‘Like cutting up a Picasso’: AI microdrama edit of Neighbours worries actors and crew
Fremantle and US-based RoseBerry Media plan to use AI to help re-edit footage from the former Australian soap Neighbours into short vertical episodes for mobile viewers. The project is intended to introduce the series to new audiences, but former cast and crew members have raised concerns about consent and whether the new edits could change the meaning of their work.
The companies say the tool will scan more than 9,300 episodes to identify storylines and standout moments, while human editors approve each stage. They say the series will use only previously broadcast footage and will not create scenes, alter actors’ likenesses or use synthetic voices. Matt Werkmeister, Sam Clark and sound recordist Bruce Findlay have questioned the project, noting that their contracts were signed before streaming and AI were established; Margot Robbie has not commented publicly.
In short
- AI will help re-edit Neighbours footage into mobile-first mini episodes.
- Former cast and crew say consent and context need consideration.
- The companies say editors will review the work and no performances will be generated.
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The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Re-editing previously broadcast footage into short episodes could introduce Neighbours to mobile audiences who might never watch the original series, extending the life of a substantial creative work. The companies say AI will help find storylines and moments, with human editors approving the edits, and that they will not create scenes or use synthetic voices or altered likenesses.
The case against
Actors and crew can reasonably argue that repackaging their performances and work in a new format raises questions of consent and fair compensation, especially when their contracts predated streaming and AI. Even without newly generated material, selecting and compressing scenes may change their context and meaning, making the project feel like a new use of work they helped create without their agreement.
Explained simply
Neighbours is a long-running Australian television soap, made by production company Fremantle. Its many episodes follow the lives and relationships of residents in a fictional Melbourne neighbourhood, with actors, writers and crew contributing to the finished programme.
Short vertical videos are designed to be watched on mobile phones. Fremantle and RoseBerry Media say AI would help find storylines and notable moments in the existing episodes, with human editors reviewing the choices. The companies say they would use footage that has already been shown and would not create scenes or synthetic voices.
The issue raises questions about how older television work can be reused for new formats, and what permission is needed from the people who made it. Some former Neighbours cast and crew members say their contracts predate streaming and AI, so may not address this kind of re-editing.
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