I’ve heard that things are as tough as they’ve ever been in Hollywood right now. The writers’ strike put a lot of movies and shows on hold for months, and the recent string of big-budget box office flops has made studios rethink their future projects. For those working in or around the industry, how hard are things at the moment in Hollywood?
It’s truly awful. In post-production, thousands of people are still laid off, with some out of work for close to 1.5 to 2 years now. It’s disheartening to see more and more peers posting about job searches on LinkedIn. Several studios have already shut down, and many others are operating with skeleton crews, desperately trying to secure any work to stay afloat.
It’s interesting to see the great contrast between the top earners and those at the bottom. It’s like getting millions to act while someone else barely scrapes by with just enough to cover their studio apartment in pursuit of their dream.
They’re terrible. There are about 100 people competing for every job, and studios are greenlighting only a fraction of what they used to. I’ve been leaning more towards indie projects lately since the major studios seem to be struggling.
The animation industry is in a dire state, having been in turmoil for at least two years. I have colleagues who haven’t worked in animation for over a year, with productions halted and studios not hiring.
There’s no work in VFX right now.
The industry has been stagnant for months, with VFX studios shutting down.
Experienced artists are running out of Employment Insurance and leaving the field, leading to a significant loss of institutional knowledge and expertise.
When studios eventually try to resume their projects, they’ll struggle because the necessary capacity and teams may no longer be available.