International Programs

Runaway productions, films that are produced outside of the United States for economic reasons, have been occurring since the late 1950s in countries such as Spain. Since the 1950s runaway productions have only become more frequent. As this practice has increased, so has professional and public scrutiny, The effects of producing outside of the United States have been shown to include: the loss of American jobs, the creation of a foreign labor force, and a decline in local tourism. Because runaway productions affect so many, including both large and small film communities, the United States and countries such as Canada, are attempting to lure filmmakers with various incentives designed to facilitate the filmmaking process.
The definition of the term runaway production is arguably expanding, Scrutiny of runaway productions has focused primarily on live action TV and film productions. Animated programs such as The Simpsons have been animated in Korea for years to slash productions costs, and the argument can be made that animated productions should fall under the runaway production umbrella, as the production takes would-be-American jobs abroad.
The runaway production debate is made up of many different stakeholders and remains under the magnifying glass of unions like the Screen Actors and Directors Guild. As awareness the issue increases, so will new incentives, solutions, and complaints.