To Shoot or Not to Shoot—That is the Question

Should movies and TV shows be produced during the pandemic?

By Erica Bouska

Two days into resuming filming for the upcoming “Batman” movie, production paused again after Robert Pattinson, who plays Batman, tested positive for COVID-19. 

Pattinson’s test was one of the most high-profile cases of COVID-19 in the movie industry, but “Batman” was certainly not the last production to be stalled by the pandemic. The new “Jurassic World” movie paused in October and went through more than 40,000 COVID-19 tests before they wrapped in November.

In addition, Universal spent between $6 million and $8 million on COVID-19 protocols for “Jurassic World” alone. So this boils down to a central question: should movies and TV shows be produced right now?

From the Industry 

In October, the National Association of Theatre Owners’ director of government relations saw the end of an era if aid didn’t come soon.

“This is as urgent as it gets,” said Esther Baruh. “The exhibition industry thrived before this pandemic and it will thrive again, but theatres and their employees need a bridge to get them to that point.”

“The stark reality,” Baruh said, “is that many movie theaters will not be able to open again if they don’t receive government help.”

It doesn’t help that COVID increased the cost of producing films, one study showing an increase between 9% and 12% in Nordic countries. Large production companies, like Universal, have the financial stability and reputation to work with increased budgets and loans, but what about the small companies?

Gudny Hummelvoll, a Norwegian producer and president of the European Producers Club, said he’s had to stop production numerous times for COVID-19. He was fortunate enough to receive financial support from the Norwegian Film Institute and suggested that smaller markets may find ways to support themselves.

“Most funds will not support minority production stakeholders, it’s a challenge for a lot of people,” he said. “Perhaps on a European level we can work out a way to support projects.”

Liselott Forsman, CEO of a financial backing company called the Nordisk Film & TV Fund, said that despite the pitfalls and missteps, the film and TV industry is strong.

“The research shows the staggering resilience of the industry,” said Forsman. “It’s a tough industry from before Covid but they have been fighting like hell to survive.”

From the Workers

The pandemic hit the documentary world particularly hard. Because documentaries work so closely with the communities they cover and those communities are often at risk, COVID-19 made documentary filmmakers rethink how they approached storytelling, if they could risk it at all. 

Producers Lance Kramer and Ina Fichman said that after seeing how poorly protected frontline workers were, they and others were nervous about exposing their crews and the people they covered to the virus. 

“In our world of documentary, we wondered whether we could ‘reopen’ our projects if we did not adequately value the lives of our frontline people: our crews, and the people whose stories are told in the films we make.”

Some could argue that documentaries and other movies or TV shows aren’t essential work and those who work in those industries shouldn’t be considered frontline workers. However, cinematographer and director Jenni Morello said that it is their job to be reporting on this historical event and documenting the stories that aren’t being told. 

But, she said, people have to ask themselves if they’re comfortable being in the field or putting the health of the crew or film participants at risk. And if the answer is no, that person’s life is more important. 

Producer and director Barri Cohen said that COVID changed the relationship between her crew and their subjects in a notable way.

“We rely on our participants for their stories, and once they’ve given consent, they rely on a director and team to take care of their stories, to hold them safe and do them justice,” she said. “COVID-19 brought this relationship front and center for me, but it came with the potential for more urgent consequences.” 

Morello also pointed out that many workers are non-union without many laws, contracts, or protections and that some people will have to say no to jobs for health or financial reasons. 

Financial reasons, said Fichman and Kramer, were a large reason they grappled with the idea of going back to work or not. People needed their paychecks to feed themselves and their families and a good portion of field crews were excluded from public relief efforts, but the health risks, protocols, and shut-downs made it incredibly difficult for production to be financially dependable. 

While talking about the racial reckoning after the death of George Floyd, Morello also pointed out that different communities would be affected differently by the industry shutting down, and that could create larger disparities.

“We need to also be mindful of the obvious inequality gaps that might become greater because some people will have to say no to jobs,” she said. “We are already at risk of losing talented people because of the immediacy of financial insecurity, but really, we could lose even more to long-term inequities that persist in our society.”

Balancing it all, the question “is it worth it to produce movies and TV shows right now?” is being juggled around the world and doesn’t have an easy answer. Kramer and Fichman are working through these problems and their obligations to themselves and their crews. 

“As independent producers, even if we are stressed, under-resourced, and facing significant struggles ourselves, we must recognize that a project’s risk and responsibility is often in our hands. So, too, are people’s lives, and we must face this duty as we move forward into this new reality.”