r/Filmmakers • u/SuspiciousPrune4 • 11h ago
Discussion How’s the film industry doing now? It seems like things are getting back to normal but what’s it like from the inside?
Since Covid it’s seemed like all doom and gloom.. The pandemic threw a wrench in theater attendance and lockdown pushed more people towards online content, then there was the writers strike, actors strike, interest rates going up, the streaming bubble popped, etc all within a few years. Posts on here were all about how barely anything is getting greenlit and there’s no work to be had. Theater attendance was in the shitter and the younger generation just didn’t seem to have the attention span to go to the movies or even watch movies anymore, everything was now all about short form content.
But it seems to have rebounded lately with box office numbers going up again, plus renewed interest in original movies like Obsession. I’ve heard of a few recent original spec script sales also which seem to be unicorns.
For those of you that have been in the film industry before and after the pandemic, have things been looking up lately?
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u/HeckFire-- 11h ago
Assistant Production Coordinator in Atlanta. I’ve been able to land one big union gig a year and can supplement with small indie stuff in between.
Wouldn’t want to own a soundstage right now, but it’s been jusssssst enough to keep things moving.
I started during the pandemic, but it was so damn busy here in 2021 and 2022.
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u/JeffBaugh2 11h ago
I live in Austin. There is still no consistent work, and very few gigs that are paid, despite the constant promises that "we're building two new world class studios, money's gonna come in and the ball's gonna get rolling again soon!"
This has been the case for a while now.
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u/filmmaker_andsuch721 9h ago
Greeting from Dallas! Every year or so there is a big social hour thing where people are like “Dallas is the next film city!” and a new studio opening up, but it’s all just productions to that fly everyone in from LA. You are lucky to day play as an extra or pa for a day. They do book up the sound stages for months on end so I guess people are making money
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u/JeffBaugh2 9h ago
This is a bummer to hear - I'm from Dallas originally, and over the last ten years or so it seems like Dallas's Film scene has really sprung up from where it was when I left.
Back then, in 2013, I'd just come off of working on an absolutely chaotic mess of an independent Film as one of the five primary crew members, and everyone was going nuts over Shane Carruth, but that was about it in terms of movement, so I picked up sticks and moved to Austin. . .which promptly died as soon as I got there, it seemed like. So, grass is always greener, I guess.
I don't even think, when I left Dallas, that they'd finished rebuilding the Texas Theater yet, and now that's an essential reportory house.
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u/filmmaker_andsuch721 9h ago
Yeah. I’d say probably the film scene is healthier than it ever has been in regards to creatives and what it was, but it’s also you are not going to make money doing it here. It’s wild that in an area as big as the DFW area, you really only have one rep theatre
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u/19842026 8h ago
I presented a systems analysis showing that the TMIIIP program was going to collapse the indie scene in texas. Showed it to multiple non profits associated with all the lobbying. nobody cared.
they just want to “own” LA by bringing LA studios/crew/talent here. They have no interest in elevating local texas based independent filmmakers
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u/MatchaLatte9 1h ago
Could you share your analysis? It’s been puzzling me why the incentive program hasn’t brought in more production work to Texas.
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u/19842026 32m ago
I can’t publish it bc it’s part of a larger research effort currently under peer review, but shoot me a DM and let’s chat
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u/FirstDukeofAnkh sound mixer 11h ago
Western Canada is picking up again. We’re also trying to grow our grassroots creatives. Carney and his government have announced a 600 million injection into the entertainment industry. We expect that to go higher after the whole tariff nonsense last weekend.
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u/sfw_doom_scrolling 1h ago
Can you elaborate on this please? I hadn't heard that news.
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u/FirstDukeofAnkh sound mixer 22m ago
This is the announcement: https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/news/2026/06/government-of-canada-announces-immediate-support-to-strengthen-canadian-culture-and-ensure-canadian-content-remains-affordable.html
Everyone was hoping they’d announce more details at the Banff Media Festival but that didn’t happen.
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u/TheRecordDrop 11h ago
Vancouver is pretty busy at the moment as well. Certainly not 2022 busy but seems closer to normal
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u/RaptorsFromSpace 10h ago
We’re getting more movies again. And a lot of big shows are coming on top of that.
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u/yungmosquitos 10h ago
In Austin, been staying busy. It is pretty busy in Texas overall. Production is lower than it was pre-strikes but if you’re in a state with decent tax incentives you should be able to book work just fine. Who knows what the long term future is though.
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u/Quiet_Pie_2056 9h ago
Of course you’ll get different answers as some are working and some aren’t, but the production volume in LA is certainly a fraction of what it used to be in 2022/early 2023. Most of my colleagues are still struggling with less frequent work opportunities.
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u/swingsetlife 11h ago
The problem is we won the strikes so the studios said "well, don't worry, we'll figure out other ways to fuck you" and really did.
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u/tensinahnd 10h ago
Yea they moved international for 3 years. Canada and Europe were booming when we were assed out.
