How will movies/television treat covid?

Windy River

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What I’m asking, is how will fictional movies and television shows treat covid going forward? Watch a typical show and there’s constant, non-stop human interactions. In general, even in the most preposterous of fictional movies, these interactions are largely ‘realistic’. What I’m asking is, will we begin to see some, or a significant portion of the ‘new normal’ reflected in fictional shows, or will it be ignored? If it continues like this for 2/3 years what happens? Or further? Will directors choose to include this since it is a reality, or will they in effect ‘gamble’ that it goes away quick enough that it can be ignored? I’m just trying to imagine the decision-making mechanisms faced by producers around this... it feels like quite a conundrum!
 

TaLoN

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What I’m asking, is how will fictional movies and television shows treat covid going forward? Watch a typical show and there’s constant, non-stop human interactions. In general, even in the most preposterous of fictional movies, these interactions are largely ‘realistic’. What I’m asking is, will we begin to see some, or a significant portion of the ‘new normal’ reflected in fictional shows, or will it be ignored? If it continues like this for 2/3 years what happens? Or further? Will directors choose to include this since it is a reality, or will they in effect ‘gamble’ that it goes away quick enough that it can be ignored? I’m just trying to imagine the decision-making mechanisms faced by producers around this... it feels like quite a conundrum!
Art imitates life, so I'm sure we'll see some situations lube this depicted, but I'm also sure it won't be in everything either.

Depends on the story being told on how much they feel they can include similar situations without taking away from the story they're trying to tell etc.

Of course, we may get more virus related terror films as well... in the ilk of contagion.

There's still the World War Z franchise dealing with a zombifying illness... not sure how much of our current normal could fit into how they've already set things up though.
 
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Windy River

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Another question: will social distancing etc be ubiquitous enough that it is incorporated into shows without being the topic of the show- or is it 1 or the other? Will aspects of the pandemic be incorporated into shows that are NOT about the pandemic?

Can shows that do not acknowledge it remain ‘relatable’ enough to be engaging; or will the absence eventually be a distraction that makes the show too ‘fake’?
 

TaLoN

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Another question: will social distancing etc be ubiquitous enough that it is incorporated into shows without being the topic of the show- or is it 1 or the other? Will aspects of the pandemic be incorporated into shows that are NOT about the pandemic?

Can shows that do not acknowledge it remain ‘relatable’ enough to be engaging; or will the absence eventually be a distraction that makes the show too ‘fake’?
I don't think the absence will be too fake at all. I think a small story with a scope of family interaction could involve social distancing just fine.

I think if you get into a wider scope story, social distancing limits interaction and thus can limit drama and hurt said story. The exception being if the story focuses on such a thing similar to the film Contagion.
 

JMCx4

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For both my wife & me, it's already become a distraction to see TV commercials where the actors (or in some cases the local business owners/employees) are not "masked up" and maintaining distance. So the longer our daily lives are dominated by the modified behaviors, the more likely the arts will adapt to imitate life to remain relevant to audiences.

At a more practical level, The Bold & The Beautiful producers have resumed filming with spouses standing in as love interests and substituting blow-up dolls for sex scenes. The show must go on.
 

Lshap

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I think this will be seen as a very brief but notable moment in history that we'll pass and leave behind us. Portraying it in future stories has the real risk of looking dated, like the early films about the Internet. It feels incredibly current and urgent right now, but in a couple of years nobody will care enough to watch stories about it. That's not because this pandemic isn't very serious, but because we have an amazing ability to solve problems and get back to normal.
 

Devilsfan992

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At what point will there be a production gap? Now we are still seeing Netflix shows still being rolled out from production Pre-Covid. Should we expect in the coming months or years where there will be limited new shows and movies?
 

TheBluePenguin

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At what point will there be a production gap? Now we are still seeing Netflix shows still being rolled out from production Pre-Covid. Should we expect in the coming months or years where there will be limited new shows and movies?

Yeah we are going to have a gap. There are already movies that are in Post production which they will hold until people can go back the movie theaters. Releasing straight to online rentals will never make those block buster amounts, At least they have not figured out a way that I have seen. My wife and I were just talking about what people will do when they finally get caught up on shows they never had the time to watch before. She's hoping people will start to read books again and I think they will just re-watch the office for the 100th time like I will most likely do lol
 

Devilsfan992

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Yeah we are going to have a gap. There are already movies that are in Post production which they will hold until people can go back the movie theaters. Releasing straight to online rentals will never make those block buster amounts, At least they have not figured out a way that I have seen. My wife and I were just talking about what people will do when they finally get caught up on shows they never had the time to watch before. She's hoping people will start to read books again and I think they will just re-watch the office for the 100th time like I will most likely do lol

I don't think this is possible :laugh:. I still have years of TV shows I haven't watched. They just roll out too much good quality these days. If anything, I will appreciate the break so I can catch up.
 
