AMERICANA / GEEZ, WE THOUGHT THE MALIBU FIRES WERE BAD

Illustration Michael Ramirez, Las Vegas Review-Journal

WHY HIGHER TARIFFS ARE BAD FOR HOLLYWOOD-CENTRIC FILMMAKING

1. Increased Production Costs Tariffs on imported film equipment, costumes, set materials, or post-production tech (especially VFX software/hardware from abroad) can inflate budgets—particularly for mid-tier or indie productions already walking a tightrope. 

2. Disruption of Global Supply Chains Hollywood’s moviemaking machine is global. Camera gear from Germany, lighting from China, props from Mexico, animation work outsourced to Canada or India—tariffs choke the arteries of that system, slowing projects and raising costs. 

3. Foreign Retaliation = Lost Markets If the U.S. imposes tariffs, other countries often retaliate. That means foreign governments may restrict or tax American films, cutting into box office revenue abroad—especially in massive markets like China, Brazil, or the EU. 

4. Less Diversity in Storytelling Global co-productions thrive on free trade. Tariffs discourage partnerships with foreign studios and talent. That can limit the range of authentic international stories told through a Hollywood lens and reduce creative richness. 

5. Harm to Indie Filmmakers and Smaller Studios The big studios may absorb cost increases. But independents relying on tight budgets and international gear rentals or FX services could be priced out of completing or even starting their films. 

6. Reduced Export Competitiveness If U.S. films are more expensive to produce and face tariffs abroad, they become less competitive versus cheaper, local content. That can open the door for other countries’ film industries to eat into Hollywood’s dominance. 

7. Undermines Streaming Globalization Streamers like Netflix, Apple TV, and Amazon rely on Hollywood’s global appeal. Tariffs disrupt not just movie production but the distribution and delivery pipeline, weakening the streaming economy’s international reach. 

8. Job Loss in Domestic Post-Production and FX If costs rise too much domestically due to retaliatory tariffs or pricing wars, foreign studios may bypass Hollywood altogether. Jobs in California and New York post-production houses could dry up. 

9. Reduces Innovation and Tech Exchange Tariffs slow down the import of cutting-edge filmmaking tech—whether it's drones, cameras, or motion-capture rigs. Hollywood thrives on pushing the envelope, and tariffs dull its sharpest tools. 

10. Cinema Is (and Should Be) Borderless At its core, Hollywood filmmaking is a global art form. Tariffs reintroduce artificial barriers in a medium that depends on creative fluidity, international markets, and cultural cross-pollination.