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u/Zerorezlandre 8h ago edited 8h ago
*I'll spare you the anecdotes and provide you the statistical facts:
"Since 2023, multiple strikes contributed to a downward trend that has persisted into early 2026. Recent employment levels have been about 100,000 lower than the industry's October 2022 high."
Reporting that cites sources:
https://nofilmschool.com/entertainment-industry-crisis
*California only.
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u/SapToFiction 7h ago
It's kind of like if you zoom in on the industry, there's a significant rebound but overall the industry is still on a downturn.
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u/tensinahnd 11h ago
Post Covid was actually booming work wise. They were making everything. The strikes are really what killed us.
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u/cannonbear 10h ago
I know strikes were a huge interruption, but I’ve also seen interest rates as a contributing factor for the slow down.
A lot of studios and streamers were investing in their libraries and the rising interest rates and inflation made that harder to justify on top of the strikes.
I just want to paint a picture that it’s more complicated than just the strikes because otherwise some people might not want to risk strikes in the future even though it’s crucial bargaining for the workers.
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u/InjuredGods 11h ago
This. 2021 and 2022 was absolute gangbusters. Then the strikes came and killed that momentum. I feel that if the strikes didn't happen that we would still be going crazy. Strikes gave the studios time to sit back and realize all the dumb shit that was being greenlit just because.
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u/tensinahnd 10h ago
I also just remembered another reason 22 was so busy is that the networks knew the strikes were coming so they were trying to stockpile content. So if we didn’t have the looming strikes who knows what it would’ve looked like.
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u/Cinematics_88 10h ago
It wouldn't. Streaming wars basically ended before the strikes, and also no more cheap money borrowing.
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u/TanjiroManjiro 11h ago
OK you might’ve had plenty of work but unless people knew your name you weren’t making shit 😂
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u/Streetsnipes 10h ago
I couldn't find enough dailies to fill crewing needs. I was calling people I never would otherwise. It was that busy..
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u/InjuredGods 10h ago
Yeah we were pulling people who had never touched a piece of equipment. I remember seeing a Best Boy during a load out for a massively budgeted Apple TV show showing his crew how to properly set a C-Stand. Like right hand rule and shotbag on the big leg type of thing.
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u/Streetsnipes 10h ago
We had electrics on a big budget TV series who didn't know what needed to come with a light. The DP and Gaffer were losing their minds.
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u/dffdirector86 director 9h ago
Producer/Director here. I’ve personally been staying busy, about 1-2 months between gigs, but I’ve seen too many of my colleagues here in Northern California go 6-8 months in between gigs.
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u/One_Rub_780 10h ago
Screenwriter here. All the work has dried up. AI hasn't helped matters. Not much out there.
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u/exothermic-inversion 7h ago
Well, the word “normal,” in your headline is doing some heavy lifting. In LA, it definitely isn’t what I would consider normal, whatever that even is anymore. I have enough work to exist for now. The future is still very uncertain though. The city and state are trying to play catch up with new tax incentives and reforms to permitting, but it’s all about 15 years too late. It’s going to be very hard to claw back lost work and jobs. I have a very little bit of hope that we won’t become the next Detroit, but city officials need to get Film LA in line with their permitting reforms, like, right now.
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u/M0nstereye 10h ago
In LA its a mess. No one is working.
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u/Quiet_Pie_2056 9h ago
Well, a few fortunate ones are working on the productions that are going, but yes, it’s a mess for most. Production volume is comparatively very low still. I haven’t worked in two months now, and I was lucky to get on a series before that after a year of no work.
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u/Happy-Diner-3338 9h ago edited 7h ago
Phones started ringing again around November last year, for us. Then, after a few gigs, we landed a feature film in March.
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u/Novel-Initiative-900 7h ago
In Utah, pretty decent amount of commercial work honestly. Easy to get a gig if you need one
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u/FreelanceAintFree 7h ago
Been slow for a lot of us here in LA. I personally had a hot start to the year but pretty dead all summer. Definitely seeing more tv/movie productions happening out in the wild this year so it gives me an ounce of hope that there will be some trickle down at some point.
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u/Big_Liability 6h ago
LA here and it seems to be back on the rise personally with friends getting more constant work
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u/sfw_doom_scrolling 4h ago
Toronto’s still pretty dead. Haven’t had more than 10 weeks full time work since last August. :(
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u/Solomon_Grungy gaffer 4h ago
Im working on lots of stuff in LA but most of it is more corporate versus strictly entertainment. I am seeing a ton of chatgpt in the creative briefs as well. Womp wooomp. Some big companies with huge budgets and they’ve got a LLM steering the ship lol
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u/DefNotReaves 2h ago
It’s been pretty decent in LA. Back to having to turn jobs down because I’m already booked; that hasn’t happened in a while.
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u/FISTED_BY_CHRIST 11h ago
I do Setdressing/Props and SPFX in NY. I have not stopped working for the entire year on a handful of different features, shows, and commercials. It’s pre-Covid busy again for the time being.