled to continue until August. Sam Neill also features in the show. The series was managed by Matchbox Pictures, which already lost Metropolis due to the writer’s strike.

– Atomic Monster movie Mortal Kombat 2, also filming in Queensland, was due to shoot until September but has halted.

– La Brea S3 had completed shooting its six episodes, believed to be in late June.

– Mischa Barton finished filming on Neighbours for 10 / Prime Video / Freevee three weeks ago. In any case, work on “daytime serials,” or soap operas, is still permitted.

– Productions which have no card-carrying SAG-AFTRA members will be unaffected and can continue, such as The Office Australia. It also does not affect unscripted shows: This includes work on non-dramatic productions such as variety shows, talk shows, game shows, reality and competition shows, and special events.

– It isn’t clear if The Twelve could be impacted by Sam Neill’s return to the show. Foxtel is yet to confirm, but Neill was on record as saying he was returning. High Country also includes Irish actor Ian McElhinney (Game of Thrones) but it isn’t clear if he is also a member of SAG-AFTRA nor whether his scenes had been completed. Update: Said to have completed filming.

– There could be other Australian actors who have worked stateside who have SAG-AFTRA membership, but it isn’t clear if they can work in Australia through MEAA membership or whether they are expected to follow suit.

– Are there any Logie presenters impacted? The strike includes red carpets and awards events. Lincoln Younes has worked in the USA along with Sophie Monk, Stephen Peacocke, currently filming RFDS. Unclear.

– There are also government incentives involved in some projects, but this falls upon completion.

According to the Strike Notice and Order, which was sent in an open memo to all members of SAG-AFTRA, union members are banned from doing most on-camera work, such as:
Acting
Singing
Dancing
Performing stunts
Piloting on-camera aircraft
Puppeteering
Performance capture or motion capture work

SAG members are also prohibited from doing off camera work, such as:
ADR/looping (that’s when a film’s original audio is re-recorded in a studio)
TV trailers, promos, theatrical trailers
Voice acting
Singing
Narration, including audio descriptive services (although the union notes there are some exceptions to this, if the work is covered by a different collective bargaining agreement)
Stunt coordinating and related services

In addition to stopping all work on camera and behind the scenes, actors are prohibited from promoting projects they’ve already filmed, in the form of interviews, premieres, fan expos, press junkets, festivals, and podcast appearances, among other types of publicity.

SAG members are also banned from promoting their projects via social media.

This post updates.

Additional source: Variety , Yahoo

3 Responses

  1. SAG and WGA have no legal power to stop anyone working in the US let alone here. What they are threatening is to revoke people’s memberships and taking away their future livelihoods. In the US in many states a picket line is only allowed to legally obstruct people for 30s, other states allow violence. American Horror Story continued filming until the actors worked out in defiance of the Writers picket. Actors and Writers are choosing not to work to support the industrial action and to further their interests. MAFS is safe.

  2. Will be interesting how it all works because I’ve heard you can’t work on certain productions if you wish to be a future SAG AFTRA member as well. Auditions are also not allowed.

  3. The strikes are spreading out globally. Filming of the production Wicked had ceased in the UK as well.

    There are many strikes that I don’t support, as they’re more for disrupting or causing inconvenience for any conservative governments of the time, considering the Labour/Labor movement history with the unions, and purely for that reason alone. But every so often, there are strikes that are genuine and required. The screen writers strike is one of them. We know they haven’t been on strike in decades.

    I hope there is a good outcome. No filming means no money being spent for catering, accommodation and more. There’s a negative knock-on effect.

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