The performing arts union SAG-AFTRA has listed rules that members will follow during the strike — detailing what they can or cannot perform and what all activities must be stopped. The strike began at midnight on Friday and the actors will be out on the picket from Friday morning. The shooting of major films is expected to be halted immediately. Christopher Nolan’s London premiere Oppenheimer saw actors Emily Blunt and Cillian Murphy walk out on Thursday — hours after it was decided that SAG-AFTRA would join the writer’s strike.
A set of guidelines were released on Thursday that will ban the 160,000 affected union members from all major on-camera work – including acting, singing, dancing and stunt work – in addition to off-camera work such as voice acting and voiceovers. In addition, additional and back-up work, negotiations for future services, and any work ancillary to a hit production, among other things, are prohibited.
Events, interviews, film festivals affected by SAG-AFTRA strike
As per the guidelines set by the union, all promotional activities such as interviews, award shows and podcasts are not allowed for members to participate. The strike is also likely to affect upcoming events – the Venice Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival in the coming months – as under guidelines, top talent cannot walk red carpets or participate in Emmy For Your Consideration campaigns.
According to reports, Universal moved to the red carpet for the London premiere of Christopher Nolan Oppenheimer to one o’clock Thursday night local time in hopes of getting the star cast to participate in a photo shoot and on-site interviews before the announcement. Lead actors Emily Blunt and Cillian Murphy walked out of the premiere after the strike was announced.
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Industry experts also expect the Galway Film Festival in Ireland, which is already underway, to be affected. Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer is set to premiere in New York on July 17, and the cast is scheduled to appear at Comic-Con later this month — the fate of both events now remains uncertain thanks to the strike.
“The impact of this strike on the industry and events like ours cannot be denied,” a spokesperson for the Toronto Film Festival said in a statement. “We call on our partners and colleagues to resume open dialogue. We will continue to plan for this year’s festival with the hope of a quick decision in the coming weeks.”
What do actors want?
The main concerns revolve around two critical issues: fair compensation and the encroaching influence of AI.
Many actors’ livelihoods depend heavily on residual payments earned from their various projects, which are essential to meet basic income requirements, such as the minimum threshold necessary to qualify for health insurance (eg $26,000 per year). Actors argue that industry revenues should be distributed in a way that supports those who find themselves on the margins.
In addition, actors are increasingly alarmed by the increasing use of AI to replace human performers with digitally created doppelgangers. This emerging trend poses a significant threat to actors’ job opportunities and creates uncertainty about the future of their craft. Through their strike, the actors seek to uphold the principles of fair pay and protect their positions in an industry that is increasingly exploring AI-driven alternatives.
Strike Guidelines for Members
The strike notice instructs SAG-AFTRA members to notify their agents to cease all negotiations for services and to inform the union of any strike-related activity.
According to the guidelines, members are prohibited from participating in auditions, rehearsals and editing, among other things,
In the newsletter, the union noted that “members may work on projects produced by production companies not affiliated with AMPTP under these agreements if such projects qualify for an interim agreement.” A list of eligible projects will be published on its website.
The notice also warns non-members that they will not be accepted into the union in the future if they perform “covered services for an affected company during the strike.”
This is the first time in four decades that the actors’ union has called a strike. Actors last went on strike in 1980 to get revenue sharing for home media releases, and the work stoppage lasted 95 days.
According to the rules, all covered services and performance of work must be withheld.
Director of Operations such as:
– Acting
– Singing
– Dancing
– Performing stunts
– Piloting a camera plane
– Puppetry
– Performance capture or motion capture work
Basic off-camera work such as:
– ADR/Looping
– TV trailers (promotions) and theatrical trailers
– Voice acting
– Singing
– A story
– Coordinating stunts and related services
– Back-up work
– Photo and/or duplicates of the body
– Fitting, wardrobe tests and make-up tests
– Rehearsals and camera tests
– Scan
– Interviews and auditions
Promotion of/public services for TV/theatre contract work such as:
– Tours
– Personal appearances
– Interviews
– Conventions
– Fan exposures
– Festivals
– For your attention events
– Panels
– Premieres/screenings
– Rewarding
– Janki
– Podcast appearances
– Social media
– Studio showcases
Negotiating and/or concluding and/or agreeing to:
– Agreement to perform covered services in the future
– Any new merchandising agreement related to a Covered Project
– The creation and use of digital replicas, including by re-using previous work
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