Strike action south of the border by both the Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) and the Writers Guild of America (WGA) has producers, film commissioners and other screen sector stakeholders assessing the impact across Canada.
“So much production had come to a halt already simply because of the writers’ strike. Now that the actors have joined the writers on the picket line, it’s gone from 50% or 60% of production in Canada to 60% or 70%,” estimates Martin Katz, founding president of Toronto-based Prospero Pictures.
With three feature films in post-production and none in production, Katz says that he has not been directly affected by the dual strikes. However, he has two films in early development for which he would like to attach “identifiable name actors” in order to help acquire financing.
“If they’re Screen Actors Guild members, they’re not allowed to even read scripts,” says Katz.
However, SAG-AFTRA is reportedly working on an agreement where independent Canadian producers — not affiliated with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers , which is involved in the current labour dispute — would be able to hire SAG members under a waiver system for the duration of the strike.
Eleanor Noble, national president of the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA), says that her 28,000-member union is closely following the SAG-AFTRA strike as ACTRA’s independent production agreement with the Canadian Media Producers Association expires next year. “Their fight is our fight,” she says. “We share the same issues.” (ACTRA is also embroiled in a 15-month lockout in the commercial sector with the Institute of Canadian Agencies’ 15 advertising agencies.)
Noble says the WGA strike, followed by that of SAG-AFTRA, has resulted in fewer auditions and casting opportunities for ACTRA members.
The impact of both work stoppages will extend beyond principal casts and crews and affect other elements of production, from set photography and scenic design to carpentry and catering, adds Katz.
“I think there’s a real chill about how deeply this is going to affect everybody at every level of production,” he explains.
The scope of the impact for production across the country is too early to tell, but Karen Thorne-Stone, president and CEO, Ontario Creates, told Playback Daily in a statement that the “labour disruptions are having a negative impact on production levels in Ontario.”
She said the provincial agency that oversees Ontario’s creative industries cannot “speculate on the long-term impacts of the strike at this time,” but “respect[s] the negotiation process as the parties tackle challenging issues including evolving business models and emerging technologies.”
“We are mindful of the impact of reduced production levels on workers and businesses across Ontario, and hope for a speedy resolution,” said Thorne-Stone, adding that “Ontario Creates looks forward to welcoming back a full slate of production at that time.”
Last year, Ontario’s film and television industry contributed a record-breaking $3.15 billion to Ontario’s economy, creating 45,891 “high-value” full-time equivalent direct and spin-off jobs for Ontarians, according to Ontario Creates, which added that domestic production accounts for 38% of production spending in the province.
Geoff Teoli, Vancouver’s film commissioner, told Playback Daily in a statement that it was “too early to provide a comprehensive assessment regarding the impact” of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes on the city and British Columbia’s film economy.
“The city understands that the current situation, with the collective bargaining and the concerns surrounding artificial intelligence, is complex and impacts various stakeholders within the film industry,” said Teoli.
“While we may not have direct insight into these negotiations, we recognize the well-articulated concerns raised by industry experts who are more closely involved in this matter.”
In the current dual labour disputes, both unions are calling for higher residuals for streaming productions, as well as better regulation regarding the use of generative artificial intelligence tools involving an actor’s likeness or writing scripts, among other issues.
“During this challenging period,” said Teoli, Vancouver “remains committed to providing permitting and operational support to film productions that can continue their work despite the strikes.”
“We also pledge our support to those eagerly looking to resume their activities once the strikes are resolved,” he said, adding that the city “will continue to closely monitor the situation” and acknowledges “the difficulties that our residents and businesses are facing, as they heavily rely on the film industry for their livelihoods.”
According to the latest figures from the Vancouver Economic Commission, the city’s film, television, visual effects and animation industries generated a record $4.8 billion toward B.C.’s economy in 2021, or $1.4 billion more than was reported in the previous year.
To the east in Nova Scotia, productions not involving SAG-AFTRA actors will continue as planned, said Laura Mackenzie, executive director, Screen Nova Scotia, in a statement.
However, she acknowledged there “may be a delay in some projects’ start dates, but that remains uncertain.”
“If it does impact production, we’ll see delayed production come to life almost instantly once terms are reached,” said Mackenzie. “If possible, Screen Nova Scotia will work with our community to help ensure as many of the productions that are planned for this year are able to film in this calendar year.”
She said that the province’s film commission “defers to the local unions and guilds to keep their memberships apprised of ongoing strike-related updates,” adding that “unfortunately these situations are unpredictable.”
Meanwhile, Ottawa’s film commissioner, Sandrine Pechels de Saint Sardos, told Playback Daily that it was “too early to comment” on the effects of the SAG-AFTRA strike on production in the national capital. However, in May, she expected that if the WGA stoppage, which began on May 2, lasted for 100 days — as the guild’s last one did in 2007 to ’08 — it would “definitely” result in a slowdown in Ottawa starting in September.
Ottawa filmmaker Maxwell McGuire, however, says that he is “still making movies” as his productions are not signatories to either of the U.S. unions.
The “only upside” to the two strikes, he says, “is that some talent previously unavailable might be available to us but for all the wrong reasons.”
Image: Unsplash