Films
The Batman among movies given go-ahead for restart of UK filming
Producers of Hollywood blockbusters including The Batman and the next Fantastic Beasts film have bee..
Producers of Hollywood blockbusters including The Batman and the next Fantastic Beasts film have been given the go-ahead to restart filming after the UK government and health bodies signed off on new coronavirus safety rules.
The approval of the new guidelines paves the way for the UKs film and high-end television production industry, which includes series that cost £1m-plus per episode, to get cameras rolling again – potentially as soon as July.
The resumption of production, which ground to a halt in the face of the spread of the coronavirus, will be warmly welcomed by broadcasters, streaming services and cinema owners facing a possible future content drought.
It will also be welcome news to tens of thousands of self-employed freelance film and TV workers, from directors and camera operators to prop makers and makeup artists, who have been ineligible for government financial support and struggling to make ends meet.
The guidelines, drawn up by the British Film Commission and the British Film Institute, include rules on physical distancing, safety training and temperature tests.
The document has been signed off by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), Public Health England and the Health and Safety Executive. However, it will still be up to each individual production to decide how, and when, to restart filming.
Warner Bros, which is filming The Batman – starring Robert Pattinson in the title role – and the third instalment of the Fantastic Beasts franchise in the UK, is understood to be keen to resume production as soon as is safely possible. Other major productions in the UK include the live-action movie Little Mermaid, which Disney halted filming at Pinewood Studios, and Netflixs big-budget series The Witcher.
“This is a green light that signals that the UK is open for business again for film and high-end TV production,” said an industry source. “Many productions have to get up and running again in the next two months or they wont get made this year as they rely on summer weather and conditions.”
The production of major films and TV shows has been shut down since mid-March, when Line of Duty and Peaky Blinders, two of the most popular shows on British television, were the first UK productions to suspend filming.
Last month, the UKs biggest broadcasters, including the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Sky, agreed guidelines endorsed by the DCMS to resume filming popular programmes such as Coronation Street, EastEnders, Emmerdale and Top Gear. Stocks of episodes of the nations favourite soaps were rapidly running out, despite broadcasters rationing them since the lockdown began in March.
The UK is one of the most important film and TV locations in the world with a record £3.6bn spent on making more than 300 movies and high-end TV productions last year. The amount spent on film production in the UK hit £1.95bn, the second highest on record, on 188 productions. The lions share of this, £1.4bn, was spent by major Hollywood studios on making just 21 blockbusters, such as James Bond: No Time To Die and Sam Mendes 1917.
The streaming wars, led by Netflix, are proving to be the main driver of a new production boom. High-end TV production – shows costing more than £1m an episode to make – surged by 29% last year to £1.66bn.
Last week, Cineworld, the worlds second-largest cinema chain with 128 venues in the UK and Ireland, said it plans to reopen in July as the government eases coronavirus lockdown measures.
Cineworld, which has 787 venues globally, is hoping to reopen in time for Christopher Nolans Tenet, scheduled for release on 17 July, followed by the Disney blockbuster Mulan.
The theatre chain has acknowledged that the cinema-going experience will change dramatically with physical distancing and hygiene rules.
“Cineworld has put in place procedures to ensure a safe and enjoyable cinema experience for its employees and customers,” the company said.
Vue, one of Europes largest cinema operators, has also said it intends to reopen in July with measures including physically isolating family groups and staggering film times to reduce crowding.
Vue has previously said other measures would include controlling entrances and exits and reducing the overall capacity of each film screening.
In Berlin, one theatre ripped out seats to ensure safe distancing between members of the audience. Some cinema operators have installed plastic screens between seats.
A small-scale reopening of cinemas in China in mid-March was abruptly halted by the government amid fears of a second wave of coronavirus infections.
Films
‘Antebellum’ has a ‘Get Out’ vibe, but doesn’t live up to its twist
“Antebellum” is built around a provocative twist, and it’s a good one — as well as one that definite..
“Antebellum” is built around a provocative twist, and it’s a good one — as well as one that definitely shouldn’t be spoiled even a little. Once that revelation is absorbed, however, the movie becomes less distinctive and inspired, reflecting an attempt to tap into the zeitgeist that made “Get Out” a breakthrough, without the same ability to pay off the premise.
Originally destined for a theatrical run, the movie hits digital platforms trumpeting a “Get Out” pedigree in its marketing campaign, since there’s an overlap among the producing teams.
More directly, the film marks the directing debut of Gerard Bush + Christopher Renz, who have championed social-justice issues through their advertising work. The opening script features a quote from author William Faulkner, whose intent will eventually become clearer: “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.”
If that sounds like a timely means of drawing a line from the horrors of slavery to the racism of today, you’ve come to the right place.
The story begins on a plantation, where the brutal overseers carry out grisly punishments against those tilling the fields. A few have just tried to escape, led by Veronica (Janelle Monae), and they pay a heavy price for their resistance, which does nothing to curb her defiance.
Also written by Bush + Renz, the script take too long before revealing what makes “Antebellum” different, but the middle portion — a “The Twilight Zone”-like phase when it’s hard to be sure exactly what’s going on — is actually the film’s strongest. (Even the trailer arguably gives away too much, so the less one knows, the better.)
The final stretch, by contrast, veers into more familiar thriller territory, and feels especially rushed toward the end, leaving behind a host of nagging, unanswered questions. That provides food for thought, but it’s also what separates the movie from something like “Get Out,” which deftly fleshed out its horror underpinnings.
Although the filmmakers (in a taped message) expressed disappointment that the movie wasn’t making its debut in theaters, in a strange way, the on-demand format somewhat works in its favor. In the press notes, Bush says the goal was “to force the audience to look at the real-life horror of racism through the lens of film horror. We’re landing in the middle of the very conversations that we hoped ‘Antebellum’ would spur.”
“Antebellum” should add to that discussion, so mission accomplished on that level. Monae is also quite good in her first leading film role (she did previously star in the series “Homecoming’s” second season), but otherwise, most of the characters remain underdeveloped.
