The production agreed to recognize the union, and the picket has concluded.

Will Smith is filming a music video in Los Angeles on Friday, despite a picket organized by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees.

The non-union video is being produced at Quixote Studios in West Hollywood. Dejon Ellis, the business manager of IATSE Local 80, said the union asked the producers on Thursday to recognize the union and pay for pension and health benefits. The producers refused.

Smith showed up to the shoot on Friday morning, as IATSE was preparing to set up a picket line.

According to Ellis, about 20 crew members were fired on Thursday after the union requested recognition.

Stephen Trivieri — the president of the production company, Breathe Entertainment — said in an email that it was 10 crew members, and that they decided not to show up Friday at the insistence of the union.

Ellis denied that the union pulled the crew, and said it was the company that told them not to come in.

“Firing the crew is what picked this up a notch,” Ellis said. “That was not cool.”

Trivieri said it was made clear at the outset that it would be a non-union shoot.

“While this music video features a globally recognized artist, it was independently financed and produced outside the scope of major studio or label backing,” he said. “Like many artist-driven creative projects, this shoot was built around a clear non-union structure with transparent terms and fair compensation across all departments.”

IATSE often seeks to “flip” non-union music videos, commercials and low-budget films, so that the crew can get pension and health hours. Producers typically relent, but sometimes the union staff has to show up and threaten to pull the crew.

IATSE is aggressive about working to flip such shows, Ellis said.

“Los Angeles is a union town,” he said.

He said that some of the replacement crew walked out after realizing that the union was picketing.

Breathe Entertainment is based in Miami and Toronto. Trivieri said that the production is in compliance with California law. He also said that some of the crew wanted to have a vote, and would have voted against union recognition in order to keep shooting, but that IATSE would not allow it.

“It’s our second time shooting in L.A. so navigating has been interesting!” he said.

Emails to representatives for Smith were not immediately returned.

It is not uncommon for low-budget productions to recognize SAG-AFTRA and the Directors Guild of America, but to use non-union crew for below-the-line work. “Anora,” this year’s winner of the Oscar for best picture, started out that way in New York, and was flipped by IATSE midway through.

The union has reached an agreement in principle with the production, and the picket is over, Ellis said. The crew has returned to work.