-VFX Outsourcing
Regional Victories:
- Glendale
- West Hollywood
- Burbank

N e w s   R e p o r t s

3/23/06 More support for FTAC subsidy probe
The Film & Television Action Committee's campaign to launch a federal trade investigation of foreign production subsidies has garnered the support of another Southern California city and is closing in on its goal...

3/22/06 Glendale investigating runaway prod'n
The city of Glendale has endorsed an investigation into the legality of foreign government film and TV subsidies...

3/20/06 Glendale City Council Mulls Film Tax Breaks
It's common knowledge that Hollywood has been hemorrhaging jobs to other states — and countries — for years. Now an industry advocacy group wants to do something about it, and they are asking the Glendale City Council...

1/25/06 The MPAA is accused of copying a critical work
 Is the leader in the global fight against movie piracy a pirate too? That's exactly what director Kirby Dick is charging. He says the Motion Picture Assn. of America made a bootleg copy of...

12/31/2005 Up, up ... and away
Superman may be quintessentially American, but it's cheaper to film him in Australia...

11/05 October was a good month for FTAC
The board of directors at SAG decided to enter the fray, and publicly support FTAC as well, making this an "official" SAG stance...

10/26/05 SAG Looks to Law on Runaway Production
The Screen Actors Guild's leaders have endorsed an investigation into the legality of foreign government film and TV subsidies designed to attract American productions.... 

10/23/05 Canada Rolls Credits on a Slump
Just a year ago, soundstages here were half empty... so British Columbia and other Canadian provinces answered with a fresh round of sweeteners layered on top of...

10/22/04 In reel trouble, Canuck production hits hard times
British Columbia's once high-flying film and TV production industry is in a freefall. After a record-breaking 2003 with production revenues valued at $1.12 billion, B.C.'s industry is suffering a 25% drop in...

10/16/05 Down, dirty in Morocco
You get it all here: dust, scorpions, palatial banquets, cheap labor, searing heat, stunning locations. This is filmmaking way off the lot ...

10/9/05 Down-home directing
Joss Whedon used every cost-cutting trick he knew — or could invent — to keep production of the sci-fi feature "Serenity" in L.A. He wasn't looking to make a political statement. He just wanted to make a movie. In Los Angeles. Because he lives in Los Angeles. But by filming his sci-fi feature film debut, "Serenity," in town, he found himself something of a local hero, one of a growing number of people who are fighting to keep Hollywood in Hollywood...

10/2/05 Filmmakers' mania for Romania
The relentless quest to lower costs brings production to this Eastern European venue - until an even cheaper location emerges...

9/9/05 Calif. incentive bill: See you in '06
Political wrangling prevented California's incentive plan from being ratified by Thursday's deadline, prompting Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez to instead shore up support ahead of next year's budget negotiations... more

9/7/05 The runaway delay: Arnold's legislation to be revisited next year
In a blow to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, California's pending runaway production legislation has been delayed until next year at the earliest...

9/5/04 Fewer bucks for Canucks
Though most Americans film workers publicly bemoan runaway production, in private some of them acknowledge that foreign lensing offers benefits like tax breaks, new sources of funding -- and the opportunity to pad your budget, far away from the watchful eye of studio bean-counters...

9/7/04 Canada grapples with its own runaway production
Canada's long-time production havens of Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal are facing some runaway competition of their own. Several off-the-beaten-track provinces now offer...

8/22/05 As filming leaves, so do benefits for taxpayers
A report aims to show the effect of runaway production on working-class families as well as on state coffers...

8/6/04 The Hollywood Reporter: FTAC Going Grass Roots
With a fund-raiser in Hollywood today, the Film and Television Action Committee hopes to launch a new, more grass-roots approach to funding an investigation of Canada's film and television...

8/5/04 The Daily Variety: Singer makes Warner move
Helmer finds new home with 'Superman,' 'Logan's Run'...

8/4/04 New York Times: Using Trade Pacts to Stem Loss of TV and Film Jobs to Canada
Out-of-work film technicians are rallying behind international trade rules to stem the flow of film and television production to Canada. FTAC has sent 20 pages of comments to the new Unfair Trade Practices Task Force and demanded that the Bush administration...

7/27/04 Producing Superman Sequel Like Leaping Tall Buildings
Come summer 2006, Warner Brothers Pictures hopes to usher "Superman" into thousands of theaters after a 19-year absence. But given the tortured history surrounding that studio's attempts...

7/21/04 Back to the Launch Pad for 'Superman'
Back to the Launch Pad for 'Superman After 10 years and perhaps $40 million, Warner is starting over on the movie By John Horn, Times Staff Writer...

7/12/04 Superman' seeking new helmer of steel
Warner Bros.' star-crossed "Superman" franchise is once again looking for a director. McG, who was prepping the tentpole for a late 2004 start, is now off the project...

7/12/04 McG flies out of Warners' 'Superman'
Part of the conflict between director and studio was the shooting location. McG favored New York shoot, while the studio favored Australia...

