A 5,000 Mile View of the Current Film Industry with Practical Advice for Beginners:
Are you passionate about working in the film industry, do you love the profound societal impact of preeminent movies/shows/documentaries? Are you looking for a high paying career that’s also dynamic/exciting? Well… there’s a 50/50 chance that following the path of film work (which also includes creatives/directors/actors) could still be a good career choice current day. Unfortunately, with the rise of social media (YouTube/Tik Tok/etc.) & immersive video games; added to the apathy towards (substandard) modern day film content and the rise of AI alternatives… there’s also a 50/50 chance of this path ending on the cold-cold streets.
It’s the tail end of 2024 and for our BC film industry Canada at least, productions are few and work is scarce. Gone was the glorious decade of endless shows & bountiful shifts since Metro Vancouver (aka Hollywood North) started its run back in 2014. So many local and foreign workers were hired with full employment… some of the immigrant film workers became full union members + benefits before they even got their citizenship.
Now the waiting game of attrition is the only way most non-senior/well connected members (of which thankfully I am) are dealing with work in local film. Shifts & positions are made available as older members retire (and sadly expire), fellow workers leave the film industry to find other jobs and poor performers are left to idle. For non-member permittees the work is non-existent save for production assistant gigs and ACFC (Canadian/lesser-known productions) & indie work.
Things are quite gloomy for many above the line crew as well… though their version of a slowdown might mean fewer houses & luxury vehicles vs not being able to pay rent/mortgage/car payments/put food on the table. The streets can be very mean to those accustomed/indebted to a higher standard of living gained from big film paycheques. One must save/prepare like the furtive prepper, for that is the way of any gig economy… yet how easily have many forgotten this truth and treated the streaming wars as the beginning of a new limitless exponential growth paradigm in the entertainment industry. We now know the outcome is quite the opposite.
Those looking to transition into the film industry from other similar industries (hairdressers, construction, carpenters, painters, etc.) for better pay and more work; now is a very-very bad time. New hires from as recent as 2yrs back are languishing in Employment Insurance purgatory waiting for a cyclical rebound. Many seasoned film crew can tell you how things back in the old days were eerily similar to what’s happening right now… meaning film work had always been seasonal, and was drastically different from the non-stop pace of the past 10yrs. Citing a history of reoccurring booms & slowdowns in productions.
Some would go much further in the negative path and predict a future in which the entire film industry will not exist… not in the form that needs many human employees, actors or even creatives. Advances in graphics processing as we as AI generation are happening at an exponential pace. Film jobs & roles are steadily being done by machines instead of people… and many members of the general audient would argue that the non-humans are gong a much better job.
Well… if you’re young, eager and straight outta high school/college then there’s still chance of a bright future for you in film. You probably don’t have many of the big life expenses as those older than you and you’re prolly living off cheap/free rent on your parent’s dime. You have all the time in the world to learn all the new technological/AI skills required in future film productions. As many current crew move to greener pastures due to the lack of full-time work, you youngins have opportunities to come into film as part-time workers and slowly grind your way up while learning on the job. This goes for the ones looking for acting/directing/writing positions as well… though it’s a path not too dissimilar to trying ta make it big in the casino.
Anyhow, it would be quite a relief if things return to normal next year AND we might even experience a renaissance/resurgence of exceptional new or classic IPs. Films that respect the audience and cater to the fans. That would be awesome, because that would also mean that me and my film brothers/sisters can continue to do what we love in an industry that’s never boring and oh so rewarding. If not, then y’all better have a plan B, C & D. Good luck, and have a great day!
