LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Close to 160,000 members of the consolidated union of Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) started the strike against powerful Hollywood studios and streaming platforms on July 14. The members of SAG-AFTRA have joined the WGA members on the picket lines for the poignant issues of better pay, better working conditions, and residuals from the profits made on the streaming platforms.
However, maintaining such a huge congregation of discontent artists requires a strict set of rules which the actors are expected to adhere to. Thus SAG-AFTRA, which has received the support of several actors like Mark Ruffalo and Meryl Streep, published a detailed guideline for the participating actors regarding what they can’t and can do.
What are the actors not allowed to do during the SAG-AFTRA strike?
1. The actors are barred from doing the principal on-camera activities including Acting, Singing, Dancing, Performing stunts, Piloting on-camera aircraft, Puppeteering, and Performance capture or motion capture work, as per IndieWire.
2. The striking actors are barred from doing the principal off-camera works including ADR/Looping; TV Trailers (promos) and Theatrical Trailers; Voice Acting; Singing; Narration, including audio descriptive services except as the services may be covered by another collective bargaining agreement referred in the Notice to Members Regarding Non-Struck Work; Stunt coordinating and related services; Background work; Stand-in work; Photo and/or body doubles; Fittings, wardrobe tests, and makeup tests; Rehearsals and camera tests; Scanning and Interviews and auditions (including via self-tape).
3. The striking actors are also not allowed to negotiate or consent to any agreement to perform covered services in the future, any new agreement related to merchandising connected to a covered project, and the creation and use of digital replicas, including through the reuse of prior work.
4. The union has barred the striking actors to do promotion of or do publicity services for work under the TV/Theatrical Contracts, including Tours, Personal appearances, Interviews, Conventions, Fan expos, Festivals, For your consideration events, Panels, Premieres/screenings, Award shows, Junkets, Podcast appearances, Social media, and Studio showcases.
5. The SAG-AFTRA has also issued that apart from withholding the conduct of all the performative services, the striking actors are also barred from the following -
a. Members are advised not to cross the SAG-AFTRA picket lines, with the exception of the non-struck members.
b. Not only the striking members but their agents were also advised to stop making any negotiations and deal with the studios, streaming platforms, and networks on the actors’ behalf. The actors are specifically asked to instruct the agents.
c. Any strike-breaking activities are to be reported to the organizations.
What are the non-members allowed to do?
While SAG-AFTRA has specifically made a detailed guideline for the participating actors, they have also included one about the social media influencers who are part of the SAG-AFTRA. Remarkably enough, they have also included a separate segment for the non-members seeking admission to the union. For the non-members, they have written, “Any non-member seeking future membership in SAG-AFTRA who performs covered services for a struck company during the strike will not be admitted into membership in SAG-AFTRA.”