6/30/04 Hollywood Orgs Seek Action vs. Subsidies
The Film & Television Action Committee, a group of below-the-line Hollywood workers, and the Intl. Cinematographers Guild have asked the Dept. of Commerce to take action against foreign governments'...

6/20/04 Film Workers Urge Action on Foreign Subsidies
U.S. cinematographers and other film industry workers have asked the Bush administration to take action against Canadian, Australian and other government filmmaking subsidies that... 

3/1/04 Congresswomen Diane Watson demonstrates support for anti runaway proposals
Congresswoman Diane Watson supports American film and television workers by writing to the Producers of "Cinderella Man" and sending copies to every member of Congress.  Here is what she wrote... 

2/25/04 Anti-runaway stance boosts Dunham
Members of the Intl. Cinematographers Guild have tapped Gary Dunham as president by a 52%-48% margin over Stephen Lighthill, after a campaign stressing the need for a more confrontational stance on fighting runaway production... 

2/4/02 L.A.Times on the “Cold Mountain” Controversy
The debate over so-called runaway productions echoes the fray over numerous U.S. companies, from jeans maker Levi Strauss & Co. to air conditioner manufacturer Carrier Corp., moving operations to distant lands to boost profits. There is growing resentment... 

2/1/4 What Americans Need To Know About “Cold Mountain”
"Cold Mountain," the highly-promoted movie based on the best-selling novel, opens Christmas Day. Americans need to know that this film, set in Virginia and North Carolina against the background of the Civil War, the most wrenching period in our history and a time whose impact is still felt today, was shot almost entirely in Romania... 

2/2/04 An Open Letter to Ron Howard
I am writing to you to say how disappointed I am that you, one of America's most well known and respected actors and directors, who made your fame and fortune in the American Film and TV industry should film "Cinderella Man" in Toronto, Canada... 

11/26/03 SAG Reaffirms Support of FTAC Trade Remedies
The Screen Actors Guild national membership on Sunday, November 23, 2003, voted unanimously to reaffirm their support for the Film and Television Action Committee...

11/14/03 Unions Protest Job Loss in Film Productions
The rally closed down an entire block of Avenue of the Stars with a parade of more than 140 trucks and buses used by Local 399 members on movie sets throughout the state. The rally was organized by the Film and Television Action Committee, which has been fighting runaway production for several years....

2/19/03 Ottawa hikes film tax breaks despite U.S. anger
The federal government has decided to raise incentives for foreign movie productions in Canada, a move sure to anger some U.S. politicians and film workers further.... 

11/8/02 Giuliani Film's Location Protested
AP reports that some New Yorkers are calling for tax credits to offset the Canadian film industry's competitive advantage... 

8/8/02 L.A. Weekly Reports on the FTAC
As the local show-business industry hemorrhages jobs to cheaper overseas locations, "runaway production" has cast a chilly shadow over the futures of tens of thousands of workers... 

6/29/02 Another IATSE Local Joins FTAC
In a historic first, the membership of Hollywood Local 695, IATSE Production Sound Technicians, Television Engineers and Video Assist Technicians, voted unanimously today to officially endorse the Film and Television Action Committee (FTAC) campaign to pursue federal trade remedies to knock out foreign film production subsidies. 

6/24/02 Series Volume Dampened by FTAC Campaign
Vancouver: Dare we say it, but the Film and Television Action Committee may be having some negative effect on production volumes in Vancouver this year. The FTAC in Hollywood, which blames Canada for the loss of production and jobs at home, is the likely culprit behind the loss of at least two pilots that shot in Vancouver but are going to be made as series in Los Angeles. 

6/2/02 FTAC Reveals Blueprint for Victory
In a detailed answer to both supporters and critics on how the Film & Television Action Committee (FTAC) plans to knock out the Canadian film subsidies and bring the jobs home, FTAC has released a six-page legal memo outlining their trade remedy campaign.  

5/16/02 FTAC Scores Victory In Santa Monica City Council
The Screen Actors Guild, Teamsters, and tens of thousands of entertainment workers scored a major victory last night when Santa Monica became the first city in the nation to endorse the Film & Television Committee (FTAC) runaway jobs trade remedy resolution.  

5/12/02 IATSE District 2 Votes to Support SAG's Global Rule One, and Defeats Measure Endorsing AFL-CIO Trade Remedies Resolution
Runaway jobs activists scored one victory and one defeat at the IATSE District 2 convention which took place in South Lake Tahoe, Nevada May 11-12. 

5/8/02 IATSE Local Breaks Ranks With International-- Joins FTAC Trade Remedy Campaign
In a first for IATSE, Texas Studio Mechanics Local 484 ignored the policy of their International union's support of the Canadian film subsidies and voted to officially endorse the Film & Television Action Committee (FTAC) campaign to pursue federal trade remedies to knock out the Canadian film production subsidies. 

 

A r c h i v e s

City mulls anti-runaway penalty: Santa Monica to vote on film subsidy measure
The city of Santa Monica will consider passing a resolution in support of the controversial move to impose penalties on producers who accept Canadian subsidies. 

