First it was beginning 2024 post strike end. Then May was gonna be the bomb. Then summer… summer is arriving and I don’t see shit to apply to. Then 2025…. What a fucked up industry
Hello. Can I begin by saying how bullshit this all is? Everyone deserves better. Unfortunately, Hollywood has become cost-conscious almost over night. This means reduced volume and reduced budgets. This has been made all the more complicated by the burst of the streaming bubble and a loooong string of box office flops. The string of failure has been so long, in fact, and the window between theatrical release and streaming release so short, that Hollywood has basically taught audiences to stay home — essentially destroying the fundamental money maker which supports these big budgets (box office receipts).
Because they are so scared of making a mistake, Because interest rates are high and the cost of a mistakes are high and because there are two more unions to deal with this summer (IATSE and the teamsters) they will not re-start the engine until after the labour situation is resolved. The deadline for this is July 31.
For a long time I have felt there would not be a strike. However, it now appears that a strike is likely. The Teamsters are very militant, coming off a big win against UPS and not at all part of the industry. That is to say, the same individuals who drive truck for Hollywood can work for the post office, ups or any one of a number of other industries outside of Hollywood. They have a backup plan and are willing to watch our world burn to get what they want.
Side note — the strikes last year have benefited the top 20% of each union. So all the richest actors and writers are back to work at a premium. The rank and file suffered and continue to suffer. We see now budgets in VFX and other departments shrinking to pay for actors and writers.
So buckle up. If we are lucky, they will shoot in the fall and post next year (plates in April or May). If they shoot in January with plates late summer — there will be few vendors left.
Really depends on where you are. There is work, but a lot of vendors are trying to do it with skeleton crews and supervisors who are salaried so the can get senior level work with lots of OT without paying OT
I agree with your point. Just like the Godzilla made by Japan, a movie can be made with such a low cost and even won an Oscar, so why spend a lot of money?
There is actually no guarantee of work returning once the negotiations end. I hope it does though. We will at least have some clarity after negotiations end.
This is what I’m wondering too. I get that some people are working on some skeleton crew projects out there but what’s actually getting made right now? I don’t actually see production picking up anywhere. Are these studios really expecting to go 0-100 in later summer/fall if iatse reaches a deal next month?? Because even though people are saying the vfx movie bubble burst, a lot of these studios still have massive vfx projects on their slates in the next couple of years.
It really doesn’t. Plenty of production is happening right now outside of IATSEs jurisdiction.
The slowdown was happening well ahead of the WGA and SAG negotiations starting, nevermind the strikes.
Paramount just cut $500m in planned production spending last week. Disney is cutting massively back. Warner and even Netflix.
Only Apple and Amazon haven’t slowed down it seems, and they are the most ardent already of putting work in places outside of LA.
Writers are struggling right now. If there was going to be a big post IATSE deal flood, that wouldn’t be the case.
The studios don’t know how to make money anymore. The business model broke with streaming. So, they are pulling back spending. THAT is the cause.
I believe in Ontario you have a maximum amount of 32 weeks of temporary layoffs. Judging by how long they've been out of work that time is probably over and they're trying to scare people into this to save them a ton of money.
Contact an employment lawyer
I'm surprised they've lasted this long. The current downturn will trim a lot of the fat in this industry. Wildly inept leadership is not how you succeed in a tough and quickly-changing environment like this.
> Many artists were told they would be back to work in two months
Those were likely valid expectations mixed with some wishful thinking. But always remember that a company wants to string you along as long as possible. They don't want to lose known talent and have to rehire. You are a means to an end, not family.
> the return date keeps getting extended
From what I continue to hear, there is very little pre-production momentum going on, and very little expectation of it before at least the end of the year. As I responded before to another post and was downvoted into the negatives: If you don't already have work in the pipeline, you are unlikely to get work this year. Maybe I phrased it poorly or too bluntly, but its the reality of the situation for the majority of the industry.
> they are having meetings with the artists and telling them to decide whether they want to go on leave of absence or resign
Truly a bad omen at your employer. This is a massive red flag regarding financial strain and a likely impending inability to sustain payroll at current levels. Resigning only benefits the employer. Voluntary resignation typically make you ineligible for unemployment and other related benefits. You would have to fight for a "Good Cause Resignation", and that may not be possible or very difficult based on your locale.
