![]() As the weeks roll on, there is concern that the industry, just bouncing back from the COVID-19 pandemic, will be taking a major hit. That's unheard of."įilm and television production in Canada contributed $13.73 billion to the country's GDP last year, with $7.58 billion in foreign investment in production. "At this time, we would have anywhere between 30 and 40 productions shooting that are U.S.-based, in July we will have none that are going to camera in British Columbia. "Probably the worst hit has been British Columbia, so much of foreign-service U.S.-based production gets done in British Columbia, so they have been impacted," said John Lewis, VP of IATSE and director of Canadian affairs. Across the country, IATSE estimates its members have lost millions of dollars in wages-roughly $13 million in Halifax and Montreal, $36 million in Toronto and it says B.C.'s loss is "incalculable" because it's so big. They work behind the scenes covering positions such as lighting, grip, construction, makeup and wardrobe. The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) represents 34,000 people in Canada. Williams worked his last full-time gig in March and says some others have been out of work since January. ![]() "The slowdown started a lot earlier, productions weren't willing to commit to production during a period of uncertainty, and without the ability to do rewrite and changes," Matt Williams, a key grip who works out of Vancouver, said. While the strike started in May, many started to feel the pinch long before. People who work on shows like "The Handmaid's Tale," "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" and the Netflix series "The Craving." That includes everyone from actors and producers to makeup artists and craft services. Unions estimate tens of thousands of people are off set and sitting on the sidelines. "They hire our crews, they use our locations, and that work is stopping," says Levine. While the strike is causing massive production delays in the U.S., it's also having a direct impact on Hollywood North. His group, along with production crews and actors, are standing in solidarity this week, holding protests of their own. ![]() A lot of the series they are producing have smaller orders, six or eight episodes, and that has allowed them to really grind down on writers and get more work out of fewer writers.” "The ability of screen writers to make a living is being threatened," Alex Levine, president of the Writers Guild of Canada told CTV National News. The U.S writers' strike began more than a month ago-a fight for better pay, protection from AI and job security-as streaming services dramatically change the industry.
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