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乌鸦传媒檚 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乌鸦传媒檚 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 乌鸦传媒� a dispute between actors and producers 乌鸦传媒� was resolved last week, bringing hope Vancouver乌鸦传媒檚 industry will soon come back to life.

But most expect that work won乌鸦传媒檛 return for weeks or months. In the meantime, most of the city乌鸦传媒檚 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乌鸦传媒檚 a message he says he乌鸦传媒檚 seen online: 乌鸦传媒淐heck on your film homies.乌鸦传媒�

乌鸦传媒淚t just seems like a really casual way to say that people are really suffering, existentially,乌鸦传媒� said Greene. 乌鸦传媒淭his whole demographic of workers is struggling.乌鸦传媒�

Union locals in Vancouver say they乌鸦传媒檙e getting calls from members about to lose their homes. Many have exhausted what financial support there is.

乌鸦传媒淚 get calls every week from people who need help,乌鸦传媒� said Crystal Braunwarth, business representative for the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 891, which represents roughly 10,000 Vancouver-area film workers. 乌鸦传媒淚 point them in every single direction I can. And it乌鸦传媒檚 not enough.乌鸦传媒�

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.

乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 sad, because we乌鸦传媒檙e a victim of a labour movement that isn乌鸦传媒檛 ours,乌鸦传媒� said Wendy Newton, business agent for the International Cinematographers Guild Local 669.

乌鸦传媒淲e乌鸦传媒檙e a little stuck in the middle.乌鸦传媒�

Newton began work in Vancouver乌鸦传媒檚 film sector before it became known as Hollywood North.

In the 乌鸦传媒�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.乌鸦传媒檚 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乌鸦传媒檚 union doubled from 5,000 to more than 10,000. Newton乌鸦传媒檚 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乌鸦传媒檛 stop the thirst for new shows. 乌鸦传媒淧eople couldn乌鸦传媒檛 get enough content,乌鸦传媒� Newton said. 乌鸦传媒淚t was unmanageable, really. We were so busy.乌鸦传媒�

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乌鸦传媒檛 vote for it, nor could their members legally refuse to work.

But the overwhelming majority of B.C.乌鸦传媒檚 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乌鸦传媒� strike ended, Braunwarth estimated only between five and 10 per cent of her union乌鸦传媒檚 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乌鸦传媒檛 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乌鸦传媒檛 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. 乌鸦传媒淓veryone I乌鸦传媒檓 close with has resorted to just doing this or that,乌鸦传媒� Greene said.

For many, it乌鸦传媒檚 just not enough. Hundreds have filed requests for financial aid to the Actors乌鸦传媒� Fund of Canada, a non-profit that provides short-term financial support to entertainment professionals of all careers.

David Hope, the fund乌鸦传媒檚 executive director, said they normally dispense about $1 million in financial aid in a year. In 2023, they乌鸦传媒檝e given out $1.7 million to nearly 900 people affected by the American strikes 乌鸦传媒� 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.

乌鸦传媒淧eople are contacting us who are at risk of homelessness, who are experiencing food insecurity,乌鸦传媒� Hope said.

Unions and business partners, Hope said, have stepped up donations to keep the charity going. But he said the charity乌鸦传媒檚 one-time $1,800 in support is no substitute for a steady income.

乌鸦传媒淭his is just a small slice of the great need that乌鸦传媒檚 out there,乌鸦传媒� 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乌鸦传媒檚 Office would not confirm that claim, and Eby乌鸦传媒檚 office didn乌鸦传媒檛 respond to multiple requests for comment.

IATSE 891 also deferred dues payments for all its members. It乌鸦传媒檚 offering help with mortgage restructuring to members who can乌鸦传媒檛 pay their bills. It worked out a deal with producers allowing film workers to tap into up to $3,000 of the employer乌鸦传媒檚 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 乌鸦传媒� like workers in hair or makeup or special effects 乌鸦传媒� 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.

乌鸦传媒淔or the last 10 years, it乌鸦传媒檚 been really consistent,乌鸦传媒� said Stewart, who works for the B.C. branch of the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists, or ACTRA. 乌鸦传媒淎ll of a sudden, this gigantic hammer has come down, and there乌鸦传媒檚 nothing.乌鸦传媒�

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.

乌鸦传媒淭hey乌鸦传媒檙e having various mental health crises due to not being able to pay their rent, not being able to feed their families,乌鸦传媒� 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.

乌鸦传媒淭hat乌鸦传媒檚 been really missing, is those connections,乌鸦传媒� Stewart said. 乌鸦传媒淚 know there乌鸦传媒檚 been people struggling with their mental health.乌鸦传媒�

The news came during a downpour on a rainy Thursday night in Vancouver 乌鸦传媒� the actors乌鸦传媒� union had a deal.

乌鸦传媒淭hey乌鸦传媒檙e so excited. They乌鸦传媒檙e like, let乌鸦传媒檚 come on, let乌鸦传媒檚 go,乌鸦传媒� Huget said. 乌鸦传媒淧eople are really hungry to get back to work.乌鸦传媒�

In a written statement, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport Lana Popham said she is 乌鸦传媒渙ptimistic that B.C. will continue to be a top destination for U.S. productions once the labour dispute is fully resolved.乌鸦传媒� There乌鸦传媒檚 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乌鸦传媒檛 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乌鸦传媒檚 film board, tax credits and other domestic supports.

Canadian Heritage spokesman David Larose said that乌鸦传媒檚 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.

乌鸦传媒淭hey need to invest in content producers, in creatives that live in the West, that shoot in the West, that produce in the West,乌鸦传媒� she said.

Huget said B.C.乌鸦传媒檚 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.

乌鸦传媒淚 would never say that we shouldn乌鸦传媒檛 have enticed the Americans to come, because it built the industry we have now,乌鸦传媒� Huget said. 乌鸦传媒淏ut within that, we need to use that skill set we have here乌鸦传媒� 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.乌鸦传媒�

Braunwarth believes the industry isn乌鸦传媒檛 going to be the same after the strikes.

乌鸦传媒淲e anticipate it going back to more of a cyclical industry, or not as much boom,乌鸦传媒� Braunwarth said. 乌鸦传媒淭he boom time is over.乌鸦传媒�

READ ALSO:

READ ALSO: