Written evidence submitted by the
Association of Camera Operators
Introduction to the Association of Camera Operators - ACO
The Association of Camera Operators is a voluntary organisation, of professional feature film, commercials, and television drama camera operators, specialising in the art of camera operating.
The primary aims of the Association are to inclusively celebrate and promote the technical and creative skills of the Camera Operator and also to enrich these skills by being at the forefront of developments in technology and production methods.
Staging of action, choreography of camera moves, composition and framing are all areas of expertise that the Camera Operator brings to the art of filmmaking along with the organisational and communication skills essential when dealing with cast and crew. We are proud of our role and the overriding benefit our skills bring to a production.
Our role and influence within the camera department makes our contribution to debates about new technology and workflow practices essential. We welcome the need to embrace new skills and ways of working and also recognise the need to give them a solid grounding in the creative and technical traditions of our craft and to ensure that they are applied in a beneficial and appropriate way.
The Association provides a forum for the huge body of expertise that our skills represent and through our Association, with its website, seminars, training workshops and articles, show how the skills of the Camera Operator are central to the artistic and economic success of a production.
The ACO aims to promote a healthy work environment and culture: one where everyone is respected, welcome and included, and one free from discrimination, harassment, and intimidation for any reason.
The ACO requires the highest standards from its members in their general conduct. This includes a zero- tolerance approach to discrimination and harassment and equal treatment regardless of an individual’s characteristics including age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, race, nationality, ethnic or national origin, class or regional origin, religion or belief, gender reassignment, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy and maternity (Protected Characteristics).
https://www.theaco.net/contact-2/
The Association of Camera Operators welcomes the opportunity provided by the Culture, Media and Sport Committee Call for Evidence to contribute to the questions raised concerning the industry to which we belong.
How attractive is the UK as a global destination for the production of film and high-end television?
What are the benefits and challenges of overseas investment for the UK’s film- making capacity?
The UK is attractive on many levels as a global destination for film and high end television. Tax credits, general and industry specific infrastructure is high quality, English is spoken and transport links into and around the UK are comprehensive. There are currently high levels of expansion in specific infrastructure with studio space and facilities increasing year on year.
Speaking from a crew perspective, the skill levels and experience are second to none and there are high levels of historical confidence from overseas in the ability and attitude of British crews. However in order to sustain the increasing pool of skilled technicians, support is badly needed in training and support.
https://variety.com/2023/film/global/inward-investment-uk-film-tv-bfi-1235510292/
What are the barriers to maintaining and increasing overseas investment in the sector?
Training is ad hoc and supported piecemeal by government - much training is done by the craft associations on a non profit and mostly voluntary basis - this should be encouraged and financially supported by government and industry, funded with a long term view to increasing numbers of crew and skill levels.
Support is needed for crew who by the industry’s nature, work on a project by project basis. Freelance crew members work as self employed individuals or through their own service companies and it is important that the government recognises and supports the vital contribution of this body of workers to the creative industries and film/TV production in particular. Tax status is subject to uncertainty and constant review and needs to be on secure and sustainable foundations. Support between projects and in times of downturn due to external factors(Covid, third party factors such as strikes in the US etc) is badly needed and responsibility again lies jointly with industry, i.e. the studios, broadcasters and streamers, and partly with government.
If we are to maintain a flexible and sustainable pool of labour for these companies then terms and conditions for workers need to improve - and need to be comparable or better to other industries to encourage workers to migrate into the industry, and dissuade those skilled workers already in the industry from leaving. Support from Government in terms will help to keep these people in the necessary pool of skilled freelance workers and increase the sustainability of the industry overall.
The French model for the support of workers in the creative arts, régime salarié intermittent à
employeurs multiples, allows for publicly funded unemployment benefit for each day that they are not in work, with a minimum qualifying period of some 507+ hours, and the French Ministry of culture aims to support the development of industrial, technical and human capacity capable of producing and disseminating tomorrow’s cultural content. Within this framework, €600m will be devoted to the development of new immersive technologies, to the facilities for filming and digital production, and to professional training.
https://www.culture.gouv.fr/en/Thematic/Cultural-and-creative-industries
The Irish Government announced in 2022 a pilot scheme to pay creative workers a Universal Basic Income, and their scheme will run for three years until 2025.
https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/27aed-irelands-basic-income-for-the-arts-pilot-scheme-launched- by-government/
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is pressing for more support to industry with regards to poor mental health and the subsequent demand on social care. In an ever stressful world and an often highly stressful film and TV industry with constant uncertainties and little back up either financial or pastoral, it is of paramount importance that our industry is included in government assistance.
With diversity and Inclusion ever more relevant there is a really important need for positive and practical schemes such as job sharing and financially assisted mentoring to be made totally viable. If freelance technicians are financially unable to take the risk, as freelancers do when striving to move up through the grades, many excellent people and their talents are hamstrung, frustrated and wasted. Our industry demands only the very best people and their skills, and that requires dedication and highly professional training, support and encouragement.
What are the current challenges facing the UK’s independent film production sector?
Historically much of production with a clear British identity has been oriented in the independent film sector and television. The streamers(Netflix, Amazon, Apple etc) have encouraged the origination and purchase of projects with a clear national cultural identity(not necessarily in the English language) and there is scope for expansion and encouragement here - for example, UK tax benefits where there is a clear British identity. Independent films made in Britain have always looked to British culture to tell their stories, but their voices are often not heard because of the lack of clear paths to funding. Again, government could play a supportive role here with development monies and financial encouragement for studios and producers, and perhaps exhibitors(including streamers) as well.
An Economic Review of UK Independent FilmPDF799 KB
BFI response to An Economic Review of UK Independent FilmPDF157 KB
What is the demand for and capacity for production of films with a clear British identity?
Regions of the UK have been represented culturally in recent years but budgets are small. However this regional representation has greatly encouraged locally based crew around the UK to grow in numbers and skills. This should also be encouraged.
Locally produced British productions can also be very fertile areas for improvement or origination of skills that germinate into the brilliant blooms that the wider industry needs so badly. Historically the BBC used to grow enormous amounts of talent with their ‘in house’ training schemes. These schemes have atrophied through funding cuts and have not been replaced in a coherent manner. The proper funding of the BBC as a foundation stone of world class broadcasting is imperative.
https://www.varsity.co.uk/film-and-tv/1193
https://cine-vue.com/2010/09/special-feature-the-fluidity-of-identity-in-british-cinema.html
Are the nations and regions of the UK adequately represented and supported in the production of British films?
Whether or not the regions of the UK are adequately represented is somewhat subjective and probably for others to judge; as an organisation essentially representing skilled workers we can say that support for regional productions is key in developing such skills across the UK, and these workers with less access to major international productions in London based studios need regional support to achieve a sustainable career.
https://www.screenskills.com/media/6421/scripted-production-nr-skills-shortages-report-final-7-10-22- v3.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinema_of_the_United_Kingdom
What more can be done to incentivise film and high-end television production in the UK?
Whilst tax incentives and other support for producers in terms of location access, mechanisms for co- operation with police and other local organisations are vital - making it easier for for both overseas and local producers to work efficiently on location - and a viable infrastructure both in industry terms(studios, post production facilities, prop rental and equipment rental) and societal terms(hotels, transport, medical facilities and so on) incoming producers also look to find an adequate pool of available skilled labour. This again we can speak to as an organisation. The ACO runs training workshops to enable a diverse workforce, as do others, and support for and structured expansion of training initiatives from both professional and voluntary craft organisations is crucial. Additionally as previously mentioned there is little point in training a large and skilled workforce unless they are supported and encouraged to stay in the industry in order to establish the pool of labour necessary to encourage and service high end productions.
Are the current funding routes, tax credits and governance for the industry fit for purpose?
It is outside our area of expertise to address the issues of funding routes and tax credits, but governance and guidance in terms of coherent strategy for a sustainable workforce is lacking. We welcome this initiative of consultation and would encourage stronger and deeper links between government, industry and workforce, such as working groups from studios and production companies, unions and craft organisations to brainstorm the required strategies, and financial and regulatory support for such groups and their ideas.
We would note the complete absence of any craft or union organisations in the DCMS Broadcast Film and Production Working Group:
https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/cultural-renewal-taskforce-and-supporting-working- groups#broadcasting-film-and-production-working-group-members
Suggested additions might be:
https://bectu.org.uk/ https://bscine.com/ https://www.theaco.net/ https://gbct.org/ https://www.equity.org.uk/
What are the issues facing the UK’s film exhibition sector?
Over the last decade we have seen a relentless move towards streaming platforms and away from scheduled broadcast TV. Additionally the effect of the pandemic has further accelerated a move by audiences and viewers from theatrical distribution to the streamers such as Netflix, Apple, Amazon etc. Whilst this has increased the quantity of production overall and also the production values, the experience of watching movies has changed from a collective or community based experience to a solitary or family based one. This might have implications for local output; shared experience of films has lost a geographical or community base. On the other hand, more geographically diverse communities linked by culture, religion, or ethnicity and other factors have enjoyed access to films which might not have a viable mass distribution in cinemas.
However the lack of feedback or transparency from streamers in terms of viewing figures and habits compared to box office information, broadcast TV viewing figures and historical sales of Bluray or DVD media has led to strikes over actor’s residuals and a certain opaqueness. This could be addressed by better regulation of the streaming services and a statutory requirement for feedback and statistical information about UK viewing habits - this might also give a valuable insight into how the need for local content and content favoured by minority communities is adequately fulfilled, and is particularly relevant at the time of writing as a huge percentage of uk based freelance technicians working on American funded shows in the United Kingdom and beyond have been thrown out of work in a dispute that they have absolutely no control over. This is a direct result of the absence of reliable data from studios and streamers to enable writers and actors to determine and prove the commercial success of their writing and acting skills and thus reliably accrue their relevant residual payments that are historically crucial to their total income.
https://bectu.org.uk/news/three-quarters-of-uk-film-and-tv-workers-currently-out-of-work-bectu- survey
What more can be done to protect and promote the UK’s screen heritage?
Access to older film and TV material of cultural significance has improved - the BFI for example has been a leading force here and needs to be sustained - and streaming and digital TV channels and the increased accessibility of TV archives through platforms such as BBC iPlayer have further improved access to all in their living rooms. Festivals and celebrations of UK productions encourage this; but there is a need to ensure that this material has continued access and support in terms of funding for restoration and preservation.
It is also important to preserve the experience of watching of movies as a collective experience with support for repertory cinemas, retrospectives by major distributors and additionally the technical means to preserve and exhibit older film material - film laboratories, projection and technical skills need to be supported otherwise we will lose the ability to restore and show older films to new generations of audience.
https://www.bfi.org.uk/bfi-national- archive#:~:text=The%20BFI%20looks%20after%20one,widely%20accessible%20to%20today%27s%20au diences.
https://historyproject.org.uk/
https://www.coe.int/en/web/culture-and-heritage/-/british-film-institute-to-digitally-reinvent-100-000- classic-tv-shows
What can the industry and Government do to ensure British film and high-end television can adapt for the future?
Support for research and development, training in new techniques, co-operation between government, industry and workforce to produce a flexible strategy for and in response to new technology, new media and cultural innovation.
What should be prioritised to ensure a strong skills pipeline and retention in the film and high-end TV industry?
As previously referenced, co-operation between all stakeholders with the intent of building strategy, an emphasis on training, and financial and social support that encourages both an adequate flow of entrants and the retention and promotion of skilled workers.
Financial assistance by both industry and government for training, including high end mentoring by seasoned professionals, is needed to promote mid-career advancement and improve the hitherto poor record in diversity.
What are the risks and benefits of artificial intelligence to the sector?
Much new technology redefines at best and eliminates at worst certain roles, skills and the basis of viable business. The manufacture of motion picture film shrank dramatically with the increasing use of digital video as a technical means of production and many skilled roles involved in the chain from production to exhibition have changed radically or disappeared. There is no reason to suppose that the increasing application of AI within existing technology such as VFX and now in the creative areas such as scriptwriting and indeed the whole process of image creation will not lead to similar changes. In the past there has not been adequate support for transition to new methods and skills and this should be considered.
Additionally the ownership and exercise of copyright with respect to AI needs investigation and very stringent monitoring to protect artists, writers and those whose artistic and technical skills have created the body of work of movies and television we have enjoyed to date. AI is often trained on the output of human artists and technicians, and the consequent years of experience and refinement of technical and creative talent. To whom does this work belong, and does the imitation and adaptation of this human experience threaten future creativity? AI must not be allowed to bulldoze talent into oblivion.
https://variety.com/vip/how-artificial-intelligence-will-augment-human-creatives-in-film-and-video- production-1235672659/
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/mar/23/ai-change-hollywood-film-industry-concern
What needs to change to ensure the industry is supporting inclusivity and sustainability?
There has been much positive change with an awareness on set of the need for diversity amongst crew members and cast, and all workers and producers have a part to play. The ACO has encouraged such diversity in membership and on the set. With a greater awareness of climate change there have been some onset initiatives and technological development - particularly in lighting - which have resulted in the saving of energy and resources. But the industry has a reputation for indulgence and waste - the high cost per hour of production often results in prioritising speed ahead of any other consideration. Some of the spins around the sustainability of production are little more than greenwashing - whilst bins on set purport to sort recyclable waste for example much of this is just skipped at the end of the day.
Less greed and more care and thoughtfulness is required in every aspect of our industry. https://amt-lab.org/blog/2021/12/what-does-sustainability-look-like-in-the-film-industry
guidelines-for-sustainable-filming
https://filmtvcharity.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Racial-Diversity-Initiatives-in-UK-Film-and- TV-FilmandTVCharity.pdf
working-with-the-bfi-diversity-standards
Chris Plevin and Jamie Harcourt, on behalf of the Board of the Association of Camera Operators
13th September 2023 Contact:
Sham Whittaker
Administrator and Secretary
Appendix – Survey of ACO Members
An informal survey of ACO Members was carried out following the Call for Evidence and may be of interest:
What training have you had for your current role?
Many years, starting as floor runner and through the ranks of camera trainee, clapper loader and focus puller. The training I have received has exclusively through working on set in the above capacities and from "learning on the job" gaining insight and knowledge from the technicians that I have worked with over my career. The recent geared masterclass that The ACO hosted has been the only formal training that I have ever received in my career beyond personal visits of my own accord to rentals houses to learn and understand a piece of equipment.
Trained by the BBC initially. Specialist Steadicam training and many years on-the-job. One never stops learning (which is the answer to your next question).
A lifetime's experience in the camera department.
Free workshops and masterclasses held by the ACO taught by members who volunteer, ScreenSkills ACO/BSC mentee 2023, short film/low/unpaid jobs and steadicam courses (GBCT 5day and Tiffen gold) that I applied and paid to be a student on.
On the job training and official training by BBC, Skillset, NFTS and the ACO
I worked as a news cameraman for over a decade before transitioning to Film and TV. In addition I have done various workshops in Steadicam, Geared/remote heads etc over the years.
I went to university, but my real training came from working on set and going through the ranks. I had specific formal training (steadicam, wheels) in workshops and courses.
If so, what kind of training?
Financial, negotiating
All types, it's really helpful to be able to keep up to date with new cameras and also learn skills above my grade.
Workshops breaking down how to approach multiple character scenes.
Would love to see training and familiarisation programs developed that cover soft skills & communication on set and with comms, vehicle work such as u-crane/tracking vehicle, shadowing other operators, working with grips for camera movement track, dance floor, rickshaw work and beyond beginners steadicam workshop/review opportunities
On the job training working alongside a more experienced A camera Operator. Most of my career has been operating B camera whilst a DoP does the A camera. There seems to be an overabundance of money and effort being spent at opening the doors at the entry-level and rightfully so, but very little on the job training programs/opportunities for people already in it who would like to progress to the elite level.
Anything camera related but also management/leadership/negotiation skills. More of all of it. Why ever stop training?
I believe that a more mentorship role would be helpful from some of the more experienced operators
Detailed oriented workshops and masterclasses provide a huge amount of skills implementing and improving the already established knowledge. Since I joined the ACO I believe this is happening. I am also keen in seeing it happening more anytime an opportunity would arise.
Camera department: Specific role with the department training. How to deal with production companies and producers when negotiating a deal. Financial awareness training, saving for the future, Ltd. company issues etc.
US studios have shown money is the main driver for them, so tax incentives seem to work. But rising costs of everything - from materials to build sets, film crew, accommodation, stage hire, all this will work against us if they can get it cheaper elsewhere. A package subsidising any of these things could help. But also a government support scheme for times of no/low work, would give crew the confidence to stay in the industry, rather than leave for something more secure, it would also give companies supporting the industry security to invest in equipment, studio space etc etc. This would also be helped by filming more UK film/HETV if the budgets are high enough.
Generous tax breaks linked to sensible quotas to subsidise training etc. Foreign producers rely on our talents but are not helping to support training and more especially high end mentoring. Also scrapping plans to increase rateable values of studio estates.
UK independent streaming channels as well as UK financed productions. Focusing on UK and European markets rather than just American, will change the way, the size but more importantly, the UK sustainability of productions in times being experienced now.
Just like France, Spain, Germany etc. I would force a minimum amount of production to produce UK based work to get a higher amount of tax relief or bursaries
It has been mentioned last year that one of the biggest barriers for more production in the UK was the lack of trained crew. Any incentives should include training and organising a way to find these professionals. I believe the ACO (as the GBCT and others) could be a reference for camera crew.
Anything that makes them competitive financially with their US counterparts - tax incentives, tax concessions for freelancers, including those working through a limited company.
Free training, standardised training and progression, tax credits
Free training is always good. It would be good for crew on PAYE to benefit from being PAYE like other industries, sick pay etc... Our contracts are so close to the line on whats acceptable it can really affect peoples health.
Sensible Quotas on profits leaving the country to support and increase domestic development of productions. ( with heavy fines for misappropriation of development funds).
It would be a big step forward if HMRC, DWP and all government departments showed any understanding of freelance work at all. Politicians and civil servants work in careers with structure, so there never seems to be any comprehension of what a working life without structure is like, especially for those of us in the arts and creative industries. The enormous talent pool available here is used to being taken for granted, we don't need to be actively celebrated but it would help if we weren't being actively obstructed by ignorant tax policies and condescending attitudes about the creative industries being somehow frivolous.
Financial support for organisations such as the ACO & Screenskills. Tax concessions. Access to Universal Credit or other minimum-wage equivalent level of support for freelancers to be protected during times of unprecedented job losses that DOESN'T disqualify those who have been making huge sacrifices to put a housing deposit / lifetime savings together for many years.
Union, Guild and Association cohesion so we can implement an agreement suitable for all - easier said than done but this constant limbo situation is driving down enthusiasm and incentives for workers and creating a worrying and stressful environment, increasing mental health problems and dire financial issues. Trainees given roles across all departments supported by Govt. funding. Tax breaks and holidays for those in financial trouble.
What other support would you like to see to help you through these current challenges?
The locations we have and the studios and technical back-up this country offers are excellent. However it is the first-rate talent in all departments that I suspect is what attracts our colonial cousins to these shores. Like the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker, these professionals need a sense of financial stability in their lives and so help should be available. Good luck with that.
I’d like to get away totally from this dog eat dog, ebb and flow system we have, we need consistency over the year when production starts up, none of this scrambling for crew and fighting over rates - I’d like standard rates for all roles and production to pay them.
A graded based repayable interest free support package up to a certain amount. For example - camera operators that do HETV could receive a set amount of ay £3500 per month which would need to be repayed back in 12 months. This would help ease the blow financially on each person affected.
Extend the self-employed Universal Credit qualification window (ie. the period before the Minimum Income Floor is imposed) from one year to two
Lower the dependency on foreign money and increase investment in local production. Allow opportunities to delay tax payment un-penalised
A minimal income in line with universal credit without being means tested Therapy sessions to help with unemployment
Feeling isolated is the worst part of this situation. Not everyone can get to physical meet ups. And being faced with a large group of people when you are struggling can be overwhelming even though the benefits of being with others are so good. It would be an idea to have little groups like pods/cells This is how we are when we are working so maintaining an occasional little structure that chops and changes via zoom could be beneficial. Where there is space to talk rather than just listen to the same voices who always have something to say on social media. It would be an idea to mix them up too. A few friends, associates and fulls. Different ages and experiences to encourage one another. I am with a new diary service after 25 years being with the same one. We are small and a mixture of experience. We are all supportive of one another and that is the ethos our diary service wants to establish.
Tax holiday, flexible mortgage holidays, grants and loans, just like we had in Covid. A flexibility on repayments for industry based loans etc.
Government support. The UK is the only country that does not invest in freelancers. Even the US senate has voted in favour of support of the strikers.
Financial support for crew to train and upskill. Funding for craft organisations such as the ACO to provide this training
Tax breaks and highly monitored subsidies with very high penalties for financial abuse by producers.
Restriction on the number of ‘imported’ crew to allow more opportunities for local crew. The local workers are struggling while many on temporary visas are working. America requires an O-1 Visa for film & tv work which is very difficult to get & expensive.
An arts commission board/commitment to British independent film that ensures a quota is produced each year. Increase tax incentives for British produced work
Re-inject financial support/ funding from the record breaking revenues following the post-pandemic boom (£6.27/$7.7 billion in 2022)
Government ought to fund it and protect it like France does
Better pots of Government funding for producers to access. Streamers to commit to reinvesting into pots of funding for independent film makers to access.
Give a film workers union (such as BECTU) more power to enforce a fairer work environment for the crew. Producers are currently taking brazen advantage of offering 2008 rates for camera, where we normally have parity with the Grip department. Invest in education such as with the UAL diploma.
Make it easier to film in busier locations such as Westminster. Offer incentives to ancillary businesses such as hotels, taxis, restaurants that service crews, and which in turn could be beneficial to the producer.
Create government financed incentive when certain criteria is met (i.e. hiring a minimum of 75% crew locally to the area of shooting). Similar to Polish PISF and their cooperation options.
These strikes are really the last straw, and if they aren’t resolved soon, financially I will have to leave
the industry, and with me my 21 years of experience. Many people feel the same, and very soon, if
things get busy again, you won’t have the experienced crew to sustain the industry. Crew who have
just recovered from Covid, who didn’t get support then, are sick of the financial insecurity - no sick
pay, no pension, no safety net. Other countries have funds for film crew when there is no work,
there’s no reason we shouldn’t, especially if the government really does value the industry. It makes sense - the majority of money crew makes, goes straight back in to the UK economy through expenditure, which therefore earns tax and VAT, not to mention the direct income tax we pay.
The freelance life for many myself included is a high wire act where the future is uncertain. At no stage in the previous 20 + years have I experienced such a drastic drop in work as in 2023. This has been exacerbated as I have moved between grades and yet to firmly establish myself, even though I have significant experience as a technician, possibly compounded by the foreign Cinematographers that I have worked with in recent years and the underlying stresses and limitations that have been enforced by the renegotiation of the UK’s relationship with Europe and the free flow of creative workers. It is concerning that had I not had the support of my wife's income - for the first time in the last decade, as she retrained for a new career, after having a child, I/we/our family would be in a perilous financial state. It is only for this reason that I am not forced out of a career and industry that I feel privileged to be a part of and enriches myself and the UK economy and cultural landscape.
I’m from a working class background, the first in my family to go to university with no access or connection to the industry prior to entering it. Under the conditions where a career that suffers both financial and career development uncertainties such as ours it will affect the people who can access and remain in the industry jeopardising, working class and minority voices in particular and those without a financial cushion / second income to see out the lean times. This would be detrimental to the industry on many levels
We work very hard to keep our boats afloat and whilst we are responsible for planning for quiet times in the industry it is very obvious that government bodies like HMRC don't fully understand how we work. This leads to emergency taxes, switching tax brackets constantly when jobs overlap. There needs to be clarity on what we do. Contract freelancers are not as protected as we should be by employment law. There should be a shake up in our industry to protect us, when the strikes happened (we all knew it was coming) force majeure should not have been allowed. Many productions 'suspended' shooting meaning they didn't have to do anything for the crew and there was no retention, at least not below HOD.
Since buying my first Steadicam thirty years ago (which cost almost twice the price of the house I was living in at the time) prices have increased roughly 62% whereas my average earnings have only increased by 36%!
I have worked on about 100 feature film productions which have grossed $14.85 billion at the international cinema box office. I have been voluntarily supporting the ACO & GBCT as an active Board member to encourage, mentor & tutor junior members of the industry, but feel neither the DCMS nor the mighty US production companies have been actively supporting/ contributing to the next generation of film & TV technicians' training.
We have to support the strikes in the US because if the AMPTP are successful, all English-language content producers will attempt to impose similar terms everywhere else in the world, and UK unions have been so emasculated that there will be no successful resistance in this country. This is an existential threat to the film industry being a career for anyone without a second income or independent means.
I have only worked 3 days in 2023 and nearly out of funds.
