Two strikes against local film crews Hollywood walkout means lean summer ahead By: Cierra Bettens Posted: 6:46 PM CDT Wednesday, Jul. 26, 2023 Last Modified: 5:44 PM CDT Thursday, Jul. 27, 2023 Updates

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This article was published 26/07/2023 (800 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As striking actors and writers have slammed the brakes on Hollywood productions, work is drying up for many Winnipeg film professionals.

After wrapping up a Canadian TV show production last week, props master Nathan Enns isn’t sure when he’ll find work. As he scanned a web page for active local productions, only a few results popped up.

“It’s fairly common in film to have a break,” says Enns, 38. “It’s just that usually there are things on the horizon.”

When the Writers Guild of America, which represents 11,500 screenwriters, went on strike in May, some local productions came to a standstill. When the Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG–AFTRA) began striking on July 14, Winnipeg productions began to shutter on a larger scale.

“When the writers strike started, we didn’t see as big of an impact because, of course, many of the scripts that had been greenlit for Manitoba didn’t need rewrites,” says Rod Bruinooge, the interim chief executive officer and film commissioner for Manitoba Film and Music.

“When SAG voted to strike, the impact was immediate… without (the actors), the project can’t proceed.”

It isn’t the first time Enns, who has worked in the industry for more than a decade, has had to go on EI post-production. In a gig-based market, uncertainty is part of the job.

For now, he’s enjoying summer in Manitoba, with plans to hit the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival and the Gimli International Film Festival. If the strike continues into the fall, he’ll have to reassess and potentially pick up a non-industry job.

“I rarely get summers (off), so I’m trying to enjoy it a little bit,” he says.

Thanks to a swath of tax incentives, Winnipeg and Manitoba have become attractive shooting locations over the years. At any given time, Bruinooge says, approximately 60 to 70 per cent of the province’s film industry is composed of American productions. In the 2021-22 fiscal year, the Manitoba film industry generated $365 million.

Compared with Toronto and Vancouver, Winnipeg’s market is somewhat less reliant on American productions, Bruinooge says.

“In that sense, I think we are a little more insulated from this. Nonetheless, it’s still going to have a big impact if it goes a long time,” he says.

Both the WGA and SAG–AFTRA are demanding a series of changes, including increased compensation and streaming residuals. They’re also calling for tighter regulations around AI usage in the industry.

In some cases, actors who are dual members of SAG–AFTRA and the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) can continue working on productions. An FAQ about the strikes on ACTRA’s website stated that “performers under an existing contract in Canada have a legal obligation to work and will not be asked by SAG–AFTRA to withhold services.”

Nicolas Phillips, president of IATSE Local 856 — the union representing specialty artists, technicians and freelance craft workers — says the last time they’ve witnessed an industry labour action of this magnitude was during the 2007-08 WGA strike. Workers were on picket lines for 100 days, which resulted in a US$2.1-billion dent in California’s economy.

As the two strikes carry on, Phillips believes the labour action will benefit the industry in the long run.

“We understand and know that there’s going to be some short-term pain in terms of this. Nobody wants to be out of work,” he says. “We also understand that the issues happening in the States are important ones.

“If one sector of the industry isn’t being paid ethically, there’s a domino effect… it will affect Canada as much as the United States.”

“Quite a few of my personal friends who also work in film have taken a leave and have also been having to look for second jobs because of the financial strain.”–Sabrina Sainsbury

Background actor Sabrina Sainsbury, 20, was just getting a start in the industry before the strike. Recently, Sainsbury noticed that ACTRA members had been leaving a TV production. In solidarity, they say, they are also not taking the job.

No one from ACTRA was available for an interview with the Free Press.

Sainsbury, who lives with family and doesn’t have to worry about paying bills, is working in retail during the strike.

“Quite a few of my personal friends who also work in film have taken a leave and have also been having to look for second jobs because of the financial strain,” Sainsbury says.

Long hours, inconsistent work and inadequate wages have been a constant in Sainsbury’s work as a background actor.

“A lot of times, it’s standing around doing nothing for eight hours in hopes of getting in for five seconds of film,” Sainsbury says. “I’m really hoping the strike will give the actors — both background and front line — the ability to make the money they deserve and get all the benefits they generally need.”

While it’s creating more “lean time” for now, Enns feels the impact of the strikes will have a ripple effect across borders.

“Corporations have far too much power,” Enns says. “As soon as we show what collective action can do and how powerful it is, that does strengthen our union.”

cierra.bettens@winnipegfreepress.com