"The malaise threatens “below-the-line” crew members such as grips, electricians, carpenters, set decorators, sound engineers, costume designers and makeup artists who came to Hollywood because that was where the work was. If that allure fades they could take their talents elsewhere, sending the ecosystem into a death spiral."
"Filming in Los Angeles is at a historic low, with some suggesting the city might go the way of Detroit
"When screenwriter David Scarpa visits the great Hollywood studios these days, he is struck by what is missing. “It used to be you’d walk around those back lots and you’d see many people and they were very busy,” Scarpa muses. “They were like small cities. Now often you’ll walk around and have nobody else there. It feels empty. You definitely feel the absence of life on those lots.”
"Like the once proud industrial factories of the midwest, the dream factories of southern California are in decline. Last year was the worst for on-location filming in Los Angeles since tracking began 30 years ago apart from pandemic-hit 2020. Of all the TV shows and feature films that North American audiences watch, only one-fifth are now made in California.
"This is because Hollywood is facing intense competition for film production from domestic rivals such as Atlanta and New York, and international challengers such as Australia, Britain and Canada, all offering more aggressive financial incentives. California’s politicians stand accused of resting on their laurels too long.
"Donald Trump has a plan but, critics say, it will be no more effective for Hollywood than his notorious tariffs for the rust belt. The US president’s appointment of the actors Mel Gibson, Sylvester Stallone and Jon Voight (combined age 233) as “special ambassadors” to rescue the local industry met with widespread scepticism. Instead campaigners are focused on the hard graft of legislating new tax incentives in California’s state government." . . .
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