Entertainment Taking A Turn With COVID-19

Coronavirus has significantly disrupted most of the entertainment industry. The economic toll of the ongoing pandemic is estimated to last for the following decade to come. But, in the present, the entertainment industry has, arguably, suffered the most damage. The most awaited releases have been postponed and productions have been canceled. The hard times have forced actors and music artists to be out-of-work.

Movies and records that were ready-to-go before the lockdown was released but all other ‘in-the-making’ projects were put on hold. Hollywood studios have been forced to push back their high-profile movie releases until next year. Others have chosen to skip theatrical releases and ‘screen’ their movies on streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime.

The silver lining in the seemingly unending disaster is that independent creators and distributors do not have to take the backseat anymore. More than half of the theatres are closed in the States and the most awaited blockbusters like Marvel’s Black Widow, are postponed until at least next year. Indie filmmakers are looking to turn a profit in 2020 with the help of brick-and-mortar theaters, drive-ins, and virtual cinemas.

The studios are leaving screens empty, making space for low-budget and yet entertaining films. The pandemic and recent events have also changed the type of entertainment people want to watch. With stories on current cultural trends like ‘Black Lives Matter’, these are sure to keep people hooked.

Financially speaking, indie artists can thrive in these hard circumstances as their production and marketing costs are much lower than the big studios. But seeing as the worst is behind us and restrictions are being lifted, filmmakers and music artists are back-at-it again.

Although work has begun, progress is slow, and costs are higher. Safety and preventive measures against COVID are being implied but they are expensive, sometimes even costing almost 10% of the total production costs.

The unforeseeable downtime has made creators think of new avenues and improvise projects to keep things running. The almost year-long lockdown forced digital creators, filmmakers, actors, and all sorts of artists to think of unconventional and modern ways to entertain the people and keep their spirits high.

The saviors of the entertainment industry are live streams, digital platform viewing services, and social media interactions. OTT platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime have seen an increase of 15 million users across the globe. The influence of social media is undeniable. People stuck at home away from their friends and families have extensively used social platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook to keep themselves busy and entertained during these unprecedented times. This has given ways for local bands, indie musicians, singers that rely on gigs, to make themselves known in the mainstream too.

Many platforms have been developed and are popular now, where independent artists can participate to showcase their talents. They have also used merchandise as a way to further their fan base and generate more revenue.

Actors and independent actors alike, have come out and started to interact with their fan base much more during the pandemic. They have turned their focus to personal projects branching out from the entertainment sector to social works. The low work load has motivated our beloved celebrities to expand their following even more by connecting to people and their causes.

Another ‘mission’ the entertainment industry has taken up to continue work is that they have shifted their low-scaled projects to a country with fewer COVID cases. They are working with a limited crew in a smaller space. Some now see this as an opportunity for creative freedom and to improvise and adapt to unorthodox situations. Indie artists tend to be more resilient, facing a multitude of challenges, and dealing with one hiccup after another. So, coronavirus is just another hiccup for them to work around. Albeit, a much larger one than they would have anticipated.

An overall new change in approach and an unusual perspective in filmography, production, distribution, advertising, and music has transformed the complete entertainment industry. All due to a deadly pathogen floating in the air.

Article Source: Master Entertainment Workshops LLC

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