Vancouver: After a dismal first six months in which Vancouver’s production volumes were off by 50% and unemployed film workers sang a song of woe, the outlook is somewhat brighter for the remainder of 2002.

‘Nobody is doing back flips,’ cautions John Juliani, president of the Union of BC Performers, with its 3,000 full members. ‘But business is picking up.’

Actors are some of the hardest hit in what can better be described as an economic twist, rather than a simple economic slowdown in West Coast production.

Compared with 2000 (instead of the anomalous 2001, marked by strike fears and the effects of the events of Sept. 11), acting jobs are off up to 40% in the first six months.

At issue is the shift away from television to bigger-budget features and the cold realization for many local cast and crew that features aren’t the steady employers that series are. Actors, in particular, are affected by the slowdown of MOW and series production, which are more open to using local talent than larger-budget features.

Add to that the downward trend of the U.S. economy, the increasing competitiveness of international locations such as Australia and Eastern Europe, the loss of drama programming to reality TV, the tough international sales market, a sharp drop in domestic output, and the arguable impact of the ‘Blame Canada’ runaway production campaign, and volumes shrink and job opportunities evaporate.

The B.C. branch of the Directors Guild of Canada says 20% of its 650 members are out of work. At ACFC West, 60% of its 600 members are jobless at present and rates are 5% lower than 2001. At IATSE 891, employment is generally down 22%, except in departments like construction, paint and set decoration.

However, Lindsay Allen, acting director of the BC Film Commission, insists the provincial industry is on track to match last year’s tally: $1.1 billion in direct spending.

‘We’re having a strong summer and we’ll have a stronger fall than last year,’ says Allen.

The Aug. 7 film list comprises seven features in prep or production, such as X-Men II and Freddy vs. Jason, eight MOWs, including A Very Muppet Xmas, and 10 series, such as Andromeda and Cold Squad.

Allen points to the glut of production left over from last year’s pre-strike-deadline bonanza, the growth of reality TV, the overall downturn in expenditures and the conspicuous decline in Canadian domestic production as business-numbing variables. Less of a problem, he adds, is the Film & Television Action Committee’s protectionist lobby.

‘Maybe the odd one [production] is lost, but we’re getting lots of scripts from the U.S.,’ says Allen.

Pete Mitchell, GM at Vancouver Film Studios and chair of the Motion Picture Production Industry Association, is confident the 2001 totals will be matched.

‘What people fail to remember is that last year there was nothing post-strike,’ says Mitchell. ‘Different people are getting work. Things change and we have to be prepared to change. [Overall], the outlook is good. We’re going to have a year in terms of dollars spent and shooting days similar to last year.’

‘It’s not the time to panic,’ says Juliani. ‘What we have to worry about as an industry is the greed factor. We are lax in the way we market [BC]. We have to remember what it was like when we went out to get work. It’s considered cheaper to do an MOW in Toronto.’

‘The industry has to find ways to remain competitive,’ says Elmar Theissen, business representative for IATSE Local 891, where members who work in preproduction and set construction have been very busy, while members focused on production, such as script supervisors, have suffered more down time.

Theissen says that people are not yet leaving the business in frustration. ‘They are pretty much hanging tight at this point.’

If there is a silver lining for anyone, it’s the independent producers who bring work to Vancouver.

Local producer Harvey Kahn, for instance, says production of his independent feature Wicked Season earlier this year was enhanced by the slowdown. He was able to attract a better crew that was inclined to work for lower rates, there were some equipment deals, and he was generally able to put more on the screen.

‘We had more breathing room and more experienced crews to do more and do it better,’ he says.

Amid the down Vancouver market, meanwhile, the BC Council of Film Unions, the DGC and UBCP are renegotiating their new collective master agreements, which should begin April 1 if all goes well.

The production lull sets the atmosphere for negotiations, admits Tom Adair, executive director or the BC Council of Film Unions.

‘If we were in a seller’s market, we could afford to be greedy,’ he says. ‘That’s not happening now. Nothing like being out of work a bit to make you realize where you are in the universe.’