B.C.’s employment watchdog is looking into claims that some cast and crew members who worked on a movie shot in Metro Vancouver weren’t paid.

The Employment Standards Branch says it has received what it calls “numerous” complaints about non-payment from some involved in the film "Hot Street."

But Meldon Ellis, a lawyer for producer Chris Brough told CTV News his client intends to pay the cast and crew with a film tax credit, which he expects to receive in the coming weeks.

"Hot Street" is one of hundreds of movies shot in Metro Vancouver this year, and is described as a blend of hip-hop dance and a "Romeo and Juliet" style love story.

“They were completely professional,” said Dave Hardware, a stand-in who worked on the set. “I would never have expected something like this to happen.”

Cheques for Hardware and some other members of the film’s cast and crew are a few weeks late, Hardware said.

"My bills are way behind right now," Hardware said. "It's a good month's pay, good income that I've lost now."

Nemo Cartwright, an extra on the film, called the wait "insulting," saying that missing even one day of pay can make a big difference for a struggling actor.

"I'm a single parent. Every paycheque I work for matters," he said. "If I'm not working for a paycheque, I'd prefer to spend time with my kid."

And the Union of B.C. Performers, which represents actors in this province, tells CTV News it is contemplating legal action.

Hardware said the film's director Demi Zhang gave a speech before the last day of filming, saying that the project was over-budget but that she was going to "personally pay" everyone involved.

CTV News reached out to Zhang, who also co-wrote and stars in the film, through an interpreter. She said she is also a "victim," and that she and her child also weren't able to collect paycheques.

She said that she was an investor, and the producers should be responsible for paying everyone.

While payment issues are rare, the Directors Guild of Canada said they could be more common as people try to cash in on the booming industry.

"That's a concern anywhere it gets busy, that there's so much production it gets hard to keep track of who's doing what," Kendrie Upton said.

With a report from CTV Vancouver's Penny Daflos