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The pandemic won’t be the end of movie theaters, but it will forever change them

(cnn.com)

Are the movies over?Not the art form itself, but the actual movie-going, sitting in a theater surrounded by strangers and popcorn, experience?It’s not hard to find social predictors who argue that it might be, thanks to the increasing number of movies that quickly hit streaming services and allowed you to watch in your family room, along with the growing numbers of films produced directly by — and for — services like Netflix.Tara Lachapelle, who covers the entertainment business for Bloomberg, wrote: “We have learned to live without movie theaters. Even the ones that make it through the crisis may find that online-streaming apps have stolen away audiences for good.”Of course, many social predictors in other eras could not foresee live theater surviving once drama and comedy became available in movie form; nor that radio had a chance after a television set became a common part of the living room furniture. Art tends to adapt to circumstances; cave walls give way to canvas, but people keep on drawing.Given that the genre of movies viewers were choosing to see in theaters before the pandemic had already tilted heavily toward comic book-dominated, hugely expensive blockbuster films, the safest bet is that studios will turn to even more of them for theatrical releases and steer their smaller, artier titles (the ones that tend to win the awards) toward streaming services after a brief release in the theater (in order to qualify for those trophies, of course).

By: Bill Carter

Continue Reading at cnn.com

New major film studio to open in Calgary

(660citynews.com)

CALGARY (660 NEWS) – A new major film studio will soon be opening in Calgary.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the new studio, named “Fortress” will provide the city with around 100,000 square feet of space to work with.

The studio is being launched by William F. White International and will be the company’s 10th studio, adding to the nine already set up in Toronto and Vancouver.

The production company is reportedly also looking at Winnipeg as a potential for another studio.

This news is welcome to Alberta’s film and television industry after the province recently promoted large tax breaks as a way to incentivize Hollywood studios to set up shop here.

In January, production on a reboot of the popular children’s program “Fraggle Rock” started at the Calgary Film Centre.

The creators of the shows made a small amount of six-minute episodes remotely from their U.S. homes during COVID-19 quarantine.

By: 660 News Staff

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Studio Leasing Market Is Thriving in NYC

(globest.com)

The film industry is a silver lining in New York City’s otherwise lackluster leasing market. Content creation—which has expanded during the pandemic—is driving the demand for high-quality production space, which includes small broadcast studios in office buildings, raw space in warehouses and professional production facilities with insulated soundstages, according to new research from CBRE.

Production space in New York City is predominately owned by five studios—Broadway

By: Kelsi Maree Borland

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25th FILMART opens today as online event, global film and TV industry explores opportunities

(tva.onscreenasia.com)

Organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), the 25^th Hong Kong International Film and TV Market | Online (FILMART Online) opened today, 15 March and continues through 18 March, bringing together nearly 7,000 industry participants, including representatives of more than 670 exhibitors, from 81 countries and regions. The event will see the release and promotion of over 2,000 film and television productions to potential buyers from around the world.

Industry players from across the globe join online exhibition

FILMART Online has received strong support from production companies from Hong Kong, Mainland China and across the globe. Participating Hong Kong companies include Edko Films Limited, Emperor Motion Pictures, Golden Scene Company Limited, Mandarin Entertainment, Media Asia Film, Mega-Vision Project Workshop, Mei Ah Entertainment Group, One Cool Film Production, PCCW Media Limited, Sil-Metropole Organisation, Sun Entertainment, TVBI, and Universe Films Distribution.

Film companies from the mainland actively participating in the online exhibition include China International Television Corporation (CITVC), iQiyi Pictures and Bilibili Inc. Regional exhibitors include Beijing, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Jiangsu, Ningbo, Shandong, Shaanxi, Shanghai, Wenzhou, Haining from the mainland, along with Taiwan, Canada, the European Union, Finland, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and the United States. This year a number of regions, including Fiji, Jordan and Portugal, are introducing their hottest film-shooting locations along with policies that are preferential to filmmakers.

By: TVA Editor

Continue Reading at tva.onscreenasia.com

The Bay Area Movie and TV Production Scene is Heating Back Up

(sfist.com)

The TV version of Blindspotting just wrapped shooting in Oakland, and a slew of new Hollywood productions are slated to shoot in SF and the greater Bay Area.

Before the pandemic hit, San Francisco movie fans were getting their popcorn hot-buttered over the Matrix 4 (or whatever they will call it) shooting in the Financial District, and to a lesser degree, Venom 2 (which is probably what they will call it) in production in the Tenderloin and elsewhere. Much of that came to a halt when, well, you know.

But the lights, camera, and action are getting set to resume at a pace near their pre-COVID capacities as we see encouraging signs in infection rates, and the Chronicle reports that at least four films and/or prestige TV shows are expected to shoot in San Francisco by this summer, with a large smattering of others elsewhere in the Bay Area.

By: Joe Kukura

Continue Reading at sfist.com