European producers are adapting to a challenging time during the Covid-19 global pandemic and countries are ready to open up for production at varying times. Content production has paused across the globe – with scripted commissions down 40% on this time last year-, although a number of countries have these weeks taken little steps towards a socially distanced resumption of activity.
MIA has organized a web session that was focused on the European audio-visual community and how to re-organize the relation between creativity and safety, driving the creativity challenge in the pandemic experience, as we all adjust to this new normal.
Elena Lai, Secretary General of CEPI, the European Audiovisual Production, Association of European independent producers representing approximately 8000 independent TV and film production companies in Europe, gave an opening overview into how CEPI has been a leading force in mobilizing the European AV sector to rally against the virus and engaging with leaders at the EU and national level to request targeted support measures.
“The industry went through into a very tough time. In the last three months, all the National Associations have been struggling and exchanging a lot of information to make sure that producers could back to work as soon as possible. In CEPI we have to run a map to understand economically the level of damages that production companies were going thought”, she commented. “The European Commission is at the moment tacking the right measures to offer support from the founding point of view, so it's important to guide them in the best way possible,” she added. “In CEPI we found out that more than 66% of the company in the National Association have to stop completely their productions and a lot of producers had to cut the benefits for their employees. The crisis is going on and will affect our production companies also in the longer run”, asserted.
Dariuz Jablonsky CEO of Apple Film and member of the board of the European Producers Club said “The Covid is showing us our weaknesses, one of the most important things is that the majority of our people, creators, self employees are hopeless because they have not any social security and nobody is helping them, so we have to thank all the Governments for the all social funds. In Poland, we are working very hard about creating social security for a situation like Covid”. The executive said that in Poland the activities are already open and that some films are returning to the set. “About 160 productions stopped at the beginning of March and it was a great shock and caused a lot of problems and we will feel them for many months.
Filip Bobinski, CEO of the Czech prod-co Dramedy Productions told that in the Czech Republic people are in the last stage of the lockdown, almost everything is open now and they are planning to stop wearing masks in open places starting next month. "The lockdown was implemented very quickly and the virus did not have time to spread widely throughout the country”. “In the middle of May, we began filming with the obligation to test the actors so that they do not wear masks while the team does have to wear them. I continued filming my series on May 21 and there is no longer an obligation to test the actors, but we continue to do so.” he described.
Nicola Soderlund, Owner and Managing Partner of Swedish distribution outfit Eccho Rights, explained that in Sweden the productions have never stopped. “We never stop producing but always taking into account all the precautions such as washing our hands, taking the temperature, having everything disinfected all the time, etc”.
Nicola De Angelis, CEO of Italian production company Fabula Pictures said that Italy was the first country to enter lockdown and one of the last to exit. "We are returning to normal very slowly but the protocol is very intense, we are going to return to the set on June 22 and it will be like a laboratory, all disinfected, taking the temperature and it will be a bit problematic because there is a certain fear among the talents about interaction, I don't think it's something that will end quickly.”, asserted.
For Ran Tellem, Head of International content development of The Mediapro Studios, the current situation is much more positive. The Mediapro Studios has launched five shows during the pandemic, some were already ready before and others were edited and post-produced, and it’s launching today “The Head” in 30 countries. “This period is very ware and very different from any other period that we have lived before and the only good thing is that we all feel that people are more hungry for great content and the consumption of that content, whether on platforms or channels, It is higher than before”.