Speaking to Variety, retired visual effects artist Dave Rand said that he and several others in his profession began sounding the alarm more than a decade ago when the industry began shipping jobs to countries like Canada due to tax credits and subsidies.
“I thought I was dreaming,” he said of Trump’s proposal.
Rand recalled organizing a protest with other VFX against Canadian subsidies that were “luring thousands of jobs abroad while bankrupting U.S. VFX houses,” according to Variety.
“He and his friends wanted the government to fight back — not with more subsidies, but with tariffs,” added Variety. “The campaign sputtered out, failing to persuade anyone in power. But suddenly, years later, the most powerful person in the world was calling attention to the plight of Hollywood workers, demanding that movies be ‘MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN,’ and wielding a stick — not a carrot.”
Rand said that the president’s policies could potentially hurt workers in other countries but could rejuvenate the American film industry in a way that he never thought possible.
Rand said he had voted Democrat all his life until he voted for Trump in 2024 due to his proposed tariffs and promise to protect the American worker. He previously worked for Rhythm & Hues, a postproduction facility that won an Oscar in 2013 before going bankrupt.
Attorney David Yocis, who was enlisted by another VFX artist to combat competition with Canadian subsidies, said that Hollywood studios had grown to like the system that had been established.
“The studios liked the system where they get to benefit from subsidies on VFX,” said Yocis. “Our feeling was most of these things wouldn’t work, because the studios would have enough clout to make sure it didn’t happen.”
“At least at the moment, it appears they’re not worried about the studios’ reaction,” Yocis added.
As Breitbart News reported recently, the president proposed putting “a 100% Tariff on any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands.”
“The Movie Industry in America is DYING a very fast death,” he wrote on TruthSocial. “Other Countries are offering all sorts of incentives to draw our filmmakers and studios away from the United States. Hollywood, and many other areas within the U.S.A., are being devastated. This is a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat. It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda! Therefore, I am authorizing the Department of Commerce, and the United States Trade Representative, to immediately begin the process of instituting a 100% Tariff on any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands. WE WANT MOVIES MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN!”
The president later said that he wants to “help the industry” and would meet with Hollywood insiders to work out a deal.
“I’m not looking to hurt the industry; I want to help the industry,” he said. “We’re going to meet with the industry. I want to make sure they’re happy with it, because we’re all about jobs.”
Jon Voight, one of the president’s ambassadors in Hollywood, issued a comprehensive plan to the president.
“The plan includes federal incentives for production and post-production, co-production treaties with foreign countries as well as infrastructure subsidies for theater owners and production companies, job training, and changes to the tax code. The plan also calls for tariffs in ‘certain limited circumstances,’” reported Variety.
“The President loves the entertainment business and this country, and he will help us make Hollywood great again,” Voight said in a statement.
Paul Roland Bois directed the award-winning Christian tech thriller, EXEMPLUM, which has a 100% Rotten Tomatoes critic rating and can be viewed for FREE on YouTube, Tubi, or Fawesome TV. “Better than Killers of the Flower Moon,” wrote Mark Judge. “You haven’t seen a story like this before,” wrote Christian Toto. A high-quality, ad-free rental can also be streamed on Google Play, Vimeo on Demand, or YouTube Movies. Follow him on X @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.
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