NFB

• MONTREAL, QC, Feb. 19, 2024 /CNW/ - The Syndicat Général du Cinéma et de la Télévision (SGCT), CUPE local 4835, is worried about a wave of cuts that is coming to the National Film Board of Canada (NFB).
• We fear a lack of vision, planning and hasty decisions in the announced cuts.
• We must remain accessible and present to continue the mission of the ONF," added Olivier Lamothe, president of the SGCT—CUPE 4835.
• Members of SGCT—CUPE 4835 fear more cuts could happen in the near future and worry about the effects they would have on the pursuit of the NFB's missions.

• Content: D2L embeds accessible content authoring and auditing tools throughout its platform to help users create and maintain highly accessible content.
• For instance, since January 2022, all videos uploaded onto D2L Brightspace can have AI-generated, editable closed captions in multiple languages – making learning more accessible.
• Pedagogy: D2L provides support for Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to help enhance pedagogical processes to reach diverse learners.
• D2L continued its accessibility support to blind and low vision learners by renewing its partnership with Aira until June 2024.

• Hollywood actors went on strike on July 14, joining film and television writers who have been on the picket lines since May.
• It’s the first time actors and writers have picketed together since 1960, when Ronald Reagan was the president of the Screen Actors Guild.

‘Cataclysmic’ issues at stake

• The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists released a statement last week in solidarity with SAG-AFTRA: “[U.S. actors’] issues are our issues and performers deserve respect and fair compensation for the value they bring to every production.” These issues are “cataclysmic,” according to Canadian actor and producer Julian De Zotti.
• De Zotti and I discussed these issues as part of a greater conversation on the future of entertainment in the ongoing CTRL ALT DISRUPT series, organized by Artscape Daniels Launchpad and the City of Toronto’s Creative Technology Office.
• He is not afraid of new technology, but rather, how it might be misused.

An existential threat

• AI poses a threat for actors in particular because their livelihoods depend on their identity.
• There need to be specific guardrails and parameters established that protect artists, their creations and their image.

What the strike means for Canada

• During the strike, service production, which represents a majority of the $11.69 billion annual work done in Canada, will come to a halt.
• All American productions — from big budget blockbusters like Star Trek, which shoots in Toronto, to indie feature films using SAG actors — will be affected.
• Read more:
  How the Online Streaming Act will support Canadian content

  Streaming companies have set up shop in Canada for a few years now, promising to make shows led by Canadians.

Is this Canada’s moment?

• From Norman McLaren’s experimental work with the NFB, through the rise of interactive documentaries, to the explosion of game-based virtual concerts, Canada has always been seen as an innovator in entertainment.
• Whatever guidelines the WGA and SAG establish with the studios will be used as a template when it’s time for Canadian unions to negotiate.

• Seneca will provide technical and creative consultation services, develop technical prototypes and tests and promote NFB films within its animation programs and spaces.
• While the agreement itself is new, the NFB and Seneca have a long history of successful collaboration on film animation projects.
• This partnership is the latest for the new Seneca Film Institute , which builds on Seneca's expertise in storytelling forms and technologies to create one of the most comprehensive film training institutions in Canada.
• This partnership is exactly what the Seneca Film Institute is all about – collaborating with industry leaders to provide students with unparalleled opportunities."