The Impact of COVID-19 on the Entertainment Industry

There isn’t an industry, business, or individual that hasn’t been impacted by COVID-19. No exception, the entertainment industry has suffered huge losses, financial and otherwise.

Every aspect of the entertainment industry has been affected, reaching across everyone involved in film, television, live theater, music, theme parks, sports, and other events. While we look forward to the return of the entertainment industry, albeit likely in a new form, no one knows for sure yet when that will happen, or what form it will eventually take.

ENTERTAINMENT BEFORE THE PANDEMIC

Clearly, that would have directed the kind of films that the entertainment industry would have been making, but nowwhat? Uncertainty is the only thing that’s certain, at least for now.

ENTERTAINMENT DURING THE PANDEMIC

The current projected loss within the entertainment industry over a five-year period has been estimated at $160 billion.

WHO WAS MOST AFFECTED?

It will come as no surprise that the big Hollywood names haven’t been affected. But it is important to remember that regardless of how “big” the star actor or actress may be, no entertainment production can exist, much less succeed, without a massive cast of supporting “characters.”

The Motion Picture Association has estimated that the film and television industries alone directly employed 892,000 people, many of whom are not now working. Here are some of the sub-industries most affected:

Live theater and live performances of all kinds have stopped as well. As stated above, it takes many sub-industries to support a large-scale entertainment production of any kind:

Nearly all these people are independent contractors with no job security, other than what they were able to save up on their own. Most of them are either on unemployment or have scrambled to find another source of livelihood, like the rest of America.

DID ANYONE BENEFIT?

Netflix has the edge over its competition due to the volume of its existingcatalog and the fact that it had already completed most of its programming for 2020. The company also has a line-upof impending releases.

ENTERTAINMENT RISING FROM THE ASHES

Although restrictions are just now beginning to loosen up a bit, the situation is volatile, and the future of the entertainment industry is still uncertain. No one knows if another pandemic wave is coming, so preparations and strategies must be considered with that possibility in mind.

When production came to a grinding halt, there were film productions already completed and scheduled for release. What’s going to happen with them when theaters are allowed to open up again?

There is an abundance of movies that will be vying for release when that happens. This will likely lead to a slowdown in the production of new movies and other entertainment forms in order to allow the public to absorb what will become available at that time.

New Rules

As of this writing, new production has not yet begun, although Hollywood is naturally eager to get back to work again. Film companies are working with insurance companies on how best to go about producing new entertainment projects safely. There is also a myriad of legal issues to be considered and worked out.

A few of the new rules presently include:

• The Elimination Of Sex Scenes
• The Discontinuance Of Live Fight Scenes
• No Makeup Allowed On Men

Australia has added their own new rules to those above that include allowing fewer than 100 people in any area of filming per day and having a nurse on set.

One entertainment maverick who isn’t waiting for the official go-ahead is Tyler Perry. He is putting his own safety measurements and procedures into place and is hopeful that it will prove to be a template for other entertainment productions to get back in the game.

Other Changes

Film awards and festivals have also been forced to re-think how to go about maintaining normalcy while improvising new methods to comply with public safety issues. For example:

• The 93rd Academy Awards Have Announced Two Changes So Far. For The First Time, Streamed Films Will Now Be Eligible For Best Picture. And From Now On, The Sound Mixing And Sound Editing Awards Will Be Combined Into One New Category, Best Sound.
• The Cannes Film Festival, Scheduled For May 2020, Was Postponed Until June, And As Of This Writing, They Are Searching For A New Way For The Festival To Take Place. 

Other festivals, events, and showings are also struggling to continue with their events while complying with new safety restrictions.

As theaters begin to reopen in a limited manner, there is some good news. Moviegoers won’t have to worry about anyone sitting next to them, spilling soda or popcorn on them for some time. 

ENTERTAINMENT OF THE FUTURE

The most significant and immediate change will reflect the new social distancing requirements. This means workingwith fewer people overall for safety. According to senior media analyst at Exhibitor Relations Jeff Bock, the industry can expect immediate and future changes to include:

• Smaller Crews
• Fewer Locations
• Heavy Reliance On Visual Effects
• Crewmembers And Directors Doubling As Extras, a lá Alfred Hitchcock

Speculation

The interconnected nature of the entertainment industry means that it will affect all sub-industries and even those outside of it, like advertising and the legal field. Many of the ramifications will not be fully felt for years to come.

What will the new virtual technology look like, and how long will it take for it to become, pardon the expression, reality? 

One thing everyone agrees on is that the cost to produce future entertainment of any kind will be much more expensive than their already costly productions. That cost will have to be passed along to the consumer in some form for the entertainment industry to survive. In what way that will be is as yet unknown.