By Zak Vescera, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter THE TYEE
David Greene started making movies at the height of the boom.
It was 2015, and Vancouver香蕉视频直播檚 film industry was riding a wave of demand for new shows, fuelled by the advent of streaming platforms. Yellowjackets, The Good Doctor and the TV adaptation of A Series of Unfortunate Events were all filmed here.
The rush created thousands of jobs, including that of Greene, who is a dresser who prepares sets.
And then they stopped.
Vancouver香蕉视频直播檚 film boom has now turned to bust, and workers like Greene have become collateral damage in Hollywood strikes that all but paralyzed work in Hollywood North.
The second of those strikes 香蕉视频直播� a dispute between actors and producers 香蕉视频直播� was resolved last week, bringing hope Vancouver香蕉视频直播檚 industry will soon come back to life.
But most expect that work won香蕉视频直播檛 return for weeks or months. In the meantime, most of the city香蕉视频直播檚 16,000 film workers have gone months without working on set, and many have resorted to taking other jobs, mortgaging homes or draining savings to make ends meet.
Greene is worried about a second, related effect: plummeting mental health among his colleagues as the financial stress piles up.
There香蕉视频直播檚 a message he says he香蕉视频直播檚 seen online: 香蕉视频直播淐heck on your film homies.香蕉视频直播�
香蕉视频直播淚t just seems like a really casual way to say that people are really suffering, existentially,香蕉视频直播� said Greene. 香蕉视频直播淭his whole demographic of workers is struggling.香蕉视频直播�
Union locals in Vancouver say they香蕉视频直播檙e getting calls from members about to lose their homes. Many have exhausted what financial support there is.
香蕉视频直播淚 get calls every week from people who need help,香蕉视频直播� said Crystal Braunwarth, business representative for the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 891, which represents roughly 10,000 Vancouver-area film workers. 香蕉视频直播淚 point them in every single direction I can. And it香蕉视频直播檚 not enough.香蕉视频直播�
Union leaders are elated the strikes are over. But many say the disruption has triggered some soul-searching in British Columbia, a province whose film industry is almost entirely based on serving American clients.
香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 sad, because we香蕉视频直播檙e a victim of a labour movement that isn香蕉视频直播檛 ours,香蕉视频直播� said Wendy Newton, business agent for the International Cinematographers Guild Local 669.
香蕉视频直播淲e香蕉视频直播檙e a little stuck in the middle.香蕉视频直播�
Newton began work in Vancouver香蕉视频直播檚 film sector before it became known as Hollywood North.
In the 香蕉视频直播�90s and early years of this century, Newton said, workers knew the sector cycled through booms and busts.
Then came 2015. A streaming gold rush driven by companies like Netflix fed rapid growth in B.C.香蕉视频直播檚 film and TV industry, creating ample work for everyone from stunt professionals to makeup artists to actors and creative designers.
Studios were drawn to B.C. in part because of its verdant landscape and proximity to Los Angeles. But the big draws were tax incentives, introduced over the years in the hopes of luring more work north.
In just six years, membership of Braunwarth香蕉视频直播檚 union doubled from 5,000 to more than 10,000. Newton香蕉视频直播檚 union, which represents camera operators, saw similar growth. There were tens of thousands of spinoff jobs, too, in everything from toilet rentals to catering to set design and prop creation.
Creative BC, an industry group supported by the provincial government, estimated the industry supported 88,000 jobs in B.C. and was worth $3.6 billion.
The business hit a brief slump when COVID-19 came, but even that couldn香蕉视频直播檛 stop the thirst for new shows. 香蕉视频直播淧eople couldn香蕉视频直播檛 get enough content,香蕉视频直播� Newton said. 香蕉视频直播淚t was unmanageable, really. We were so busy.香蕉视频直播�
Then, in May, the Writers Guild of America went on strike. A few months later, American actors represented by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, or SAG-AFTRA, followed suit.
None of the Canadian unions were actually on strike. They didn香蕉视频直播檛 vote for it, nor could their members legally refuse to work.
But the overwhelming majority of B.C.香蕉视频直播檚 film work is financed by American producers, meaning it often stars American talent and is made by American writers.
In 2022, for example, Creative BC estimated 88 per cent of all film spending in B.C. came from the United States.
That means the American strikes all but froze work in B.C., even after the WGA ended its strike in September.
In an interview earlier this month, before the actors香蕉视频直播� strike ended, Braunwarth estimated only between five and 10 per cent of her union香蕉视频直播檚 members were actually working in the film sector. She said many productions stopped work as early as last winter as fears of unrest spread.
Film jobs aren香蕉视频直播檛 easily replaced. Workers might work 12 hours a day or more during a production, followed by weeks of downtime. The jobs pay well and often require specific skills that don香蕉视频直播檛 easily transfer into other industries.
Greene found work helping set up and tear down concerts and other events. But many peers in the industry are working as general labourers or picking up gig jobs to pay bills. 香蕉视频直播淓veryone I香蕉视频直播檓 close with has resorted to just doing this or that,香蕉视频直播� Greene said.
For many, it香蕉视频直播檚 just not enough. Hundreds have filed requests for financial aid to the Actors香蕉视频直播� Fund of Canada, a non-profit that provides short-term financial support to entertainment professionals of all careers.
David Hope, the fund香蕉视频直播檚 executive director, said they normally dispense about $1 million in financial aid in a year. In 2023, they香蕉视频直播檝e given out $1.7 million to nearly 900 people affected by the American strikes 香蕉视频直播� not counting another 500 people whose applications are still on the wait-list. Hope said 41 per cent of those applications are from British Columbia.
