www.shootonline.com/news/pandemic-production-prospects-possibilities-concerns

“For many, production has stopped in its tracks due to the coronavirus pandemic. ”

“Others have stepped up their in-house activity, tapping into their homegrown production and post capabilities.” [Or working from home]

“While losing the physical proximity and communal nature of collaboration, creatives and artists have managed to stay connected through technology”

“While some projects have “completely died,” said Gavin Wellsman [a creative director at The Mill in New York], others are still in the pipeline and have adapted to a world where social distancing is imperative and live-action production as we’ve known it is no longer feasible at the moment. Clients are turning to visual effects, CG and other options.”

“Still, much work has fallen by the wayside. And many projects don’t translate properly from live action to another [full CG] discipline.”

“London-based independent production house MindsEye launched HomeStudio…. HomeStudio brings together a lineup of directors who have their own equipment, DPs with studio space, and stop-frame animators who can turn out content in this period of imposed self-isolation. This isn’t a roster of talent that a company has signed in the traditional sense; rather it’s a collection of talent that’s being made available to agencies and brands.”

“However, ingenuity, imagination and improvisation can only go so far when production and post companies are suffering from poor cash flow, a situation which is exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis. …many companies would settle for–or at least welcome with open arms–getting paid in a timely fashion by marketers and ad agencies for services already rendered. ”

“In a live poll of over 500 AICP member participants during a Zoom Town Hall last month, the issue of outstanding receivables was the most immediate concern. It was found that 28% of companies reported that they are owed in excess of $1 million, while 23% are owed between $500,000-$1 million and 34% are owed between $100,000-$500,000. The members were also polled on how late these payments are: 29% reported that payments are 45 or more days late (per their contracted terms), and one-third are 30-45 days late. Extrapolating across the industry, conservatively, this is well in excess of $200 million.”

“Matt Miller, president and CEO of AICP: A healthy production and post community is integral to the overall economy’s recovery once we are clear of the pandemic. Production and post talent will be needed to help brands connect with the consumer marketplace and bring it back to life. It’s thus in the interest of [all] marketers and agencies to do what they can–and should do–to contribute to keeping the production and post sectors whole. “

www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/bad-cgi-films-movies-why-call-of-the-wild-cats-sonic-the-hedgehog-dolittle-a9355466.html

“When something in the design goes wrong, creating a furry Lovecraftian horror who repulses the human eye, all the blame lands on the VFX. And when something goes right (like Sonic’s cuddlier redesign) the team sees no reward, not even job security.”

“Those who work in post production are “much more vulnerable than almost any other industry”, “No one has job security, not even the higher-ups. No one knows where they’re working next year, or three months from now. The industry is in a race to the bottom – everything has to be done quicker and cheaper than the last project. And we’re treated as a disposable short-term workforce.”

“The infamous “crunch” which animators have blamed for rushed work like Cats is a reference to “crunch time” – the period before a film’s release where artists have to work staggering amounts of overtime in order to get a job done before the money runs out. The instability of the VFX industry, and the inconsistency of the work it produces, may be due to these tight schedules.”

“Unpaid excessive overtime is the default,”“Some places are better than others. But generally speaking, when you get a contract somewhere big in London like ILM, the first thing you get is an overtime waiver. At the minute, EU rules limit how much overtime employers can ask for, so workers have to waive their own rights before they begin. These companies plan for unpaid overtime in their spreadsheets before they even start a project.”