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TheBluePenguin

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I don't think this is possible :laugh:. I still have years of TV shows I haven't watched. They just roll out too much good quality these days. If anything, I will appreciate the break so I can catch up.

I know me too I have finally watched a lot of shows I had always wanted to that I never could find time like The Sapranos and The Wire..
 

JacketsFanWest

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Filming anything set in corona-times (Swedish has the word coronatider and I want it in English) will likely have lots of people in masks, which is one of those things that directors and actors dislike since it's blocks them emoting with their facial expressions and connecting with the audience.

Michael Bay is rushing production on some found footage type movie set in the near future where the coronavirus had mutated into some killer zombie pandemic type of situation.

Seems like they're going to have lots of PPE, but it remains to be seen if they have masks covering faces. Perhaps they use bubble helmets or something like that.

Michael Bay on His New Pandemic Movie: "We'll Literally Be the First Film to Shoot in L.A."
 

Bounces R Way

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Luke Skywalker blows it up at the end

giphy.gif
 

TheOtherOne

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Sitcoms will do a single social distancing mask wearing episode and then immediately go back to normal and pretend it never happened.
 
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Sojourn

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All I can think of is some parody zombie movie, where they talk about how no one is that stupid. Like every bad idea about what you need to do, that you'd sit there and say "No wait. That isn't realistic. They'd be smarter than that." and it happens, because as much as we might laugh at the stupid stuff we see in horror movies, sometimes we really are that stupid.

Zombieland: The Prequel
 
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TaLoN

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All I can think of is some parody zombie movie, where they talk about how no one is that stupid. Like every bad idea about what you need to do, that you'd sit there and say "No wait. That isn't realistic. They'd be smarter than that." and it happens, because as much as we might laugh at the stupid stuff we see in horror movies, sometimes we really are that stupid.
You just reminded me if that commercial, a horror film parody. A group of people in their late teens early 20s, running from a stalker in the middle of nowhere.

"Why don't we get into that running car?"

"Are you crazy? Let's hide behind the chainsaws"

Here it is, found it!


Yes we laugh, but I don't doubt the are many who would follow that logic.
 
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Fig

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All I can think of is some parody zombie movie, where they talk about how no one is that stupid. Like every bad idea about what you need to do, that you'd sit there and say "No wait. That isn't realistic. They'd be smarter than that." and it happens, because as much as we might laugh at the stupid stuff we see in horror movies, sometimes we really are that stupid.

Zombieland: The Prequel

Paraphrased, one of the posts I recall reading was, "Can we retire the saying, 'avoid it like the plague' because it turns out, humans don't try to avoid plagues?"
 

TaLoN

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Paraphrased, one of the posts I recall reading was, "Can we retire the saying, 'avoid it like the plague' because it turns out, humans don't try to avoid plagues?"
This pandemic has zero effect on that phrase, as this isn't the plague...

Plague home | CDC
Plague is a disease that affects humans and other mammals. It is caused by the bacterium, Yersinia pestis.
There are VERY FEW cases per year of the plague, so people are generally VERY GOOD at avoiding it.

The phrase is very much well intact.
 

Fig

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This pandemic has zero effect on that phrase, as this isn't the plague...

Plague home | CDC

There are VERY FEW cases per year of the plague, so people are generally VERY GOOD at avoiding it.

The phrase is very much well intact.

I was being a little tongue in cheek, but OK. :(

I did learn the distinction between plague and pandemic from your post though. :thumbu:
 
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TaLoN

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I was being a little tongue in cheek, but OK. :(

I did learn the distinction between plague and pandemic from your post though. :thumbu:
I knew you were being tongue in cheek, but I felt the need to show that plague is a specific illness, as that tongue in cheek post implied it was not. ;)
 
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Fig

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I knew you were being tongue in cheek, but I felt the need to show that plague is a specific illness, as that tongue in cheek post implied it was not. ;)

This post gave me "Ken Jeong answers medical questions" flashbacks.
 
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RussianRacket

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There might be some interesting low budget or arthouse films. When it comes to big studio productions I think that no matter how earnestly they try, they will likely miss on the day-to-day experience of average peoples and fail to capture the feeling and tone of the day.

I think the literature that comes out of this era might be a lot more interesting than any studio production.
 
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