The IMAGO Working Conditions Committee recently shared the results of its latest Behind the Lens study with the EU parliament, with the hope that it will help raise awareness of the poor working conditions in the industry.
It is not an easy time to be working in the creative industries at the moment. For instance, a recent Bectu survey from the UK found that half of the UK’s TV industry workforce are currently unemployed, with many having to seek work outside of the sector. The industry rebound from a strike torn 2023 is slower than many had hoped; structural changes in the TV and film industries are still causing extreme perturbations in commissioning; and the global economy is not exactly in tip-top shape for anyone.
The old adage from a Noel Coward song was "Don't put your daughter on the stage, Mrs Worthington." Judging by the recently released Behind the Lens study from the IMAGO Working Conditions Committee, you wouldn't want to put her behind a camera either.
The report concentrates on European working conditions, but IMAGO is the International Federation of Cinematographers and more international than regional. It is effectively an umbrella organisation whose membership includes 57 national cinematography societies, representing more than 4000 professional cinematographers across all the continents of the world ,from the ASC to, rather topically, the Venezuelan Society of Cinematographers.
And, while it understandably concentrated on the European industry in a presentation to European legislators, the problems are everywhere. As the hard-hitting introduction puts it: "Behind the flawlessly designed backdrops, one often finds exploitation, insecurity, abuse of power and precarious working conditions."
The sobering news is that two-thirds of the cinematographers surveyed have experienced unemployment in the past 12 months. 20.2% have been unemployed between one and ten weeks, 25.2% between eleven and nineteen weeks, 30.3% between twenty and twenty-seven weeks, and 24.3% twenty-eight or more weeks.
Here are some of the other findings.
What is perhaps counter-intuitive unless you're someone that works in the creative industries yourself, is that despite a heavy workload and persistent structural challenges a majority of cinematographers report being satisfied with the path their careers have taken. However, there are challenges to this outlook. Almost two thirds say that schedule compression and what the survey refers to as 'inappropriate budgeting' were major issues of concern moving forward.
"It was a real turning point in raising awareness about poor working conditions and the shared commitment to improving them," he writes. "The sobering findings of the study sparked tremendous interest, because until now it was unimaginable that such precarious working conditions could prevail in an industry considered one of Europe's leading lights."
Out of all this some proposals for concrete action are emerging.
"We have been invited to continue working closely with them on how to start and implement these actions," says Brazda. "Even if the first phase may not bring immediate change for international cinematographers, there’s a strong sense that all of IMAGO will benefit in the long run. It’s worth noting too that IMAGO’s recognition as a trusted dialogue partner at EU level was warmly acknowledged."
More information at imago.org.