A Study on the Current Situation of Film Art Practitioners in Guangdong Province

Against the backdrop of the transformation of film industrialization and the accelerated penetration of digital technology, the production process, collaboration methods, and skill structure of film art positions are undergoing significant changes. Compared to the core areas of industries with more concentrated resources, Guangdong, as one of the important regions for film and television production, exhibits project-based, cross disciplinary, and highly mobile gig characteristics among its film and art practitioners. The problems of weak labor security and unclear career paths are more prominent. This article uses Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory as the analytical framework, focusing on grassroots film and art practitioners in Guangdong Province. The aim is to depict their current professional survival status and needs structure, reveal the dislocation mechanism of needs satisfaction, and propose feasible systematic countermeasures. The research adopts a mixed research method: through literature review, relevant studies on the evolution of film and art professional functions and the impact of digital technology are sorted out; A stratified sampling survey was conducted based on questionnaires, and 138 valid questionnaires were collected, covering positions such as art direction, associate art, executive art, props, scenery, conceptual design, etc; And semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 industry representative practitioners and relevant university teachers, using thematic analysis method for coding and summarization. In addition to questionnaires and interviews, the study uses documentary visual works as practical outputs to present contextual evidence of the labor process and form mutual evidence with text analysis. Research has found that: (1) there is a structural gap in the survival and safety needs of practitioners at the bottom level, manifested as uncertain employment, lack of contracts and social security (or self-care), high-intensity overtime and compressed preparation periods, mismatch between budget and creative needs, etc; (2) Project acquisition heavily relies on introductions from acquaintances and circle networks. Although this approach can provide emotional support and risk avoidance in the absence of a system, it also exacerbates the opacity and ecological closure of opportunity allocation; (3) The lack of a sound respect and evaluation system within the industry, as well as unclear promotion paths, have led to a greater reliance on informal rules for obtaining professional identity and dignity; (4) Self actualization and a sense of creative achievement remain important driving forces, but they coexist with underlying scarcity, leading practitioners to develop a high tolerance for unstable working conditions, which in turn leads to sustained depletion of professional enthusiasm. Based on this, this article proposes the following optimization path: promoting the construction of organized and digital public infrastructure at the level of industry associations and platforms; Reshaping the value sources of belonging and respect through community building, industry honor and professional evaluation systems, and the collaborative network of the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area at the industry ecological level; Deepen the integration of industry and education at the educational level, and restructure the talent training module for industrial processes; Strengthen professional and creative management abilities at the individual level, enhance skill iteration and awareness of rights. The study supplements empirical materials on the regional film and art labor ecology from a grassroots perspective, providing reference for optimizing the management and training system of film and art talents in Guangdong and even the Greater Bay Area.