Behind the scenes of B.C.’s struggling film and TV industry

Questions are being raised about the viability of British Columbia’s film and TV industry as those on the frontlines say the work has all but dried up.

Teresa Weston is a production designer, and she tells 1130 NewsRadio she hasn’t worked in 14 months. Weston, who’s been in the field for 30 years, adds she’s been forced to dip into her savings to make ends meet.

“I’m fortunate I don’t have a mortgage,” she explained.

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Weston feels the heyday of ‘Hollywood North’ may be dead, at least for the time being.

“For now. They might come back,” said Weston. “Now, the amount of work is way less. The whole industry is in a mess. It did decline greatly.”

She says it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find work.

“It’s not like some kind of jobs where you can go out and generate work — sales or something. The work has to come here. It’s great when it’s good … but I knew the bubble was always going to burst.”

Weston says she used to work in London, England, before making the move to Vancouver — a city she thought was the hub of production.

“It was very disappointing coming to Vancouver. The kind of work is a lot less interesting. Vancouver is more of a TV town, really. There are some features made, but usually so much of the bigger features will be out of town,” she explained.

Neil Westlake is a graphic designer based in Vancouver who has been in the industry for more than two decades.

“There, essentially, isn’t much of a film industry left to speak of at the moment,” he told 1130 NewsRadio.

He believes this is all happening for a few reasons, including other regions offering competitive tax breaks, TV shows ordering fewer episodes per season, fewer commercials being shot locally, the writers strike that happened, and parts of the industry still recovering from the pandemic.

“One could often find oneself working 10 or 11 months out of every year. There were good times to have. But we’re in a situation now where seven months ago, we’re talking about commercials are down by 30 per cent, features are down by 57 per cent, TV is down by 54 per cent,” he said.

“Now it’s crickets basically, it’s tumbleweed. There’s nothing going on.”

Westlake says the lack of consistent work is taking a toll on people mentally and financially.

“People are really, really hurting. People are dipping into their RRSPs, they’re medical coverage is running out, and people are not eating out. They’re having trouble with car loans and trouble making mortgage payments,” he said.

“I know many people who haven’t had any employment for two years. We’re at a point now, I believe, where the return of any kind of viable working film industry is in doubt.”

The 58-year-old says things are so tough that some people are considering leaving the industry, including him.

“I live very, very frugally. I think the thing that keeps me going, personally as an artist, is I’m able to be creative in a work capacity.”

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Alicia Kafka, a script supervisor, says the last few years have been incredibly challenging.

“I know I’m not alone in this. Many skilled professionals — script supervisors, production crew, designers, and other creatives are feeling the effects of the slowdown. The industry is built on collaboration, yet so many talented people are being overlooked simply because there’s less work to go around. Close friends of mine have sold their gear and are moving on to other careers,” she said.

Kafka has more than 25 years of experience and says she’s still passionate about the work.

“The challenges aren’t just local. People are struggling everywhere. With the impact of the California fires, there’s growing concern that Hollywood may start pulling back productions from Vancouver, redirecting funds to rebuild and invest in their own local industry. If that happens, it could mean even fewer opportunities for Vancouver’s film crews, making an already tough situation even harder.”

Despite all this, she’s hopeful for the future.

“I love this industry, and I believe in its ability to bounce back. I’m hopeful that new projects and productions will open doors for those of us who are still willing to work and bring our expertise to the table.”

IATSE 891, the union representing workers in the industry, sent 1130 NewsRadio a statement acknowledging the difficulties. It says global production has seen a reduction of 40 per cent.

“The B.C. industry has been hit particularly hard … 75-80 per cent of our work is foreign service, and the reduction in global spend is impacting other jurisdictions similarly,” the union said.

It says it’s working with stakeholders to get projects back in B.C.

“During this prolonged spell of reduced productions, members have had to turn to other industries to make ends meet. We are working hard to make sure B.C. comes back as a top production hub, employing the thousands of highly skilled artists and technicians that have helped build our reputation as world class.”

1130 NewsRadio has reached out to Creative BC for comment.