Hollywood unions warn US film and TV production is leaving home
Hollywood's biggest labour unions say the United States is losing the job of making its own films and television.
An extensive report released Monday warns that US-based film and television production is on the brink. It was commissioned by seven unions: the Directors Guild of America, IATSE, the Laborers' International Union of North America, SAG-AFTRA, the Teamsters, and the Writers Guild of America East and West, according to Deadline.
The study tracks 25 years, from 1999 to 2024. For cinema, the share of spending by major US studios on movies filmed partly or mainly in the US fell 32 percentage points, from 74% to 42%. Television followed a similar path. The share of spending on TV production filmed partly or mainly in the US fell 30 points, from 94% to 64%.
Fewer titles are shooting at home too. The share of major-studio films shot partly or mainly in the US slipped 12 points, from 66% to 54%. For TV, the share of episodes fell further, down 26 points from 96% to 70%.
Jobs followed the cameras. For major-studio films, the share of total cast and crew working on US-shot titles fell 29 points, from 72% to 43%. For TV, the share fell 28 points, from 86% to 58%. The cameras moved. The work moved with them.
The analysis covers only one slice of the business. It looked at scripted, live-action productions from larger studios, meaning feature films with budgets of at least $5 million. For TV, it counted episodes costing at least $1 million if under 41 minutes, or $1.7 million if longer.
In a joint statement Monday, the unions said the findings should be read alongside a recent Motion Picture Association study. Unless action is taken, they said, America will continue to lose ground in retaining the industry and middle-class jobs.
One proposed answer is already in motion. Entertainment industry groups have launched the U.S. Film & TV Production Coalition to back a federal production incentive, a tax break designed to cut the cost of shooting in the US. That launch was reported in September, according to Deadline.
For viewers, this is not about where a story is set. A series set in Chicago can be filmed in Vancouver or Manchester. It is about where the crews are hired, and which towns get the months of work that come with a shoot.
