We make films in this country

and although I am not someone who sees many films I do know the industry is an important one. As a family we have been involved in them in various ways.  The Senior Cat appears very briefly in one as does Middle Cat.  I once appeared in a documentary which is probably buried in the bowels of the state's film archives. (I hope it remains buried.)

Middle Cat's sons however appear in earnest in serious films which ended up in theatres. They both did well and managed to learn a lot from their experiences but did not want to pursue careers in theatre. They had time out of school but had to not merely keep their schoolwork up but show they were maintaining their positions at or near the top of the class. They had lines to learn - not merely memorise. They lived in remote locations and put up with all the adults around them getting short tempered. They had to repeat their scenes more than once and often because adults did not get something right. Being a child actor can be much more difficult but how many of us recognise that when we see a child on screen?

I know something about how films are produced and the truly enormous work than can go into making them. There are things I have picked up from the experiences of my nephews, from hearing the Senior Cat talk with people in the industry, from my brief acquaintance with people at National Playwright's Conferences and more. I have been instrumental in finding items to be used on sets. Finding the right locations and dealing with weather related issues are just part of the work involved but very important parts. (These two things are big considerations which make this country popular with the film industry.)

Filming can disrupt a local community for days or even weeks. Some time ago we found this out here when a very small scene for something was filmed in a location not far from where I live. It took several days to film something that will probably be less than a minute on screen. The preparation for it was obviously immense and involved all sorts of permissions.

Just as the publishing industry has been hit by the ease with which books can be copied and put up for everyone to read the film industry is the same. Trying to stop this completely is rather like trying to stop a road train travelling downhill without brakes. 

It is a wonder then that anyone would try to sabotage the brakes but this is what it seems the President of the United States has done. Imposing a 100 % tariff on them is going to hurt Hollywood more than it hurts us.