I hear it time and time again.  There is no work.  My friends, people with years upon years of experience working on some of the highest profile films you know – are out of work still.  I say still and I mean still…from last year!  Now that’s a dry spell!  All their social and professional network contacts generally say the same thing:  ”Nothing going on” or “Hey it looks like this shop may be hiring” Suddenly everyone plows over to that shop and finds all the positions filled…weeks ago…for two days of work on a commercial.  Many times, when people do get work they are urged to “keep their mouths shut about it” by shop office managers, for fear of a deluge of resumes from incredibly overqualified people that the shop owner then has to turn away (and feels bad about by the way).

There are also the ranks of SFX pros that have diversified into other endeavors or that have left the biz altogether.  They cite the same mantra over and over.  The influx of incredibly cheap (or free) labor by “schools” promising a career as the next Rick Baker is a frequent and favorite gripe.  Another one is that the studios are just not making big budget effects driven films anymore.  Of course, shop owners are just being the best businesspeople they know how.  While trying to save their business, their skin and if possible stay above water –  people get pay cuts or let go.  It’s no different in any business office.

One disturbing shop trend now though has been to let the more experienced (and yes expensive) people go and bring in those crops of  inexpensive interns.  Responsibility is placed on supervisors to get the work done, on time and under budget.  Supervisor positions are sometimes filled with quality craftspeople that attempt to compensate for nearly no experience in their crew (and get blamed when it all goes wrong). When people start to get some experience, they feel justified enough to raise their prices.  Then shops find new people.

This does not apply if you are someone with a name, a reputation.  Right?  Wrong.  Dead wrong.  Sure people with the names and the skill sets that demand top dollar get work occasionally, but it’s not as often as you might think.  I am aware of several people that are known within the business as the finest at what they do.  They get hired even less than the new people.  Many have sadly moved on to other things.  It’s all the bottom line.

Clearly everyone thinks it’s one thing or another.  They think it’s driven by laziness or lack of loyalty, gossip or greed but truth be told it’s simply not one thing at all.  It’s a series of things all working in concert to bring down a once amazing, inspiring and colorful industry.  There is no rubber rockstars anymore.  I was told once by someone who will remain nameless, “there was a time when we would walk on set and it was like a michael bay film.  We walked on set in slow mo, we were like gods.”  Clearly those days are gone as hell.  Maybe to some extent, it’s for the best but would it kill a production to actually credit the people that made the film watchable?  Do you think a movie like G.I. Joe had any level of success because it was well written?  Don’t answer that.

The way I see it, this industry has suffered (partial list):

• Several back to back strikes in recent years that the business never fully recovered from
• A governator that until recently (see June 1) didn’t give a crap about runaway productions or tax incentives
• The worst economic downturn since the great depression and it’s subsequent credit crisis (Producers can’t get credit, the money doesn’t flow, people)
• Nosediving practical effects budgets and shortened deadlines
• DRAMATICALLY diminished definitions about what is “good enough” for the screen
• Saturated labor market thanks to schools cranking out lackluster, wide-eyed optimists every six weeks
• Raised expectations about what’s possible and a sincere lack of imagination from filmmakers – thanks primarily to CG.

How can a small businessman trying to eke out a buck making monsters be expected to do anything but watch his bottom line and his back?  Start by resetting expectations…next time in part 2.

To be continued.