The film and TV industry worldwide has experienced a near-total cessation of activity, with thousands of largely freelance crew laid off at short notice with little or no financial compensation. Scores of productions, ranging from studio shoots such as the Avatar sequels and Fantastic Beasts 3 to independent films such as Paul Schrader’s The Card Counter, have been halted. – The Guardian
Category: media
TikTok Told Moderators To Suppress Content By Users Who Weren’t Hot Enough
“The makers of TikTok, the Chinese video-sharing app with hundreds of millions of users around the world, instructed moderators to suppress posts created by users deemed too ugly, poor, or disabled for the platform, according to internal documents.” – The Intercept
120,000 Production And Tech Jobs Have Already Been Lost Due To Coronavirus, Says Union
“IATSE reported Tuesday that the COVID-19-related production suspensions snd event cancellations have resulted in the loss of 120,000 jobs held by its 150,000 members. A large number of those affected work in Hollywood production but IATSE also covers live events, conventions and all people-facing businesses that have been hard hit by the coronavirus outbreak.” – Deadline
Right Now Boring Online Social Sharing Is Comforting
It’s not just Americans broadcasting their living spaces to the world in the hopes of finding digital company. In the midst of a pandemic, kids with smartphones and wireless access and unlimited free time are showing us what a room looks like globally. American teenagers are watching TikTok videos from countries that are two or three weeks ahead of the United States in quarantine measures, peering into the life they will soon be living. – The Atlantic
How COVID-19 Is Changing Podcasting
“Shows are drastically scaling down their studio time, production teams are increasingly shifting to remote workflows, public radio stations are postponing their pledge drives, and independents are bracing for hits to their business models. Here, a look at how the podcast world is handling the crisis.” – Vulture
How Public TV And LA Schools Quickly Got An At-Home School Learning Program Up And Running
LAUSD curriculum specialists and PBS SoCal/KCET were in a programming war room, mapping out priorities by grade, and identifying shows inside the TV stations’ library that might match up. Also, San Francisco PBS station KQED was brought in, and took the lead in developing an online service to match the broadcast service being developed in Los Angeles. – Variety
Is This The End Of The Movie Theatre Business?
After many weeks of self-quarantining and social distancing, will people be eager to rub shoulders again when restrictions are lifted? And what will happen to the release calendar, with so many delayed blockbusters likely to clog up the schedule when they’re finally ready for the viewing public? There are far more urgent public-health concerns to consider in the short term, of course, but after years of industry hand-wringing over the future of the cinematic experience, it will still be quite a shock to see Hollywood go into total hibernation for weeks or months on end. – The Atlantic
Universal Says It Will Make Its Current-Release Movies Available By Streaming
The company will also make movies that are currently in theatrical release available on-demand beginning as early as Friday, starting with the Elisabeth Moss horror film “The Invisible Man,” the satirical thriller “The Hunt” and Focus Features’ period comedy-drama “Emma.” – Los Angeles Times
Arts Organizations Take To Streaming. But Is There A Way Of Supporting It?
“We’re going make sure we protect our people, but we need to keep the arts and the music going. That’s what we’re going to do. That’s why we’re here.” – The Guardian
India’s Film Industry, World’s Largest, Freezes All Production
“After an emergency meeting over the weekend, the India Motion Picture Producers’ Association said Monday that it would request the suspension of all film, TV, advertising and web series shoots in the country from March 19 to 31. The body also advised all Indian film crews currently at work on projects overseas to return to the country within the next three days.” – The Hollywood Reporter