(Toronto) The “historic” double strike of American screenwriters and then actors, which lasted more than four months, will have paralyzed this sector and disrupted the lives of many of the tens of thousands of Canadian artists and technicians who depend on productions Americans for their work.
America’s actors’ strike ended on November 9, when their Guild reached a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents streaming platforms and studios including Disney, Netflix and Amazon. The union authorities voted in favor of the agreement in principle a few days later, touting gains on the main points in dispute, such as the increase in the minimum wage and protections on the use of artificial intelligence.
The agreement, which lasts three years, is now subject to a ratification vote by members until December 5. And since the Screenwriters Guild ratified its own agreement with the studios in October, signs of life are starting to reappear in the Canadian film sector.
Some filming that was ready to begin at the time of the strike is already preparing to resume after the holiday break. But observers predict it may be months before production is at full speed, as producers wait to learn the new terms of the agreements.
Vancouver Film Commissioner Geoff Teoli said there has been a slight increase in prep work and the pre-production schedule since the end of the actors’ strike, and he expects some filming in his city by the end of the year. But he doesn’t expect a full recovery in this important Canadian manufacturing hub until spring 2024, after seeing a 75-80% drop in usual activity in Vancouver for 2023.
Mr Teoli heard from producers that there was an immediate need for projects “on time and on budget” as “time is of the essence and money is tight” following the strikes.
The resolution of the labor dispute in the United States is something to rejoice the Toronto talent agent Karin Martin, in particular for many of her artists who have not worked for almost a year – the American studios had anticipated the means pressure since last winter and reduced orders. But she warns Canadian artists that they could find themselves in a very transformed situation.
“We’ve already seen huge changes in our industry, especially when we moved from cinema to digital, and this is another big one,” she says. It’s going to be huge for the sector. This will reduce it considerably. »
Despite these two strikes, “old studios” and streaming platforms still made short-term profits, collecting revenue from online services and ready-to-play content, without spending on production, says Ms. Martin. She predicts that this formula of lower production spending will likely continue after the strike.
“I don’t think there will be as much money as there was before. It will be very focused on how each cent is spent, whereas before it was a little more fluid, she said. Between artistic creation and production budgets, I think that the compromise will go a little more towards financial results than towards artistic ones. »
