https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/03/hollywood-coronavirus-social-distancing-la-shutdown?utm_source=nl&utm_brand=vf&utm_mailing=VF_CH_031320&utm_medium=email&bxid=5c7488643f92a468449bc082&cndid=53052663&hasha=7f96ac6840b79775d6c94d888efe90e1&hashb=d284f092ddc7138aee36217a2852983a3b532594&hashc=0d6dbbe35cea0a6634ed6eb24f65b18bdb18d46c5b3202ec41f4be5284459913&esrc=AUTO_PRINT&utm_campaign=VF_CH_031320&utm_term=VYF_Cocktail_Hour
Given the speed with which things are changing these days, I know this article seems old, but it raised a lot interesting questions for me as I was moving into spring break. Particularly, it was boggling to see just how much of Hollywood's mechanisms relied on in-person meetings and bodies being physically present. While the tech industry moved online (was it ever really off-line?) with smooth efficiency, Hollywood seemed to find it difficult, even though traffic on all fronts, whether that be streaming or cable, have been through the roof. Economically, it's time to bet on whether traffic gains can off-set production losses. Distribution models will likely change, pushing those hesitant about simultaneous theatrical and digital releases over the edge and loosening rules about who gets to release and for how long. Aesthetically, I wonder if we will see smaller productions blossoming, if not this season alone then in future seasons as well. As the big productions halt, studios will likely look to IP and content not unlike the already-socially-isolated domain of YouTube or Twitch. These platforms represent the intersection between Hollywood and the Silicon Valley, between the aesthetic and celebrity-driven models of traditional entertainment and the virtuality of new technology. Maybe this is just hopeful thinking, but as someone who is always rooting for YouTube to be taken more seriously, I would be interested in seeing how the current moment pushes Hollywood ever closer to its Northern counterparts/partners in crime and what Hollywood is willing to part with versus what they will hold onto with an iron grip.
Really interesting article!
ReplyDeleteI think that whatever change does come to Hollywood's distribution models will depend entirely on how long social distancing measures are put into place. If this goes on for weeks, studios may be able to pick up their productions and write COVID off as a necessary blunder; however, if isolation is on the order of months, we may see ourselves in an A-list content drought. I would like to predict that this would drive more people to independent creators on Youtube or Twitch, who are capable of producing content remotely, in their homes, etc.