Is This True my UK Brothers and Sisters?

[PMC]

Here in the Midwest USA work has been very scarce this year. Worse than the COVID years. I didn't realize it might be international. Is this headline true?

 

 

[The Documentary Sound Guy]

The stat I saw a few months ago is that production was down 40% worldwide (meaning, money spent dropped 40%).

We (Vancouver) had a very slow start to the year, but my impression is that it's picked up in the last month.  Not sure if just that's because a bunch of people left the industry, but I've seen a lot more people looking for boom ops recently, and fewer mixers fire saling equipment.  Still not hopping, but it's improved.

[The Immoral Mr Teas]

I heard that the Guardian reported such a headline earlier this year - and looking at the typeface that might well be the same report I heard about.

 

As far as I'm concerned there has been a dramatic fall on the film front since Brexit started to get underway as a strong possibility (that is 2014, not 2016 or 2018/19 when the ties were actually severed). I personally missed the 'Netflix etc' boom (blip?) as I had family stuff happening but Covid followed that and I moved up north where there is virtually zero film / tv work in sound post production. But I would say dear old Brexit, coupled with a lack of support (training, financial, business) and a general non-understanding of not only the film and broadcast industries but also theatre, music, events and just about anything "creative" (and therefore the playground of the trust fund kids, not the hard-working class), has built up a dear old coffin for us. The government, in advocating a relaxation of copyright law rights to favour AI and other FU companies, is busy making nails.

 

I'm very much doing things in different sectors (I was offered a University Fellowship this year and am writing and researching) but many of these other sectors are generally also pretty drastically affected by our never satisfied xenophobic 51%

 

 

The industry charity (I just looked but couldn't see immediate statistics - but they will be there) has been particularly busy

 

The Film and TV Charity | The Film and TV Charity

 

as have the relevant charities for music, theatre, etc - all the sectors which the powers are quick to hold up as exemplary but do nothing to promote.

 

 

Jez

[codyman]

The first half of this year was terrible in Los Angeles.  That being said, I'm seeing more activity / had more union days this last month or two than the whole first half of the year so fingers crossed that something is thawing.