Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1530856
31 W I N T E R Q 4 I S S U E F E A T U R E "I've been working professionally in the industry since 2003, and I've never seen anything like this. This work slowdown is much slower and has lasted way longer than any of the others I've experienced or seen. There hasn't been a rebound since what seemed to have started with the strikes in 2023, and in fact, things seem to have gotten worse, not better." EMILY HSUAN PICTURE EDITOR, LOS ANGELES HOW DOES IT COMPARE TO OTHER TIMES OF CRISIS/CONCERN? "I think that the industry is starting to bounce back a bit since before the actor/ writers strike, when we were at an all-time low of industry jobs and shows. We are definitely not back to the pre-strike era, and I don't think we will ever get back to that point. I am hopeful that more shows and jobs will materialize soon or by the beginning of next year." LIBYA EL-AMIN PICTURE EDITOR, LOS ANGELES "Scary and transitional. I think we're seeing a kind of whiplash from the job growth a few years ago when studios began to expand into streaming services. It seems like we are experiencing the bottom falling out of the 'growth at all cost' model of business where we saw a lot of movies and TV getting the greenlight for services that still aren't making money. Those services are seeing a lot of internal restructuring and job cuts, and that is likely delaying the green light for movies even longer than it should have after the contracts were resolved. " COREY JOHNSEN ASSISTANT EDITOR AND VISUAL EFFECTS EDITOR, NEW YORK CITY HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE STATE OF THE INDUSTRY NOW? "There's a sizable portion of our members who are quietly working. Some have been working all along. They remain silent about it on social media to not 'rub it in' in front of others who aren't working, because they understand the difficult times many are in. Some people call it 'survivor's guilt.' I was at an editor mixer recently, and the mix of responses I got was either 'I haven't worked in x months (a long time),' or 'I'm drowning in work and barely made it to this mixer.'" SHIRAN CAROLYN MILLER, ACE PICTURE EDITOR, LOS ANGELES