Yes, it's devastating all kinds of careers in the arts. One TV director: "The big question is ‘will I ever work again?’ And if not, how can I best say goodbye to an industry I have been part of for all my working life?" - The Guardian (UK)
Nearly two years after screenwriters fired their agents in a fight against agency actions that were costing TV writers quite a bit of money, the Writers' Guild Union approved a new deal with WME. - Los Angeles Times
The last big film festival from 2020 had its virtual tryout this year. It wasn't terrible, but, says one critic: "I’m usually whiny and cranky about Sundance. Why are we in the snow? Why January? I could see all you people in Los Angeles. But this year, I was so nostalgic for every bit of the experience. I wanted...
The director of Meek's Cutoff and First Cow is also feeling, well, a bit cynical. "There’s so much celebration of women and people of color this year and I’m thinking ‘that’s great,’ but a cynical part of me is thinking ‘Is this just Covid?’ Are they just thinking ‘Let’s just let women in and give them the awards this...
"Shot in half the time the Lugosi vehicle was allotted, and on a much smaller budget, Drácula" — yes, it's the Spanish version — "contains revealing differences. It's 29 minutes longer than the Browning film, with more dialogue – we see more of Dracula's castle; and the framing of shots are arguably superior – thanks to Melford's...
“At the start of the pandemic, no one had any work, so it wasn’t so much of a problem. At times it was even nice not to be working. But when you’re freelance, you wonder whose doing what and doubt yourself, and when shoots opened up again, it was difficult not being out and about and having a purpose.”...
"'My hunch is that, for some women, having me present means they have to examine their past experiences on set without an intimacy coordinator,' said Mia Schachter, intimacy coordinator on ABC's Grey's Anatomy and HBO shows such as Insecure and Euphoria." - The Guardian
Are we really just pleasure-seeking audiences looking for that instant hit of media indulgence? As the effects of lockdown and zoom fatigue have exposed, society seems to be increasingly experiencing media fatigue. - The Conversation
"In rooms all over the internet, hospital dramas, first-responder shows, situation comedies and courtroom procedurals were having similar debates. To ignore the events of the spring and summer — the pandemic, America's belated racial reckoning — meant placing prime-time series outside (well, even more outside) observable reality. But to include them meant potentially exhausting already exhausted viewers and...
As per fresh stats from the British Film Institute, film and TV spend on Brit shores was £2.84B for the year, down a surprisingly slim 21% on the year before. Film bore the brunt of that decline – 31% down for the year in comparison with 11% for high-end TV. - Deadline
The absence of the Shonda Rhymes-produced Regency-era blockbuster proves the Golden Globes isn’t just a popularity contest. Otherwise, the Netflix drama would have cleaned up in all categories this morning and likely on February 28. - Deadline
Streaming services thoroughly dominate the roster: Hulu took 9 nominations, Amazon Studios 10, and Netflix a whopping 42. Among notable details: Tom Hanks and Spike Lee were snubbed, and of the five nominated directors, three are women. (For a complete list of nominations, click here.) - Variety
Trafficking in misinformation is wrong. Trafficking in misinformation with a structurally unsound business model is wrong and futile. But there’s an upside here: Twitter’s financial weakness is what gives it a chance for redemption. - New York Magazine
"These aren't Hoarder spinoffs for viewers to gawk at other people's misery, nor are they aspirational home-organizing tutorials where influencers showcase impeccable walk-in closets. No, these are process videos grinding through some of the most mundane tasks we all do every week. And therein, apparently, lies the appeal. There's a dirty house. After 30 minutes, it's clean." - The...
"India began allowing 100 percent occupancy in cinemas on Monday, lifting a 50 percent cap on seating capacity that had been in place since October 2020. … Various COVID-19 prevention measures remain mandatory for both cinema staff and patrons, including staggered show times and bookings, mandatory social distancing, and the use of face masks and hand sanitizers." - The...
