According to the Spanish newspaper Le Monde recently reported, the rooting of large streaming media platforms and the epidemic pandemic have played a vital role in the "prosperity" of madrid, the Spanish capital. Madrid is increasingly attractive due to its unique geographical location, chameleon capabilities and its industrial capacity. As a leader in the Spanish film and television industry, Madrid's film and television projects have increased by 30% during the epidemic.
Recently, the news that american filmmaker Wes Anderson and his star team are filming in Cinchón and Cormenar de Oreja in Madrid is well known, and the major Spanish media know that he is filming the latest (mysterious) film in these two places in the Autonomous Community of Madrid. The cast list is said to have familiar names such as Scarlett Johansson, Adrian Brody, Tom Hanks, etc. And this is just the tip of the iceberg, Madrid has become a "paradise" for film and television shooting, not just a two-project project here.
The current state of Madrid is reminiscent of the "golden age" of the 1950s and 1960s, when Clint Eastwood shuttled across the plains of old Colmenaar and shot a large number of wild Westerns.
Nowadays, a late-night stroll through any of Madrid's alleys or hidden spots in the mountains is likely to encounter a film crew that is filming. In 2020, the crew shot more than 300 film and television drama works in Madrid (65 feature films, 54 series, 132 short films, and countless TV shows, videos, etc.), an increase of 25% to 30% over 2019, including advertising shoots (more than 400). These figures are expected to be even higher in 2021.
This explosive growth in film and television production has brought more than 500 million yuan of economic income to Madrid every year, and the epidemic has also played an important role in this. Raphael Cabrera, head of the Madrid Film Promotion Office, said that in fact, the arrival of the pandemic has partly fueled this boom. It is reported that the Madrid government set up a film promotion office in 2016 to promote the development of the industry and facilitate the work of producers.
During the pandemic, people spent more time at home and turned on the TV more to find something new — a simple fact that prompted studios to produce new content every second. They have not stopped their work with the crisis of the epidemic. "The scale of the shooting is unprecedented," Cabrera said.
He also pointed out that the fact that most of Spain's large technology companies (and their professionals) are in Madrid is also one of the reasons for this explosive growth, and that the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the cost of filming by up to 10% (nucleic acid testing every 2 weeks, wearing masks, gloves, gels, etc.), and that film and television producers try to avoid leaving Madrid to save on travel and diet for their teams, and reduce the risk of infection.
The report also said that the arrival of large streaming media platforms has long laid the foundation for this major turning point. Netflix, Mobile Star, HBO Tv Network, Amazon, Starzsplays and others in Madrid (and filmed here) have already brought a huge boost to the audiovisual industry in the region. "The landing of these platforms has had a landmark impact," Cabrera said. And Spain's trend of positioning itself as a strategic point between the United States and the rest of the world does not seem to have stopped, as Disney+ is also about to enter Madrid.
One of the main reasons these big film and television platforms have made their presence in Madrid, Cabrera said, is that Spain "has incredible talent in front of and behind camera, a prestigious creative community, and a huge cultural and landscape wealth." Netflix shot 60% of its Spanish series in Madrid last year, helping Madrid further secure its position in the global film and television sector. The most clicked series in the world, House of Bills, was filmed almost entirely in Madrid.
The boom in Madrid's film and television program has made professionals at all levels in the region scarce, from sound technicians to photographers. "Many people have told me they have to turn down some projects because there's really no more time. They're already overloaded," Cabrera says, "not just shooting, Madrid is also great at post-production, special effects (Game of Thrones or The Mandalorian) and animation."
According to reports, the Madrid government will also continue to promote the local to become europe's audiovisual center, in addition to consolidating itself as the preferred destination for film and television shooting, Madrid also hopes to continue to attract multinational companies in the industry by promoting these advantages. (Compilation/Han Chao)
Source: Reference News Network