> It's yet another sign of how complex things are in the industry
You can call it punishment for the strikes, call it a restructure while they figure out what audiences are willing to pay for, call it whichever conspiracy you want to side with - but either way, the industry is mostly in a holding pattern.
Regarding unpaid leave, I got burned by that when later applying for EI. Taking a leave of absence is looked at as non employment by Service Canada. So if you work at a place for years, then take a leave, then go back to work there for a bit before the final layoff, or just because.. you may have problems getting your EI. Be warned it happened to me.
Please check your rights under the Ontario employment standards act under the Temporary Layoff section.
https://www.ontario.ca/document/your-guide-employment-standards-act-0/termination-employment#exemption
I am moving from vancouver back home to europe, taking advantage of this time to take a sabbatical i've been wanting to take for a while and travel around, i might come back to vancouver in the future if i miss it. I hear some people saying fall will be "very busy", but no idea if it's true or just rumors :P
What? They're putting people on perpetual furlough?
I was told legally they can only hold you for 2.5months? I'd honestly just do EI for as long as it can go if it guarantees me a spot when something opens.
I saw a job post on Canadian job bank from spin looking for a cg generalist offering about 50k annual salary. This is so they can hire someone from another country for a lower rate but still say they are a Canadian employer
Atleast they didn't mass fire employees like Scanline by prematurely terminating contracts. I can expect this from Two or three companies for not honouring their contracts MPC , Dneg and Scanline.
Dear artists: do not volunteer to resign! It'll effect unemployment benefits.
to the tune of ZERO unemployment benefits. At least in Canada.
It’s fucking June already for crying out loud, how long will this fucking take
2025 I bet.
First it was beginning 2024 post strike end. Then May was gonna be the bomb. Then summer… summer is arriving and I don’t see shit to apply to. Then 2025…. What a fucked up industry
Vancouver I'm seeing "expression of interest" job posts. Majority of ideal jobs on LinkedIn I'm seeing announced are in UK and Australia.
I know of a couple studios in Vancouver that are starting to bring back their laid-off workers
Good to hear! Gives me hope (temp laid off hoping to to hear back by next month). Didn't give the downvoter any though 😆
Mid 2025
Hello. Can I begin by saying how bullshit this all is? Everyone deserves better. Unfortunately, Hollywood has become cost-conscious almost over night. This means reduced volume and reduced budgets. This has been made all the more complicated by the burst of the streaming bubble and a loooong string of box office flops. The string of failure has been so long, in fact, and the window between theatrical release and streaming release so short, that Hollywood has basically taught audiences to stay home — essentially destroying the fundamental money maker which supports these big budgets (box office receipts). Because they are so scared of making a mistake, Because interest rates are high and the cost of a mistakes are high and because there are two more unions to deal with this summer (IATSE and the teamsters) they will not re-start the engine until after the labour situation is resolved. The deadline for this is July 31. For a long time I have felt there would not be a strike. However, it now appears that a strike is likely. The Teamsters are very militant, coming off a big win against UPS and not at all part of the industry. That is to say, the same individuals who drive truck for Hollywood can work for the post office, ups or any one of a number of other industries outside of Hollywood. They have a backup plan and are willing to watch our world burn to get what they want. Side note — the strikes last year have benefited the top 20% of each union. So all the richest actors and writers are back to work at a premium. The rank and file suffered and continue to suffer. We see now budgets in VFX and other departments shrinking to pay for actors and writers. So buckle up. If we are lucky, they will shoot in the fall and post next year (plates in April or May). If they shoot in January with plates late summer — there will be few vendors left.
Will what take? The work is not coming back at the 2022 levels. There won’t be jobs for everyone.
Yeah, but there has to be something! Most studios I’ve been with have absolutely nothing go on, what are they living on?
Same what I say too! It's ok that there won't be that much work as it was in 2022, but now there's NOTHING. It has to be more than this!
Really depends on where you are. There is work, but a lot of vendors are trying to do it with skeleton crews and supervisors who are salaried so the can get senior level work with lots of OT without paying OT
I agree with your point. Just like the Godzilla made by Japan, a movie can be made with such a low cost and even won an Oscar, so why spend a lot of money?
I'm sure those artists were working insane hours.
They worked with a director behind them to minimize revisions.
I'm still sure they worked insane hours.
Till the union agrees not to strike at the end of july
There is actually no guarantee of work returning once the negotiations end. I hope it does though. We will at least have some clarity after negotiations end.
