Another alarm bell went off on the state of U.S.-based film and television production with the release of an extensive report commissioned by several of the Hollywood unions that illustrates what industry insiders have feared for some time: After a quarter century of rapid transformation and external disruptions, U.S. film and television production is on the brink.
The report finds that the share of the actual number of films by major U.S. studios on movies filmed partially or primarily in the U.S. declined 12 points from 66% to 54%. TV episodes have seen a 26-point decline from 96% of television episodes by major U.S. studios filmed partially or primarily in the U.S. to just 70%.
The impact on workers is evident. For total cast and crew working on major studio films, the share of cast and crew working on movies filmed partially or primarily in the U.S. declined 29 points from 72% to 43%. For TV, the share is down 28 points from 86% to 58%.
“When read in tandem with a recent study by the Motion Picture Association, unless action is taken America will continue to lose ground in retaining this industry and the middle-class jobs it provides,” the unions said in a statement on Monday.
Read more