An Historic Day in Hollywood
It was an historic day in Hollywood today, and it culminated in an amazing two hour session at the Hollywood Heritage Museum in which some 40 film workers from Teamsters to movie stars to stunt men to assistant directors to grips poured out their hearts to four members of the U.S. International Trade Commission about the runaway jobs crisis... 

Film and Television Action Committee Secures Services of Washingon DC Law Firm
January 23, 2002 - The Film & Television Action Committee (FTAC) is pleased to announce the retention of the Washington DC law firm Stewart and Stewart as legal counsel in it's campaign to secure countervailing duties against the Canadian film production subsidies... 

U.S. Representative Howard Berman responds to a challenge from a Canadian government official.
Dear Mr. Ambassador:  Thank you for your letter of July 15th. Given the long, friendly and cooperative history shared by our two nations, it is indeed useful to review present and possible policies with regard to film and television production in both Canada and the United States. 

Hollywood Strikes Back Over Canada's Subsidies - from National Post
While British Columbia's economy is slumping, its film and television production industry is going from strength to strength. But it's a dubious achievement, based on a lavish system of production tax credits for foreign-content films and videos that threatens to touch off a subsidy war with the United States. 

Runaway Rally Goes Hollywood - The Hollywood Reporter
The Film and Television Action Committee will hold a mass rally Aug. 15 on Hollywood Boulevard to protest runaway production. 

Canada Envoy: Runaway Production Issue Overblown - from The Hollywood Reporter
Canada's ambassador to the United States told a California congressman to put up or shut up regarding complaints about U.S. film and TV runaway production. 

Press Release - DGA/SAG Economic Impact Study Shows 1998 Impact Of Runaway Production Reached $10.3 Billion
The Screen Actors Guild and the Directors Guild of America today jointly issued a report showing that the total economic impact as a result of U.S. economic runaway film and television production was $10.3 billion in 1998, up more than fivefold since the beginning of the decade. 

Hollywood Workers Protest Runaway Production - from The Hollywood Reporter
SACRAMENTO -- Hundreds of Hollywood production workers chanting "Film American" and "bring Hollywood home" rallied at the Capitol seeking tax credits for movies and television programs produced in California. Sound, lighting and camera men and women, costume and set designers, truck drivers and... 

Irked by Australia, Hollywood Wants Retaliatory Action - from the Australian Financial Review
Behind the cameras in Hollywood, anger over job losses and production cuts is building into a political crusade... and Australia's film industry is  one of the targets. 

Film Production Bills Viewed: Unprecedented Loss in Industry, Report Finds - from Daily Variety
When the California Assembly’s Appropriations Committee begins consideration today of two bills that would provide incentives for film and TV production in the state, legislators will have at hand a bracing report on the damage already done by so-called runaway production. 

Ailing Hawaii Pins Its Hopes on Hollywood - from The New York Times
The biggest economic fish caught in Hawaii this year is not a new factory or a high-tech software startup or a planeload of Asian tourists, whose financial troubles continue to keep them away. The biggest fish is David Hasselhoff, the hunky head lifeguard of "Baywatch"... 

Mum's the Word on Hollywood's Mini-Recession:
Sometimes Hollywood is Too Creative for its Own Good
from Daily Variety

When price levels were on an even keel throughout the economy, Hollywood managed to create its own private inflationary cycle with production costs spiraling upward. And now, as economic indicators across the nation continue their resolute surge, Hollywood, ever-creative, has manufactured its own private mini-recession. 

Bring Hollywood Home - from Alternative Media Network
Los Angeles -The best kept secret in Southern California today, for which we can credit the corporate media, is the virtual collapse of the film industry which was one of Los Angeles's two largest (and best paying) employers. 

Vancouver Profits as Colder, Cheaper Hollywood  - from The New York Times
LOS ANGELES -- Seamstresses, steel workers and electronics assemblers have all lost jobs as manufacturing moved from the United States to countries where costs were lower. 

"MISSION NOT IMPOSSIBLE: We could be Tinseltown" - from The Daily Telegraph, Sydney, Australia
Hollywood is running scared that Sydney will steal its mantle as the film capital of the world. And in the face of escalating production costs in the home town of the film industry, their fears are well founded. 

Letter to the Editor, Sacramento Bee - by Jack De Govia
It is not surprising that in the Wall Street Journal’s examination of the film industry’s problems, “...runaway production isn’t even mentioned.” For the studios and bankers, the segment of the industry represented by the Journal, runaway production, along with a production slowdown and other forms of cost-cutting are not problems, they are part of the remedy for the high costs of star power and marketing. 

 

Outsourcing VFX

The outsourcing of the visual effects industry in America...vfxsm1
Complete Coverage Here

Commissioned Reports

DGA/SAG Report on the Economic Impact of U.S. Runaway Production

Center for Entertainment Industry Data and Research (CEIDR)
(In PDF format)
2001 Report - Migration of US features
2000 Report - Migration of US features
1999 Report - Production Survey

U.S. Dept. of Commerce report on Runaway Production (Very large file in PDF format)

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