SAG-AFTRA Puts Fox’s Stunt Show ‘Heaven Sent’ On Strike List
A company that helps producers film their projects under guild contracts has been placed on SAG-AFTRA’s strike list. The union said that New York-based 2BC Films has not signed its minimum basic agreement and has ordered its members not to work on Heaven Sent, a live one-hour stunt show the company will shoot Saturday.
The show, which will air on Fox, will document world-renowned skydiver Luke Aikens’ attempt to become the first person to jump out of an airplane at 25,000 feet without a parachute or a wingsuit. “It’s a stunt show,” said 2BC Films president Brad Hazzard. “It’s about a man who drops out of an airplane. I can’t comment further.”
The company boasts of being “ideally positioned to guide and assist its clients in producing entertainment content under guild jurisdiction,” but SAG-AFTRA says that it hasn’t signed to the union’s minimum basic agreement. “All SAG-AFTRA performers are hereby informed that, in accordance with their obligations under Global Rule One, no member may render any services for this production, effective immediately. Violation of such order may result in disciplinary action in accordance with the SAG-AFTRA Constitution.”
Global Rule One provides that “No member shall render any services or make an agreement to perform services for any employer who has not executed a basic minimum agreement with the union, which is in full force and effect, in any jurisdiction in which there is a SAG-AFTRA national collective bargaining agreement in place.”
The union’s TV contract covers stunt performers and airplane pilots, but many reality shows such as Duck Dynasty and the Real Housewives franchise are not covered. Arguably, the union has no “national collective bargaining agreement in place” for reality TV shows.
Ironically, among the services 2BC Films provides are “guild signatory and production consulting services for the engagement of talent and below-the-line crewmembers.”
Heaven Sent airs at 8 PM Saturday.
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