Friedrich --

Matt Welch in the National Post discusses globalization, politics, subsidies, tax breaks and film production. It's a good snapshot of some of the conditions under which movies get made, readable here. (Thanks to bitter-girl.com for the link.)

Sample passage:

Southern California, especially the commercial strips on either side of the Hollywood Hills, is overrun with freelancers who work on movies, television shows and commercials. They toil long hours in concentrated bursts, then are idle for weeks at a time. Once they gather the thousands of dollars necessary to join their relevant union, they make a handsome amount of money; until then, they chase after a shrinking pool of poorly paid non-union jobs, and make up the difference waiting tables or tending bar. It is a peculiar system, but it has worked fairly well for nearly a century.

Best,

Michael