Due to the ongoing pandemic, it’s obvious many industries have been offset and damaged by the virus’s effects on society, and the film industry is no exception. Going to the theatre has always been a popular and casual hobby for many of the population, with most citizens of the United States attending the movies at least once a month. However, around February/March film production worldwide had to be put on pause, and cinemas were required to close while the world struggled to adjust and cope with the new and terrifying threat of the virus. Now, filming for movies has for the most part resumed back to its normal pace, albeit with some new strict guidelines to follow in order to prevent the spread of Covid as much as possible. Theatres have also begun to open up in the past few weeks as the world slowly but surely comes to adjust to the virus that still poses a very real threat to us all. Though the world, and by extension the film industry, is fighting to regain its sense of normality, it’s likely that the film industry has been forever altered due to Covid’s interference, and the way we as consumers watch movies may see a further shift in the upcoming future. Seeing crowd scenes in any films released in the near future is highly unlikely, and most real-world locations will be limited depending on that location’s guidelines. Many films rely on extras for crucial scenes, but due to the current situation at hand scenes including large amounts of extras will be virtually impossible to pull off without risking everyone’s health. 

Effects of Covid on production

As cast and crews in the entertainment industry begin to resume filming that had previously been put on hold, it’s become clear that things can’t go back to exactly how it was before just yet. States like New York and Georgia, who have somewhat looser restrictions as compared to other states, require crew members to be divided into “pods” to limit the amount of unnecessary interaction from different groups of people working on the set. There is also now strict monitoring on the health of each cast and crew member in order to determine who is allowed to even step foot on set in the first place, with Covid officers being diligent in taking people’s temperatures and evaluating everyone’s overall health. The effects of covid go farther than just affecting the technical aspect of filming shows and movies, as it affects the actual on-screen, end product of filming as well. 

Will future films still be affected by covid?

The way we’ve consumed films during quarantine may indicate a potential shift in Hollywood and how we consume media as a whole. The popularity of streaming services saw a notable increase over quarantine, as people tried their best to keep themselves entertained while being isolated within their own homes. The popularity of streaming services has always maintained a steady rate of increase throughout the years. In the United States, 62% of United States adults currently subscribe to a streaming service, as new streaming applications continue to be developed. While it’s unlikely for people to simply cease attending the theatre as a whole, streaming services like Hulu and Netflix that allow someone to enjoy films within the comfort of their own homes are sure to only increase further in popularity in the foreseeable future.