Survey finds worsening mental health in film and TV industry

Releasing the data, the Film and TV Charity also announced plans to develop pan-industry mental health standards ahead of a revamp of its Whole Picture Toolkit

By Matthew Corrigan

Published: October 2, 2024

Releasing the data, the Film and TV Charity also announced plans to develop pan-industry mental health standards ahead of a revamp of its Whole Picture Toolkit

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The Film and TV Charity has released initial findings of its 2024 Looking Glass Survey.

More than 4,300 workers in the film and TV industry took part in the survey, representing what the charity said is the biggest and most robust dataset on this topic.

Headline data reveals the worsening nature of employee mental health, with over a third (35 per cent) of respondents describing their mental health as poor' or very poor', an increase from 2022's figure of 24 per cent.

The charity is currently analysing the data ahead of publication of a full report early next year, but it said responses indicate that culture, working conditions and feelings of precariousness are having an adverse effect on the mental health of workers.

Key findings include:

Just 12 per cent of respondents feel the industry is a healthy place to work.

63 per cent feel their work has a negative effect on their mental health.

64 per cent have considered finding other work because of mental health concerns, with 32 per cent reporting they have taken actual steps to do so.

More positively, the survey showed that workers involved in productions utilising the charity's Whole Picture Toolkit gave higher ratings and had a better awareness of good practice and available support.

The charity has announced it is working within the industry to expand on the toolkit's success, and is developing a comprehensive set of pan-industry standards to outline core processes enabling productions to ensure mental health support is adequately provided.

Film and TV Charity CEO, Marcus Ryder, said, Across previous iterations of the Looking Glass Survey, we have consistently identified how prevalent poor mental health is right across the industry. The early headlines from our 2024 survey are remarkably consistent - somewhat positive given the various crises that have hit the sector in recent years, but far more a cause of great concern that things are not improving quickly enough.

While the charity continues to provide invaluable in-the-moment support for anyone experiencing poor mental health it's evident that, collectively, the industry needs to grip the root causes far more robustly than it has so far managed to do. So, it is our hope that, by building on the success of the Whole Picture Toolkit, by working with stakeholders to develop pan-industry standards, and by providing the tools and resources to support their implementation, we can start to properly address one of the most pernicious issues our creative sector faces. We know our workforce is the best in the world - imagine what the industry can achieve if they are also the best looked after in the world.

Anyone working behind the scenes in film, TV, and cinema can access immediate, free, and confidential support through the Film and TV Support Line on 0800 054 0000, or via the Charity's website.

Film and TV Charity holds Looking Glass up to industry mental health

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