NEWS
Updated below, 12:36 p.m.: The production agreed to recognize the union, and the picket has concluded.
Will Smith is filming a music video in Los Angeles on Friday, despite a picket organized by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees.
The non-union video is being produced at Quixote Studios in West Hollywood. Dejon Ellis, the business manager of IATSE Local 80, said the union asked the producers on Thursday to recognize the union and pay for pension and health benefits. The producers refused.
Smith showed up to the shoot on Friday morning, as IATSE was preparing to set up a picket line.
According to Ellis, about 20 crew members were fired on Thursday after the union requested recognition.
Stephen Trivieri — the president of the production company, Breathe Entertainment — said in an email that it was 10 crew members, and that they decided not to show up Friday at the insistence of the union.
Ellis denied that the union pulled the crew, and said it was the company that told them not to come in.
“Firing the crew is what picked this up a notch,” Ellis said. “That was not cool.”
Trivieri said it was made clear at the outset that it would be a non-union shoot.
“While this music video features a globally recognized artist, it was independently financed and produced outside the scope of major studio or label backing,” he said. “Like many artist-driven creative projects, this shoot was built around a clear non-union structure with transparent terms and fair compensation across all departments.”
IATSE often seeks to “flip” non-union music videos, commercials and low-budget films, so that the crew can get pension and health hours. Producers typically relent, but sometimes the union staff has to show up and threaten to pull the crew.
IATSE is aggressive about working to flip such shows, Ellis said.
“Los Angeles is a union town,” he said.
He said that some of the replacement crew walked out after realizing that the union was picketing.
Breathe Entertainment is based in Miami and Toronto. Trivieri said that the production is in compliance with California law. He also said that some of the crew wanted to have a vote, and would have voted against union recognition in order to keep shooting, but that IATSE would not allow it.
“It’s our second time shooting in L.A. so navigating has been interesting!” he said.
Emails to representatives for Smith were not immediately returned.
It is not uncommon for low-budget productions to recognize SAG-AFTRA and the Directors Guild of America, but to use non-union crew for below-the-line work. “Anora,” this year’s winner of the Oscar for best picture, started out that way in New York, and was flipped by IATSE midway through.
Update, 12:36 p.m.: The union has reached an agreement in principle with the production, and the picket is over, Ellis said. The crew has returned to work.
Trivieri confirmed that the union “opened up a dialogue” that led to an agreement. “The original 10-ish people are back on set,” he wrote.
Taylor Swift believes Nashville has a music scene that stands apart from anywhere else.
The 36 year old singer moved to Nashville, Tennessee, when she was young to chase her dream of becoming a country music star. After being inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame on Monday (26.10.26), Taylor took the opportunity to recognise the city and the talented writers who have helped shape its music scene.
In her acceptance speech, Taylor said: "I believe you really get to master a craft by doing it again and again. That's exactly what the incredible songwriters in this wonderful town do every day."
Taylor also spoke about what makes Nashville such a special place for musicians.
The award winning singer, who ranks among the best selling music artists of all time, said: "You won't find another music community quite like this one. Trust me, I've checked them all."
Taylor also shared how being part of Nashville's songwriting scene had taught her valuable lessons about life and working with others.
She joked: "I've learned to be flexible when your co writer turns up with a hangover, or when they need to spend ages talking about their divorce before we can even get started on a song."
Taylor previously spoke about how Faith Hill and Shania Twain inspired her decision to move to Nashville.
Speaking to Time magazine, the singer said: "I couldn't get enough of watching TV biographies about Faith Hill and Shania Twain, and I realised they had both moved to Nashville to get their careers started. After that, I kept asking, pleading and begging my parents to take me there.
"When I was 11, my mum took my brother and me to Nashville during spring break, and we spent the trip driving around Music Row. She stayed in the car while I rushed into record companies one after another, giving my demo CD to the receptionists. I found it fascinating that so many major record labels were gathered along a single street, often inside little buildings and old houses.
"What really stayed with me was how welcoming people were to newcomers and complete strangers like us. We started visiting Nashville more often, and when I was 13, I received an offer for a development deal from a major record label. That was when my parents finally agreed to leave Pennsylvania and move with me."
