How has the pandemic affected cinema?
Covid-19 has left the film industry bankrupt…
How did the pandemic affect the film industry?
Covid-19 changed everything. Every industry has hit its worst. The film industry is one of the most badly hit, after tourism, food, and travel. There’s no denying that the streaming video on demand (SVoD) services have seen a robust spike in sales. But for the most part, the filmmakers and distributors have faced empty coffers.
In this article, you’ll get a sneak peek of how the pandemic has affected film production, distribution, and consumption. Hopefully, this is not a fairytale ending to the filming business.
Will the film cameras ever roll again?
The production and filming is the most crucial part of any mega project. The contagious Covid-19 shut every production house and faltered every shoot, along with filming sets. This led to a 25% increase in production budgets. Now the production sets are nothing compared to those jam-packed sets pre-pandemic.
The lockdowns of 2020 were a boon to update fresh content. The TV outlets and streamers are on the edge with their good ole libraries. This has led to the need for more spacious studios to create and funnel fresh content.
The Covid-19 protocols have also made it tougher. The additional health screenings, masks, protection kits, and rents of large space requirements for social distancing have added to the cost of production. This has lowered profit margins for the long haul.
Feature films particularly have been hit the worst. With fewer and fewer investors willing to pour money into the production, it is almost impossible.
Time is money. Every production runs at its own pace. It is dependent on several aspects. But the pandemic has delayed every project.
The pandemic guidelines vary for each film. This uncertainty has led to millions of losses from existing investments and producers are giving up on movies. The production insurance due to the pandemic is also dire.
This being said, Braks production is coming out with a short film “A king for a Day ”.
You can contribute and be a part of bringing this gripping story to the screen.
Go ahead, Send in your love.
And the next question that pops up is
Is this the end of film production?
Certainly not. The production houses may be hindered by the pandemic. But the future is full of opportunities. With the vaccines, a lot of countries are open to activities and tourism.
The covid restrictions are lowering, and the sun is shining bright. Countries like the USA, UK, and some others are on their path to 100% vaccinated civilians.
And this reveals potential in picking the filming and shooting from where it was abundant.
The iron cast cinema halls & theatres are shadowed…
The pandemic miserably shut the theatre and cinema halls. The maintenance and workers had to be laid off. It got real ugly for the theatre owners and employees.
The very stubborn Cinema halls affirmed that a blockbuster had to screen for 90 days before it was available on-demand at the click of the button. But the pandemic forced the production house to let movies be released on all platforms.
This led to worsening the profits of the “box office”.
Why would anyone match to the movie theatre if you can watch 100s of titles at the comfort of your home? Be it the threat of the pandemic or not.
This led to shadowing the Cinema & deepening the already appearing cracks in the halls and holes in the owner’s pockets.
But post-pandemic the lazy movie buff may still prefer the comfy couch over the theatre.
With lowering restrictions, a lot of die-hard movie enthusiasts still visit for the Cinema experience and nostalgia of the big screen and some popcorn.
Are you binge-watching overnight too?
The pandemic may have paused the banks of the cinema hall owners. But those running the digital platforms & streaming video on demand (SVoD) made absolute bank.