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THREAD: State of film production in the COVID era.
We've been reaching out to our 1,000s of customers + partners.
I'd like to share our top-line findings to date.
This concerns all of us — producers, directors, writers, tech nerds, critics. Please share.
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We've been reaching out to our 1,000s of customers + partners.
I'd like to share our top-line findings to date.
This concerns all of us — producers, directors, writers, tech nerds, critics. Please share.
/1
First, a massive shout-out to @katiehinsen of @NiceShoesOnline for compiling this data. We're piggybacking off her efforts with our "State of the Industry" survey.
If you're a producer, post supe, editor, artist ... please consider weighing in. https://forms.gle/cb8L4Mk3vZpi5Kwy8
If you're a producer, post supe, editor, artist ... please consider weighing in. https://forms.gle/cb8L4Mk3vZpi5Kwy8
On to the findings.
Lots of producers currently stuck in "permanent pre-production"
Indie films especially find themselves bottlenecked by:
(a) difficulty obtaining production insurance
(b) difficulty obtaining shooting permits
(c) concerns around crew + cast safety
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Lots of producers currently stuck in "permanent pre-production"
Indie films especially find themselves bottlenecked by:
(a) difficulty obtaining production insurance
(b) difficulty obtaining shooting permits
(c) concerns around crew + cast safety
/3
Production insurance may be the biggest threat to indie film right now. Studios and networks can leverage existing blanket policies.
But 95%+ of production consists of one-off LLCs. Those are in danger.
Worst case: indie film could just fall off a cliff in 2020.
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But 95%+ of production consists of one-off LLCs. Those are in danger.
Worst case: indie film could just fall off a cliff in 2020.
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Shooting permits: Film offices have been closed. Where they're open, things move more slowly. *Everything* is moving more slowly.
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A majority of producers have also cited concerns around crew/cast safety. Either waiting on union/guild/studio regs, or trying to reconcile different policies.
Or just personally uncomfortable with moving forward. Understandable.
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Or just personally uncomfortable with moving forward. Understandable.
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Post production is taking a *lot* longer across the board.
In March/April everything ground to a halt. Folks just figuring out what the hell is going on. Now ...
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In March/April everything ground to a halt. Folks just figuring out what the hell is going on. Now ...
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... where post has re-openend, everything is slower. "Up to 4x slower."
Challenges are technical (e.g. calibrating monitors in multiple locations) but also cultural. The "chair + couch" model is deeply ingrained.
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Challenges are technical (e.g. calibrating monitors in multiple locations) but also cultural. The "chair + couch" model is deeply ingrained.
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Bigger content producers are buffing post production budgets by 30-50% in response. Again, this favors the Big Dojos over the indies.
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HUGE disparity between vendors that are doing a good-enough job at remote and vendors who are really struggling with remote.
Lots of post supes are doing lots of vendor-shopping at this moment.
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Lots of post supes are doing lots of vendor-shopping at this moment.
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Again, this isn't just a technical thing but a cultural thing.
(Plug: I've been running the remote http://Endcrawl.com team for 8 years and I can attest. This is not a flip of the switch. It has to be baked into a company's DNA.)
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(Plug: I've been running the remote http://Endcrawl.com team for 8 years and I can attest. This is not a flip of the switch. It has to be baked into a company's DNA.)
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Producers are pivoting in few keys areas. Let's start with geography.
Alt shooting locations include:
Pinewood Atlanta, Toronto, London, Puerto Rico, Canary Islands, Scotland, Poland. Even the arctic!
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Alt shooting locations include:
Pinewood Atlanta, Toronto, London, Puerto Rico, Canary Islands, Scotland, Poland. Even the arctic!
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Not so easy: there's a travel restriction in place. But that's not quite as airtight as we may think.
Still, producers need to minimize above-the-line travel and work with 95% local crew.
But most of these locations won't be able to support the sudden demand for labor.
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Still, producers need to minimize above-the-line travel and work with 95% local crew.
But most of these locations won't be able to support the sudden demand for labor.
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Second pivot area: type of content.
