Film and television projects disrupted by COVID-19
Most of the 15 projects in Cambridge are on hold as the Canadian film industry grinds to a standstill
CAMBRIDGE — Cambridge’s emerging film industry had 15 projects in the pipeline for the spring and summer before the outbreak of COVID-19.
Many of the projects — including returning television shows, new series pilots and smaller feature films — remain on hold as production companies wait out virus protocols.
Estimated crew sizes ranged anywhere from about 25 to 200 for the 15 projects.
“Our office remains in contact with our industry clients and colleagues, who are doing tremendous work at the moment to develop plans for what the ‘new normal’ of location filming may look like,” said Devon Hogue, the city’s business information officer.
“We continue to receive film inquiries with fluid dates and look forward to welcoming production companies back when the provincial framework allows them to do so.”
One film — a dark spoof on Christmas movies — was set to begin production on March 18, with the city extending the season for the Christmas tree in Queens Square to support the set dress for the project.
Hogue said it is unclear whether they will be returning to complete the shoot.
The city has come into the spotlight in recent years after earning a nomination for the Location Managers’ Guild International award for outstanding film commission/office for its work on “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
Hogue, who has become the face behind the city’s film office, is expecting to continue growing the city’s portfolio once life begins to open up again — albeit with a strict set of guidelines on how to mitigate the risks of spreading the virus on set.
“I, along with many of my municipal film colleagues, anticipate that once the province allows the industry to return there will be an influx of activity,” she said.
The Canadian film industry, like many other non-essential services in Canada, has been sent into a tailspin since the outbreak of COVID-19.
John Lewis is the president of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, an international union that represents more than 25,000 Canadian technicians, artisans and craftspersons in the entertainment industry.
He said they started hearing word that major disruptions were coming when Canadian crews on international productions were forced to cancel shoots and fly back home earlier this year. By March, he said it started to become clear COVID-19 was going to have a devastating impact on the industry.
“With a few exceptions like animation and a few pockets, we are essentially ground to a standstill right now,” he said. “There is really nothing being produced.”
Lewis said the expectation is that film and television should be able to come back quicker than live performances, but no clear timelines have been given at this point. He said many of the larger American studios — even though they weren’t contractually obligated — continued to pay its core crews up to five weeks.
But that’s coming to an end. If the industry is shut down from mid-March to the end of June, Canada could stand to lose about $2.5 billion in production volume. Roughly 70 per cent of that would be foreign service, said Lewis, and the rest would be domestic production.
“It’s quite extensive and there’s very little moving at this point,” he said.
But while viewers aren’t packing into theatres, Lewis said the demand for content has never been stronger, with streaming services like Netflix announcing major boosts to subscriptions.
Canada was expected to hit a historical high in terms of content created in 2020, and Lewis said the expectation is there will be work to go back to once the economy starts to reopen.
“Scripts are still being written, and I think you’re going to see a huge volume of work when you come back.”