TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – The filming of the highly anticipated third installment of the Dogman trilogy has been stalled due to the outdated COVID-19 rules of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) that haven’t been updated to reflect the newest CDC guidelines.

Richard Brauer, of Brauer Productions, is an independent filmmaker based out of Traverse City. He released the first Dogman movie in 2012 and the second in 2014. Brauer had been a signatory for SAG on both of these films as well as six other of his movies and has complied with their protocols. He has always had a good working relationship with them.

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“Dogman 3: Fight to the Finish” was scheduled to be filmed in Benzie County in September but those plans are now on hold.

The Dogman is a mythical creature – an urban legend where in Michigan folklore, the creature was allegedly witnessed in Wexford County in 1887 and has been described as a seven-foot tall canine-like animal with the torso of a man and a howl that sounds like a human scream.

Brauer’s films involve a farmer and his wife who, in the first movie, lose chickens and items from their barn, events which escalate into attacks from a non-human predator.

The wounds from the attacks have a deadly bacteria and there is a Native American who thinks she has an ancient antidote to cure the illness. “Dogman 2: The Wrath of the Litter” reveals a litter of grown Dogman pups who have emerged. The third installment of the trilogy has been described as “redemptive” by Brauer and an end to the series
after leaving cliffhangers at the end of the other two movies.

Brauer had hoped to be filming in September but the outdated COVID-19 rules from SAG has prevented that. The rules, which tentatively expire September 30th, would require Brauer to pay for a COVID-19 Compliance Supervisor. The SAG website says that filmmakers must hire a dedicated COVID-19 compliance supervisor responsible for safety compliance and enforcement, who will be accessible to cast and crew at all times during working hours.

In addition, Brauer says he would have to spend $15,000 to $20,000 on PCR tests alone for his actors and crew, tests which are not easy to find in Benzie County, as well as numerous other associated costs of compliance like vaccine mandates, taping floors, taking temperatures and thorough record keeping to name a few. He would also have to hire a nurse to administer the tests. Brauer mentioned he is confused why SAG is sluggish in updating their protocols to match the CDC guidelines since it is counterproductive for encouraging film production. While he is okay with basic common sense practices, the SAG rules treat the virus like a “sky is falling” kind of event.

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Brauer has a small-staffed production company with no “giant Hollywood budget” so, due to the overwhelming costs of the Covid rules, he made the decision to delay the filming of the movie until SAG updates their COVID-19 rules. He says he’s in no hurry to make the movie and is able to wait. In some ways he is “thankful” for the problem
because from an art director’s point of view, filming in Benzie County in the winter might make for a better visual movie. He can only hope that SAG conforms with the CDC by then, but adds that he is skeptical.

As an item of note, Brauer, was named “Michigan Filmmaker of the Year” at the 2009 Traverse City Film Festival. Brauer has 21 actors and about 15-20 crew planned to be employed for the movie with the main cast from Los Angeles and the rest from Michigan. He isn’t the only one who wants SAG to update their antiquated rules.

In August, SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher urged the guild’s national board to review the most up-to-date science on vaccine effectiveness before they agree to extend the industry’s vaccine mandate after the September deadline. She said it “walks the razor’s edge of compromising religious, disability and body sovereignty freedoms.”

She had made the same appeal in July at a meeting where she was yelled at for being “misinformed” by those who had previously supported her presidency.

Brauer sums it up with, “We just want to tell stories, assemble a great cast and crew and be a part of the community. Yes, we want to keep everyone safe and always have done so, but having SAG overreach their authority is very troubling.”