香蕉视频直播淧eople are contacting us who are at risk of homelessness, who are experiencing food insecurity,香蕉视频直播� Hope said.
Unions and business partners, Hope said, have stepped up donations to keep the charity going. But he said the charity香蕉视频直播檚 one-time $1,800 in support is no substitute for a steady income.
香蕉视频直播淭his is just a small slice of the great need that香蕉视频直播檚 out there,香蕉视频直播� Hope said.
Many unions donated cash to the fund. Others helped out their members in different ways. Braunwarth and Newton say their unions lobbied Premier David Eby to push the federal government to extend unemployment benefits for laid-off film workers, an extension that never came.
The Prime Minister香蕉视频直播檚 Office would not confirm that claim, and Eby香蕉视频直播檚 office didn香蕉视频直播檛 respond to multiple requests for comment.
IATSE 891 also deferred dues payments for all its members. It香蕉视频直播檚 offering help with mortgage restructuring to members who can香蕉视频直播檛 pay their bills. It worked out a deal with producers allowing film workers to tap into up to $3,000 of the employer香蕉视频直播檚 contributions to their retirement funds.
That union was also trying to launch a partnership with the BC Building Trades that would have allowed laid-off film workers to take jobs normally reserved for those unions, provided they had the proper certifications. BC Building Trades members would then later be able to take IATSE jobs once work returned, Braunwarth said.
But many 香蕉视频直播� like workers in hair or makeup or special effects 香蕉视频直播� have a much harder time finding jobs that pay as much as film work during extended slowdowns.
Lori Stewart, a professional stuntwoman and health and safety advocate, said some professionals have skills that readily transfer to other jobs. Some older, more established workers might have had a chance to save up more cash. But few would have foreseen or prepared for a labour disruption that lasted this long. And thousands of newer workers, Stewart said, have never known the boom-and-bust cycle of the industry.
香蕉视频直播淔or the last 10 years, it香蕉视频直播檚 been really consistent,香蕉视频直播� said Stewart, who works for the B.C. branch of the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists, or ACTRA. 香蕉视频直播淎ll of a sudden, this gigantic hammer has come down, and there香蕉视频直播檚 nothing.香蕉视频直播�
With those financial challenges have come anxiety, stress and in some cases mental health problems. IATSE 891 has extended its health benefits until April, Braunwarth said, so members can get counselling.
香蕉视频直播淭hey香蕉视频直播檙e having various mental health crises due to not being able to pay their rent, not being able to feed their families,香蕉视频直播� said Liza Huget, chair of the mental health and addictions committee at the B.C. chapter of ACTRA.
Beyond the finances, many film workers interviewed for this story worried about colleagues who had lost routine, stimulation and connection.
香蕉视频直播淭hat香蕉视频直播檚 been really missing, is those connections,香蕉视频直播� Stewart said. 香蕉视频直播淚 know there香蕉视频直播檚 been people struggling with their mental health.香蕉视频直播�
The news came during a downpour on a rainy Thursday night in Vancouver 香蕉视频直播� the actors香蕉视频直播� union had a deal.
香蕉视频直播淭hey香蕉视频直播檙e so excited. They香蕉视频直播檙e like, let香蕉视频直播檚 come on, let香蕉视频直播檚 go,香蕉视频直播� Huget said. 香蕉视频直播淧eople are really hungry to get back to work.香蕉视频直播�
In a written statement, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport Lana Popham said she is 香蕉视频直播渙ptimistic that B.C. will continue to be a top destination for U.S. productions once the labour dispute is fully resolved.香蕉视频直播� There香蕉视频直播檚 little chance of a Canadian labour dispute film unions here voluntarily extended their deal with U.S. producers this spring, sending a clear signal their members want to work.
But Braunwarth warns the lead time required to prepare for filming means all the jobs won香蕉视频直播檛 come back at once.
She said producers have been clear that global spending will decline. The WGA won important reforms in its deal with American producers, Braunwarth said, including protections from artificial intelligence and pay reform. But an inevitable result will be that American shows will be more expensive and fewer will get made.
Newton and Braunwarth are hopeful the Canadian film market may fill the gap.
Right now, British Columbia is a distant third behind Ontario and Quebec when it comes to funding from Canada香蕉视频直播檚 film board, tax credits and other domestic supports.
Canadian Heritage spokesman David Larose said that香蕉视频直播檚 largely because B.C. filmmakers apply for far less funding and the provincial industry is focused more on the American market.
But Braunwarth believes the federal government could play a more active role in encouraging domestic film production that is less susceptible to labour shocks in the United States.
香蕉视频直播淭hey need to invest in content producers, in creatives that live in the West, that shoot in the West, that produce in the West,香蕉视频直播� she said.
Huget said B.C.香蕉视频直播檚 focus on the American market was important. But she believes the province should look to diversify its film work, in case the industry shifts or jolts again.
香蕉视频直播淚 would never say that we shouldn香蕉视频直播檛 have enticed the Americans to come, because it built the industry we have now,香蕉视频直播� Huget said. 香蕉视频直播淏ut within that, we need to use that skill set we have here香蕉视频直播� and bring some more B.C. content in addition, so if things slow down on the American side, at least we have something in place here.香蕉视频直播�
Braunwarth believes the industry isn香蕉视频直播檛 going to be the same after the strikes.
香蕉视频直播淲e anticipate it going back to more of a cyclical industry, or not as much boom,香蕉视频直播� Braunwarth said. 香蕉视频直播淭he boom time is over.香蕉视频直播�
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