Portraits Highlight Vancouver Film Industry That Paused Due to StrikesAs Hollywood is on pause due to two major strikes, the effects stretch beyond Tinsel Town into the “Holly-North”: Vancouver., photographer Rob Trendiak captures actors and crew members from Vancouver’s film industry who have been affected by the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike in Hollywood.
SAG-AFTRA is striking over the protection of actors’ “images and performances to prevent replacement of human performances by artificial intelligence technology,” and compensation that reflects “the value we bring to the streamers who profit from our labor,” among other demands, which can be viewed onwas shot on a twin-lens reflex Ciro-flex camera from the 1940s, which Trendiak says “represents the old ideologies of Hollywood and filmmaking.
To round out his equipment, Trendiak used two strike, one at full power positioned 45 degrees from the subjects to the camera’s right, and the other with a bare bulb pointing at the background behind the subjects, according to the project website. This made the background appear white, Trendiak says, bringing out the dust scratches of the TLR camera.
“They were gritty and artistic portraits. I honestly didn’t even know if anybody would be interested in participating in this series as they may think I am crazy for creating images that have a heavy aesthetic.”