The BBC reports that an experienced actor and aviation cinematographer felt uneasy about having a “good value meal at McDonald's” even though he was “at the heart of Hollywood's golden age of streaming”. piece How the industry's writers' strike has affected other industries.
Before Michael Fortin was on the brink of homelessness, built He turned his hobby of flying drones into a successful business by turning his hobby into a service used for aerial photography of content hosted on major platforms such as Netflix, Disney, and Amazon Prime.
According to him, linkedinFortin has run his own company, CineDrones, in the Los Angeles area for more than 12 years.
CineDrones was in front of the Writers Guild of America (WGA), which represents 11,500 screenwriters, “almost every day.” went on strike The BBC reported on the May 2023 dispute with the Alliance of Film and Television Producers (AMPTP).
after the strike It's finished By September 2023, Fortin's performance had not recovered. Since then, he's only flown the drone for 22 days.
He only works 10 days on the side as a background actor.
The cinematographer was evicted from his Huntington Beach home with his wife and two children because he could no longer afford to stay in California. Now they are about to be evicted from their Las Vegas apartment.
“There were huge waves and we crashed,” Fortin told British media after landing his first drone flight since April.
“Things are slowly changing,” he added as he prepared to drive back to Las Vegas from a Southern California set to fight the eviction order in court.
Even with credits on famous TV shows such as NCIS: Los Angeles, grand tourand seal teamFortin's business never regained its pre-strike workload.
Fortin described how depressed he was and how his family went from being financially comfortable to dire straits.
“We were saving up to buy a house, we had money and we were doing things the right way,” he said. “Two years ago, I wasn't worried about going out to dinner with my wife and kids and spending $200. Now I'm worried about going out and spending $5 on a great deal at McDonald's. .”
The problem isn't just affecting CineDrones, the entire industry is in decline.
The total number of productions shot in the United States decreased by nearly 40% in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period in 2022. data It was revealed by ProdPro.
During this period, there was a 20% decline worldwide.
Tuesday, TV station Paramount announced According to Breitbart News, the company plans to lay off 15 percent of its workforce.
Paramount co-CEOs George Cheeks, Chris McCarthy and Brian Robbins said: “We are taking these steps to ensure Paramount's continued success, and starting today, we will implement these reductions. It will be 90% complete.” memo It was sent to employees, The Wrap reported.
It was reported in April that many Other Hollywood workers relied on bartending and food delivery to make ends meet in a collapsing industry.
“Hollywood has given me everything,” Fortin said. “But I feel like the industry has turned its back on a lot of people, not just me.”
