I operate with my partner a feature film production company that was on a remote location ready to begin filming when the pandemic hit.

Totally financed, totally cast and crewed. We had to send everyone home.

As certain industries re-open, it is hard for us yet to imagine collecting twenty to thirty people under hot lights on a film set during Covid.
The Canadian government in conjunction with the screen industry have created safe guidelines for production. They’re sensible and onerous and add significant costs to production.

Living with this uncertainty has prompted us instead to concentrate on financing other films and developing feature film scripts which can be done by email and zoom. In fact, the rate of development has been very exciting on many of our projects, including those by some writers who normally find it hard to concentrate; in this case the isolation has worked to accelerate the creative process.

We have also had success with some financing aspects as we find financiers are eager to imagine the day when actual production can re-commence.

That being said, having a good script ready to go is one thing. But it isn’t a movie unless it is filmed – and for the moment we aren’t sure when we will be able to do that, not to mention where the final films will be sold and seen with festivals and cinemas going digital. Part of our motivational incentive been the idea of gathering people for a collective creative experience.
How much of that process will be compromised?

The film business in Canada has benefited from government programs for financing film projects, both nationally and regionally. As I wrote above, these instruments have been re-tooled during the pandemic to offer additional development support. It is challenging to envisage how to pivot safely to film production (shooting) at the moment.

At the same time, the situation has spawned a new kind of creative energy and introspection about what needs to be made and seen in the post pandemic world.

As a communicator I’m hopeful that this moment, no matter how frightening or uncertain, has the potential to bring people together through the universal.