How Taylor Swift Filmed Her ‘Eras Tour’ Movie in the Midst of the Hollywood Strike

If you missed out on Taylor Swift‘s Eras Tour during the record-shattering 52-date U.S. swing, the good news is that you can play catch-up next month when the Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour concert film opens in every AMC Theatre in the U.S., Mexico and Canada on Oct. 13.

Swift excitedly announced the 2 hr. 45 minute film on her socials on Thursday morning (Aug. 31), posting an 80-second trailer and writing, “The Eras Tour has been the most meaningful, electric experience of my life so far and I’m overjoyed to tell you that it’ll be coming to the big screen soon. Starting Oct 13th you’ll be able to experience the concert film in theaters in North America!”

The immediate question, though, aside from “how many times are you going to see it?” was: How was Swift able to film and promote the documentary in the midst of the ongoing Hollywood strike by actors and writers? The production-crippling strike began when the Writers Guild of America walked out on May 2 — followed by members of SAG-AFTRA joining in on July 13 — shutting down production on nearly all movies, TV and streaming projects in the U.S.

However, SAG-AFTRA has struck an interim agreement to cover individual non-AMPTP (Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers) productions that meet the same standards the unions are seeking in their negotiations with the studios. A source close to the Swift film confirmed to Billboard on Thursday that the Eras doc had obtained clearance under that agreement before shooting the movie. Billboard also confirmed that the Swift film is included under an assumed name on the list of approved interim agreement projects.

The list of terms on the interim agreement covers everything from scheduled breaks to payment for fittings, meal and wardrobe allowances for principal actors and background actors, per diems, rest periods and more.

The Eras Tour film was shot over the first three nights of Swift’s six-night stand at L.A.’s SoFi Stadium from Aug. 3-9.

Selena Gomez appeared to take down a photo tagging her Hulu series Only Murders in the Building earlier this week after some followers accused her of breaking the SAG-AFTRA rules concerning promotion during the strike. The union rules prohibit members from promoting new or finished works being released during the strike in interviews, on their socials or on red carpets. Because the Swift film is covered under the interim agreement, Billboard has confirmed that the singer’s post promoting it does not run afoul of any strike rules.

In an example of the impact of the strike on another musician who also has a foot in Hollywood, when Troye Sivan recently spoke with Billboard, he was excited to plug his new single, “Rush,” but was unable to discuss his work on the recently canceled HBO drama The Idol, which had wrapped its run weeks earlier. “I am in total support of the strike and am holding strong with everyone in waiting it out and making sure that everyone gets treated fairly,” Sivan said, adding that he also couldn’t talk about his upcoming starring role in the coming-of-age drama Three Months.

Swifties already likely know everything they need to about getting tickets to the movie, but just in case: every U.S. AMC Theatre location will run the Eras film at least four times per day on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sundays, with tickets for priced at $19.89 plus tax for adults and $13.13 for children and seniors plus tax (except for AMC’s branded premium large-format screens.) The film will be available in AMC theaters in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, with tickets on sale now here and here.

In light of the chaotic roll-out of Eras Tour presale tickets from Ticketmaster,  AMC said it had upgraded its website and ticketing engines to “handle more than five times the largest influx of ticket-buying traffic” the company has experienced before.

Watch the Eras Tour concert film trailer below.