I have been working for 11 years and I have not seen the industry take a hit like this before. Yes, everything stopped during Covid, but so did everything else. The country had shut down. Financial expenditure slowed right down as there was nowhere to spend it. This is different. The world keeps turning, money keeps being taken from our accounts and yet we are stuck at home without any income. So many well respected and incredibly inspiring people I know are having huge mental health issues due to the financial stress we are all facing. Why is it we as freelancers in film are taxed the same way as those who have support such as Sick Pay, Maternity Pay, Bereavement Leave and Annual Leave, and yet we then have to pay for all of these lifelines ourselves? We put as much, if not more into the economy in personal taxes and industrial profit than the average worker, and yet we are hung out to dry when we need support. It often seems we are paying for everyone else to
receive financial support that is not available to us. Yes, Universal Credit is for the whole country, but apparently not if you have been scraping by to have savings that pay for all the support ourselves. For example, my fund is for my own illness cover when needed, for my bills and for a housing deposit that I have been scraping together on my own. How am I ever going to get on the property ladder if every time our lucrative industry shuts down, the government expects me to use every last penny of my hard earnt savings before qualifying for help and starting all over again? It has taken five years for me to put 35% of a modest housing deposit together. I just can't lose it all now.
if you want us to work in a gig economy, supporting the billions that are invested into the uk in the film and hetv industry then we need some motivation to stay in the industry, whether it be with
temporary tax breaks or similar schemes. Many of us didn’t see a penny of support during covid. I
personally don’t feel that any industry in the uk should be bailed out by our government with financial hand outs, but if you want to retain a workforce like my family, where both my wife (makeup artist) and I already find it incredibly difficult to work as it is with young children, you will swiftly see the demise of the incredible skills that we have in the uk sector as there will be nobody left to train future generations.
This is my 25th year in an industry I love and worked hard to be part of. It has paid my mortgage and afforded me a comfortable lifestyle whilst allowing me to meet many wonderful people from all around the world, I've helped create lasting and innovative film and TV, it's allowed me to travel to amazing places and experience unique and memorable moments. Though this has come at a cost. 75hr working weeks are normal. Any day of the week, day or night. Long periods of time away from home and family only increases stress and loneliness. My teenage children have grown up with a part time daddy. Divorce has been spoken about many times. The constant, constant stress and worry of being the breadwinner knowing that at any moment, work could stop and I'd have no safety net. My yearly income fluctuates so much it's very difficult to plan anything, long term, for fear of unemployment gaps. 2023 has been one of the worst working years of my career, financially speaking. Weeks have gone by with no work. I have just completed training and all necessary applications to drive a taxi for Uber on my days off. I need a second income that is highly flexible and taxi driving seems to fit the bill. It's basically a minimum wage role but it's better than nothing and will keep me active and bring in a wage. This is also the year, at age 50, for the first time in my life I've needed to be on constant medication. I take anxiety medication to help me sleep, to stay focussed, bring my heart rate down and keep me constant in my thoughts and activities. Every night is sleepless and filled with anxiety dreams and fears. I've spoken with my Dr about anti depressant medication too, but at the moment we think I'm ok. I don't want to leave the Film & Tv industry but it crosses my mind, everyday. The limbo life, lack of stability and the mental stress it creates is just too hard. I reckon I have 15 years left of working life and to be honest, I'm hoping it flies by.
The current taxation policies do not take into account the wild fluctuations in income &/or the costs of carrying out our work. As is the case with MANY freelance workers in the UK, we are at "work" 24/7 with no sick, pick pay, maternity pay. The perception of us is we are taking advantage of the system, where in reality, the system crushes us.
I've worked in the Birtish Film Industry for 26 years starting as a runner, this is the toughest time I have personally experienced. I have mostly worked in commercials and tv the last 15 years, and the recent downturn has left me with a feeling that the industry is unstable, and fragile. We should be an attractive place for the world to come and film in, but that should not be at the detriment of home grown films and tv.
What can be done? We work in a U.S. film industry that’s located in Britain. Even if it wasn’t so,
nothing would be different, even if it was a totally indigenous British industry. The situation is
completely the same all over the World. It’s the nature of strikes, they cause disruption and chaos.
Without representation, which we don’t have, you have no voice.
I've spent 80% of my work life as a freelancer. We have to take chances, and these chances benefit the government & country by generating work for others, paying into the taxation system, and instead we find at times of crisis unable to fall into the safety net that works for non-freelance employees. This needs to change. Myself, I just started a transition into a new position in the
months before the start of the strike, and so find that any opportunities have dried up immediately. I take that chance, I save the cash, pay my taxes as normal, but there is no support when something I can't control happens. We make good friends in many countries around the world, and discuss these issues all the time, and it seems the UK is very behind on freelance issues.
After working solidly since leaving arri after 6 weeks of strikes I have lost my house due to lack of work. Moving into a mouldy apartment without running water which is being renovated by a friend due to lack of options. Mental health decline and cleaning houses for money,