This post is part of Stand-In Central’s deep-dive series into the coronavirus pandemic as it relates to stand-in work in TV and film. For more posts in the long-running series, visit https://standincentral.com/coronavirus.
— The Editor
On July 2, 2020, SAG-AFTRA issued a Do No Work notice for the production Songbird.
SAG-AFTRA wrote (in a since deleted blog post preserved here):
Please be advised that On A Lark Productions, LLC the producer of the picture entitled Songbird, has failed to complete the signatory process and is therefore not signed to any applicable SAG-AFTRA agreement.
As such, SAG-AFTRA members are hereby instructed to withhold any acting services or perform any covered work for this production until further notice from the union. Please note, accepting employment or rendering services on Songbird may be considered a violation of Global Rule One. Violating this order may result in disciplinary action in accordance with the SAG-AFTRA Constitution.
For more information or if you are otherwise contacted by the company, contact the Entertainment Contracts Department at EntContractsInfo@sagaftra.org.
By the next day, SAG-AFTRA rescinded the Do Not Work notice for Songbird, which permitted SAG-AFTRA members to work on the production.
The Hollywood Reporter (THR) reported on some explanation for the Do Not Work notice, quoting an unnamed spokesperson at SAG-AFTRA who apparently said:
The producers have not been transparent about their safety protocols, and that is something we obviously take very seriously. Also, as noted in the Do Not Work order, the producers have not yet become signatory to our agreement. We have no further comment.
So, if THR’s reporting is to be trusted, part of the reason Songbird was blocked from permissibly hiring SAG-AFTRA actors was because of a lack of transparency about safety protocols, arguably because of the ongoing pandemic.
Given that Songbird was a feature film, under normal circumstances it would be assumed that SAG-AFTRA stand-ins would be hired for this production.
However, given the current coronavirus pandemic, and given the increase in positive cases in California where it is shooting, it is uncertain whether the production did in fact go on to hire stand-ins, whether SAG-AFTRA made some kind of concession to permit working without stand-ins, or some other scenario.
Stand-In Central wants to know answers to several questions, related either to work as a stand-in on Songbird or to work as a stand-in on any other SAG-AFTRA-signatory production currently shooting.
Your help in answering these questions would be valuable to the stand-in community who may also find themselves working again soon, while the pandemic rages on.
You are welcome to answer in the comments at the end of this article, or you may privately contact Stand-In Central to share what you know.
Questions about Stand-In Work during the Coronavirus Pandemic
When you were avail-checked for the stand-in work, what questions were asked of you?
- Were you asked whether you would consent to coronavirus testing?
- Were you asked whether you would sign a liability waiver?
- Were you notified the work would be of a dangerous character, and that you would be entitled to additional compensation for such work?
- Were you asked anything else unusual?
When you were booked for the stand-in work, what unusual information was in your booking details?
- Were you informed that you needed to take sexual harassment prevention training as a condition of employment?
- Were you given instructions for obtaining a coronavirus test?
- Were you informed what would happen in the event that you tested positive for coronavirus? (Would you still be paid for the day of stand-in work?)
When you were booked for the stand-in work, were you told whether the production would follow any specific guidelines related to the pandemic?
- Was it following the White Paper?
- Was it following The Safe Way Forward?
- Was it following any public health edicts?
- From the state?
- From the county or counties in which it is shooting?
- From the city or cities in which it is shooting?
- Was it following CDC recommendations?
- Was it following OSHA recommendations?
- Did the casting director not specify the exact guidelines the production was following?
- Were you given an anonymous safety hotline number for the production?
In the event you were booked for long-term stand-in work, were you informed about any coronavirus testing procedures?
- Were you told that as a condition of employment, you had to submit to coronavirus testing of some regularity?
- Were you given your dates of work in advance?
- If so, were you also told when you would need to get coronavirus testing during any breaks between work dates (say, for example, on a Sunday, after a Friday and before a Monday shoot)?
What observations do you have about what is different on set and at work now for stand-ins working during this pandemic?
- What was your job orientation like?
- Did you attend safety meetings?
- Did you receive any safety training?
- What was the Zone system like, if it was in play on your set?
Did a SAG-AFTRA rep show up and speak to you?
Questions Specific to Stand-In Work on Songbird
Is Songbird using stand-ins?
- If so, do you have the names of any of the stand-ins, and/or the names of the actors for whom they are standing in?
- If not, who is doing any stand-in work on Songbird? Is the stand-in work being done by someone other than a SAG-AFTRA worker?
- Is the stand-in work being done by someone else in production, such as someone in the camera department or a production assistant?
- Are any SAG-AFTRA stand-ins being compensated for work in the face of others standing on marks and doing stand-in work?
What guidelines is Songbird following in terms of the coronavirus pandemic?
- Is it following the White Paper?
- Is it following The Safe Way Forward?
- Is it following any public health edicts?
- From the State of California?
- From the county or counties in which it is shooting?
- From the city or cities in which it is shooting?
- Was it following CDC recommendations?
- Was it following OSHA recommendations?
- To what degree is Songbird following those guidelines?
- What are some examples of lapses in following those guidelines?
- What are some examples of guidelines that Songbird is strictly enforcing?
Have SAG-AFTRA reps shown up on set?
- If so, which SAG-AFTRA reps have shown up? On how many production days did these SAG-AFTRA reps show up?
- If so, did the SAG-AFTRA reps make contact with you?
- If so, did the SAG-AFTRA reps take any complaints from you?
- If so, did the SAG-AFTRA rep resolve your complaint(s)?
- If no SAG-AFTRA reps showed up, do you know why not?
Did you have to get coronavirus testing in order to take the stand-in work on Songbird?
- If so, when did you have to get tested?
- If so, were you paid for your time when you were getting tested?
- If so, were you reimbursed for the cost of the test?
- If so, when did you receive your test results?
How might stand-ins who are contacted to work on Songbird prepare for that work?
- Do you have any tips for stand-ins should they book work on Songbird on how to prepare differently for this job, given the pandemic and presumptive health and safety guidelines?
Has anyone on the production since tested positive for the coronavirus?
- If so, how was that managed?
- If not, have there been any announcements about coronavirus infections?
Answers?
If you have answers to these questions — or if you have your own questions — stand-ins would like to hear them.
When we go back to work during the pandemic, health and safety will be of utmost concern to nearly every stand-in. The more we can prepare — especially given the lack of guidance stand-ins get from productions or from SAG-AFTRA — the better able we can manage and navigate this challenging time back at work.
Post your answers to the above questions — or any additional questions — in the comments below, or privately message Stand-In Central!
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