Let's start with documentaries, which are going strong in a lot of ways. But plenty of challenges here, too:
(a) shooting interviews
(b) getting stock footage is also _slower_ (notice a theme?)
(c) docs typically have a long lead time
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Let's start with documentaries, which are going strong in a lot of ways. But plenty of challenges here, too:
(a) shooting interviews
(b) getting stock footage is also _slower_ (notice a theme?)
(c) docs typically have a long lead time
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Side note: there's a big uptick in the demand for sports docs.
With so many leagues hobbled, questionable, or out of commission—sports channels need content.
If you're a documentary producer and sports is your bailiwick: this is your moment, y'all.
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With so many leagues hobbled, questionable, or out of commission—sports channels need content.
If you're a documentary producer and sports is your bailiwick: this is your moment, y'all.
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There's also talk of pivot to animation.
Makes sense in theory. But again favors more well-heeled producers at the expense of indie producers. Animation ain't cheap.
And—again—just because you *can* do most of this work remote doesn't mean you have the skill set.
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Makes sense in theory. But again favors more well-heeled producers at the expense of indie producers. Animation ain't cheap.
And—again—just because you *can* do most of this work remote doesn't mean you have the skill set.
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There's also speculation that studios will make a run on "scripts that can be shot" in the COVID era. Small, intimate, innovative.
Just speculation, mind you.
But sounds reasonable enough. The return of the mid-budget films?
Hey, writers: this sounds like an opportunity.
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Just speculation, mind you.
But sounds reasonable enough. The return of the mid-budget films?
Hey, writers: this sounds like an opportunity.
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Just a personal plea for me:
Go light on the "Zoom movies" please? I think we've already done that.
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Go light on the "Zoom movies" please? I think we've already done that.
/18
Lots of studios' offices closed.
We already know Google is shuttered for another YEAR.
VOX closed indefinitely. Warner Media not going back to Hudson Yards this calendar year.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/google-to-keep-employees-home-until-summer-2021-amid-coronavirus-pandemic-11595854201
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We already know Google is shuttered for another YEAR.
VOX closed indefinitely. Warner Media not going back to Hudson Yards this calendar year.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/google-to-keep-employees-home-until-summer-2021-amid-coronavirus-pandemic-11595854201
/19
"Podcasts are booming."
Cool. Are the economics of podcasts booming, though?
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Cool. Are the economics of podcasts booming, though?
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Post production taking about 4x as long to do remotely.
But there’s a LOT of pressure from the networks for producers + production companies to deliver on existing contracts.
On that note...
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But there’s a LOT of pressure from the networks for producers + production companies to deliver on existing contracts.
On that note...
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There's a big expectation that NYC will be back in swing this fall.
Stands to reason: NY/NJ have done a pretty good job at flattening/squashing the curve. (Don't @ me.)
So, combining these last two points:
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Stands to reason: NY/NJ have done a pretty good job at flattening/squashing the curve. (Don't @ me.)
So, combining these last two points:
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NY doing well + pent-up post production + pressure for content =
We're gearing up for some huge industry crunch this fall/winter.
Buckle up.
(This is good news, mostly.)
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We're gearing up for some huge industry crunch this fall/winter.
Buckle up.
(This is good news, mostly.)
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Second-to-last plug:
http://Endcrawl.com is online, has always been remote, and serviced thousands of productions.
Like Moonlight, Hamilton, and Bill+Ted 3. We're ready for the crunch.
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http://Endcrawl.com is online, has always been remote, and serviced thousands of productions.
Like Moonlight, Hamilton, and Bill+Ted 3. We're ready for the crunch.
/24
Final plug: please consider contributing to our State Of The Industry survey. We'll keep sharing insights.
And all credit again to @katiehinsen's massive efforts compiling this data. (Also, you should follow her, she's a legend.)
https://forms.gle/cb8L4Mk3vZpi5Kwy8
All for now.
/25
And all credit again to @katiehinsen's massive efforts compiling this data. (Also, you should follow her, she's a legend.)
https://forms.gle/cb8L4Mk3vZpi5Kwy8
All for now.
/25
