Neighbours’ AI recut tests performer consent and compensation

RoseBerry Media has used the AI-assisted tool RedSnapper to recut two Margot Robbie storylines from Neighbours into about 150 minutes of phone-first micro-episodes for its Epis platform.

RoseBerry Media specializes in “vertical television” for phones. Guardian Australia reported that the company repurposed original Neighbours episodes with RedSnapper, an AI-assisted production tool.

Donna Freedman is the initial focus. Robbie played her from 2008 to 2011, and RoseBerry Media said two storylines will become vertical micro-episodes.

What is RoseBerry building from the Neighbours archive?

Guardian Australia reported that the Australian soap broadcast more than 9,300 episodes between its launch in 1985 and its end in 2025.

Guardian Australia described that archive as a goldmine in the growing vertical-serial market. The show also served as a launchpad for several international stars, including:

• Margot Robbie
• Guy Pearce
• Kylie Minogue
• Jason Donovan
• Dichen Lachman
• Natalie Imbruglia
• Liam Hemsworth
• Jesse Spencer

How large is the vertical-video market?

Guardian Australia reported that vertical serials usually consist of episodes around one minute long and are tailored for viewing on mobile phones.

The microdrama market originated in China, according to Guardian Australia. It was worth up to $15bn (A$21.4bn) globally last year, the report said.

Some vertical serials are shot specifically for the format. Others are cut from existing material; Paramount Pictures released Mean Girls on TikTok as 23 episodes in 2023.

Other examples are entirely unofficial. Fans recut favorite shows into snippets for millions of viewers on social media, Guardian Australia reported.

The market figures explain the commercial pull of old television libraries. They also sharpen the labor dispute over consent and payment when a familiar performance becomes a new product.

Why are actors and agents objecting?

Stefan Dennis, a star of Neighbours, told the Herald Sun that the project was “unbelievably invasive, morally and legally wrong and somehow it appears we can’t do anything about it”.

Dennis said: “I’ve got my agent [on it],” then added: “I imagine everyone else on Neighbours is doing the same thing, as well as the MEAA [Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance] and Australian Writers’ Guild. Whether they can stop it is another thing. We’re dealing with a very big machine.”

Dennis’s agent told Guardian Australia that he would not comment further.

Former cast member Matthew Werkmeister played Zeke Kinski from 2005 to 2011 and appeared alongside Robbie in a love-triangle storyline. He told Guardian Australia that he learned of the deal only when approached for comment.

“I find it extremely concerning,” Werkmeister said. “Not from any money-making point of view, but from my image being used through AI and a platform I did not consent to.”

His objections are not limited to earnings. Guardian Australia reported that Werkmeister received no notification from producer Fremantle or RoseBerry Media about whether residuals would be paid to actors in the vertical series.

Guardian Australia understood that residuals would go to writers and actors according to their existing series agreements, following the normal process.

Werkmeister also pointed to the age of those contracts: “When I signed my original contracts, I was 13. In all honestly I can’t remember exactly every line point, but AI and streaming platforms, let alone vertical streaming platforms, didn’t exist and was not a consideration.”

Werkmeister dismissed claims that the vertical format would introduce the classic soap to younger audiences. He called the venture a “money grab for Fremantle” and said: “They’re just trying to dump their existing library to make a quick buck.”

He added: “I’d be intrigued to know if they reached out to the wonderful Margot Robbie, since her star power is likely a main motivator for this venture.” Guardian Australia said it had contacted Robbie for comment.

Mattie Webb, agent for actor Sam Clark, who played Donna’s partner, Ringo Brown, said Clark was waiting to hear from US actors’ union Sag-Aftra before commenting. Webb, an LA-based manager with 27 years’ experience, said AI was rapidly disrupting the entire industry.

She described the shift this way: “All week I’ve been dealing with deepfake videos and AI. It’s a whole new world.”

What does RedSnapper actually do?

In comments reported by Variety last month, Fremantle’s commercial and international chief executive, Jens Richter, called the project “an exciting example of how technology and creative thinking can unlock new value from our diverse catalog and content library”.

Fremantle defended the microdrama by saying it would use only “original, previously broadcast footage, dialogue and performances”.

A Fremantle spokesperson told Guardian Australia that RedSnapper “does not generate new scenes or performances, alter actors’ faces or likenesses, or use synthetic voices”.

The spokesperson said RedSnapper helped with “catalogue analysis, editing and vertical reframing, with a human editor reviewing and approving every stage of the editing process”.

A RoseBerry Media spokesperson said the company supported Fremantle’s response and had “nothing further to add”.

Those assurances address the production method. They do not resolve the consent and residual objections raised by Dennis, Werkmeister and Clark in their comments to Guardian Australia and the Herald Sun.

What happens next for performer rights?

The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance, Australia’s largest actors’ union, confirmed that it was assisting Neighbours cast members and their representatives after the project’s announcement.

MEAA acting CEO Adam Portellin said anyone involved in Neighbours could contact the union “to ensure their work is not exploited without their knowledge, consent or fair compensation”.

Portellin called on Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese and parliament to legislate for the creative sector. Workers should “are fairly and directly compensated when their work is exploited by AI”, he said.

An Australian Writers’ Guild spokesperson told Guardian Australia that the union was “in discussions with Fremantle and hopes to reach a fair resolution soon”.

Werkmeister backed legislative intervention and warned that the project would set a precedent reaching far beyond Ramsay Street.

“Converting existing work via AI without proper consultation or fair compensation sets a concerning precedent,” he said.

“We urgently need way more robust AI regulations, guardrails and proper consent mechanisms in place.”

RoseBerry and Fremantle have defended the production method, while the Australian Writers’ Guild says talks are underway. The next test is whether those discussions produce individual consent, residual payments and enforceable guardrails. Werkmeister warned that the precedent would reach far beyond Ramsay Street.