Effects of Covid-19 on the Film Industry

The Covid-19 pandemic has changed many aspects of society, including entertainment. Coronavirus has changed the way movies are produced, filmed, and even distributed. When the pandemic first struck, movie theaters were forced to close since sitting inside a small indoor venue allows for little to no social distancing. The production of films was also halted, with the risk of the cast and crew contracting the virus high. Without the ability to distribute films or even make them, the film industry was crippled instantaneously. Around the time the pandemic started, new streaming services like Disney Plus and HBO Max provided a platform for movies filmed pre-pandemic such as “Wonder Woman 1984” and “Palm Springs” to release directly onto streaming services instead of playing in theaters. The release of films on streaming services directly to consumers has shifted the way major film companies approach distributing films. Many realize that they can cut out the middle man and make more money quickly by immediately releasing films for streaming instead of waiting 90 days for a film to play in theaters before being released to the public in a digital format. While this trend was already starting to emerge, the pandemic and the inability to go to movie theaters only enhanced its growth (Adgate, 2021).

The most obvious effect the pandemic has had on the film industry is how films themselves are made during a global pandemic that has limited in-person interactions. The first major movie to begin filming during the pandemic was “Jurassic World: Dominion,” and it has essentially created the blueprint for how movies are made during the pandemic. Making a film requires hundreds of people interacting together. These hundreds of people include the cast, director, catering staff, hair and makeup experts, producers, lighting experts, and sound experts. This large ensemble creates the potential for a super spreader event, which makes filming a dangerous and calculated effort. To prevent such an event from happening, the people behind “Jurassic World: Dominion” used intense and systematic methods to prevent infection, such as regular Covid-19 swab tests, regular electronic temperature checks, and color-coded zones used to separate and organize the cast and crew. Individuals in the green zone consisted of the main cast, director, and producers, which were tested regularly for the coronavirus three times a week. These expenses dramatically inflated the already expensive process of filmmaking (Rubin, 2021).

The pandemic has also directly impacted what types of stories that directors and writers want to tell. Many submissions to the Sundance and Berlin film festivals reflect how the world has changed in the past year, with themes of isolation, loneliness, and uncertainty prevalent throughout multiple artists’ works. With a year spent in isolation and separated from people, artists now have a new source of inspiration to tell darker, more intimate stories detailing the effects of isolationism (Roxborough, 2021).

With the pandemic’s effects becoming more apparent every day, so does our ability to withstand such change and chaos. While the world and our society will change forever, that does not mean we must fear such adaptation. If something such as the way we absorb entertainment can withstand the tidal wave that is a global pandemic, maybe we can as well. Change is inevitable; it is a factor that we cannot avoid. So we might as well accept it, brace for it, and then watch a movie to temporarily forget it.

References:

Adgate, B. (2021, April 13). The Impact COVID-19 Had On The Entertainment Industry In 2020. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/bradadgate/2021/04/13/the-impact-covid-19-had-on-the-entertainment-industry-in-2020/?sh=37fe5c4e250f.

Rubin, R. (2021, June 8). Inside Hollywood’s Expensive and Exhausting Road to Making Movies During Coronavirus. Variety. https://variety.com/2020/film/news/film-sets-hollywood-pandemic-1234826994/.

Roxborough, S. (2021, March 5). Berlin: How COVID-19 Has Changed Onscreen Storytelling. The Hollywood Reporter.