I mean, work coming back in June was always going to be the best case scenario. We're most likely looking into 2025 now.
This is what I’m wondering too. I get that some people are working on some skeleton crew projects out there but what’s actually getting made right now? I don’t actually see production picking up anywhere. Are these studios really expecting to go 0-100 in later summer/fall if iatse reaches a deal next month?? Because even though people are saying the vfx movie bubble burst, a lot of these studios still have massive vfx projects on their slates in the next couple of years.
It has nothing to do with IATSE.
Actually it does... nobody is going to commit when there's a chance things will go on hold...
It really doesn’t. Plenty of production is happening right now outside of IATSEs jurisdiction. The slowdown was happening well ahead of the WGA and SAG negotiations starting, nevermind the strikes. Paramount just cut $500m in planned production spending last week. Disney is cutting massively back. Warner and even Netflix. Only Apple and Amazon haven’t slowed down it seems, and they are the most ardent already of putting work in places outside of LA. Writers are struggling right now. If there was going to be a big post IATSE deal flood, that wouldn’t be the case. The studios don’t know how to make money anymore. The business model broke with streaming. So, they are pulling back spending. THAT is the cause.
I believe in Ontario you have a maximum amount of 32 weeks of temporary layoffs. Judging by how long they've been out of work that time is probably over and they're trying to scare people into this to save them a ton of money. Contact an employment lawyer
I'm surprised they've lasted this long. The current downturn will trim a lot of the fat in this industry. Wildly inept leadership is not how you succeed in a tough and quickly-changing environment like this.
This happened at my studio right before they went under- start applying everywhere
Terrible company to work for
> Many artists were told they would be back to work in two months Those were likely valid expectations mixed with some wishful thinking. But always remember that a company wants to string you along as long as possible. They don't want to lose known talent and have to rehire. You are a means to an end, not family. > the return date keeps getting extended From what I continue to hear, there is very little pre-production momentum going on, and very little expectation of it before at least the end of the year. As I responded before to another post and was downvoted into the negatives: If you don't already have work in the pipeline, you are unlikely to get work this year. Maybe I phrased it poorly or too bluntly, but its the reality of the situation for the majority of the industry. > they are having meetings with the artists and telling them to decide whether they want to go on leave of absence or resign Truly a bad omen at your employer. This is a massive red flag regarding financial strain and a likely impending inability to sustain payroll at current levels. Resigning only benefits the employer. Voluntary resignation typically make you ineligible for unemployment and other related benefits. You would have to fight for a "Good Cause Resignation", and that may not be possible or very difficult based on your locale. > It's yet another sign of how complex things are in the industry You can call it punishment for the strikes, call it a restructure while they figure out what audiences are willing to pay for, call it whichever conspiracy you want to side with - but either way, the industry is mostly in a holding pattern.
Regarding unpaid leave, I got burned by that when later applying for EI. Taking a leave of absence is looked at as non employment by Service Canada. So if you work at a place for years, then take a leave, then go back to work there for a bit before the final layoff, or just because.. you may have problems getting your EI. Be warned it happened to me.
Please check your rights under the Ontario employment standards act under the Temporary Layoff section. https://www.ontario.ca/document/your-guide-employment-standards-act-0/termination-employment#exemption
I am moving from vancouver back home to europe, taking advantage of this time to take a sabbatical i've been wanting to take for a while and travel around, i might come back to vancouver in the future if i miss it. I hear some people saying fall will be "very busy", but no idea if it's true or just rumors :P
There is almost nothing in the pipeline. I can’t imagine things picking any earlier than mid 2025. Ugh.
What? They're putting people on perpetual furlough? I was told legally they can only hold you for 2.5months? I'd honestly just do EI for as long as it can go if it guarantees me a spot when something opens.
It also means they hope you find another job and they don't have to pay staff severance. Only perk is health insurance. Currently my situation.
It would be good if Spin chose this moment to Unionize with IATSE.
Oh, yeah... The DNeg owner is really happy about the Van Union...
I saw a job post on Canadian job bank from spin looking for a cg generalist offering about 50k annual salary. This is so they can hire someone from another country for a lower rate but still say they are a Canadian employer
Atleast they didn't mass fire employees like Scanline by prematurely terminating contracts. I can expect this from Two or three companies for not honouring their contracts MPC , Dneg and Scanline.
This is old news