Mammoth News Oriental Today Chief Reporter Wu Jingjing
These days, Wuhan writer Fang Fang's sentence "A grain of ash in the times, falling on an individual, may be a mountain" is often quoted. Indeed, in the context of the national fight against the epidemic, everyone and every industry is trying to fight against their own "mountain", and the entertainment industry is the same. Crew suspensions, performance cancellations, film withdrawals... The impact is not just what netizens call "celebrities make less money" - the industry is made up of many jobs, and the work of each type of work is done by many ordinary people. The entertainment manufacturing industry pressed the pause button, and it has also become a "mountain" on the practitioners in the industry.
These days, many industries have gradually resumed work, and Hengdian Film and Television City and the China Film Distribution and Projection Association have also issued guidance on the preparation for resuming work, but it will take time for the film and television industry to operate completely normally. What are practitioners doing these days? What kind of expectations do they have for the future of this industry, and what are the countermeasures in the face of the crisis... Mammoth News Oriental Today reporter interviewed a number of practitioners working in film and television companies, variety show production companies, local theaters, marketing companies, and first-line satellite television, and listened to their personal feelings. The difficulties are different, but the same thing is that they are all confident in the future.
status quo
The project was postponed, and many practitioners "closed charging"
At this time in previous years, Li Jian (pseudonym) and his colleagues should have almost completed the finishing summary of the Spring Festival file and the Valentine's Day file, "and we should also make a work plan for March and April, which is the off-season of each year." Li Jian is the head of the marketing department of a movie studio in Zhengzhou, and a month ago, he could not have imagined that the Spring Festival in 2020 would also become a complete off-season. From the pre-Spring Festival "this year's Spring Festival box office is expected to increase by 10% compared with last year", to the withdrawal of seven new films originally scheduled for the Spring Festival release, to the suspension of the studio, but for a few days. Recently, his work is no different from most of the studio staff, one is to release the announcement of the extension of group tickets, and the other is to issue a notice of "sale promotions", snacks, drinks, handmade, Häagen-Dazs... These are the usual hot products in the studio, and now they are sold at 30% off, "the order is not much, but basically there are orders every day".
On the 23rd, the topic of "cinema resumption preparation" was on the hot search, because there was news that the China Film Distribution and Projection Association issued a "proposal on the preparation of cinema resumption", putting forward specific requirements for projection equipment, screening room temperature, humidity, etc., suggesting that the overall cleaning and disinfection of the air conditioning fresh air system before the theater resumes business, the theater guides the audience to bring their own or buy 3D glasses to watch movies, and the theater must be equipped with professional 3D glasses cleaning and disinfection equipment... It is considered by netizens to be a prelude to the resumption of work, and it has been hotly discussed for a while. But Li Jian admitted that there is still no news on when their studio will open, and at present they are in shifts, "most of the time at home, but the headquarters will arrange online learning every day", and his colleagues are also learning some office software on their own.
Theaters are suspended, and marketers are temporarily "unemployed." A blockbuster film that Xiao Wang is responsible for in charge of was originally on the Spring Festival file, because she also had a rare "not busy" Spring Festival. Of course, income will definitely be affected, "the specific impact is not easy to say, because last month's salary has not yet been paid." But fortunately, the company is still strong in the industry, she is not worried about the problem of "unemployment" for the time being, "recently it is working from home, the project is also preparing to close after the film was withdrawn, and the film behind us has not been finalized, so the plan after the year has not affected too much."
Like her, she personally experienced that "large companies will be more secure than small companies" and Xiaowen (pseudonym) in the variety show production company, after the initial period of irritability, now the mentality is a bit "Buddhist", "Honestly speaking, this period of time is no different from the previous working state, we advertise that we can work at home, the new project has not yet started, and the original plan is that this time is also relatively idle." "The biggest impact on the rhythm of work should be their director group, because a competition variety show produced by their team was originally planned to be recorded in April, and after the Spring Festival, it was the key period for the director group to go to various competition areas to find people."
Qiu Guoqin Courtesy of the interviewee
The pace of work has also been disrupted by film and television companies. "Without the epidemic, we would have now entered the sprint stage of the company's business goals for the first half of the year." Qiu Guoqin, chairman of Henan Independent Culture Communication Co., Ltd., introduced that according to the business goals for 2020, at this stage, regular businesses such as the start of new films, the release of completed films, copyright procurement and distribution should be carried out. Fortunately, their application for resumption of work was approved last Saturday, and when the future fully resumes work, these tasks will be carried out in an orderly manner, in addition to these, "the first thing to go to work is to conduct psychological counseling for employees."
Difficulties
The new drama was stopped, and some crews directly disbanded
In this epidemic, the entertainment industry is also one of the hardest hit areas. Film and television shooting, program recording, cinema lines, performance activities, etc. The impact is the most direct, a film and television company publicity personnel mentioned that although the recent Hengdian and other film and television bases will resume work in stages, but must be reviewed and there is a certain threshold, so a large number of crews will still be affected by the wave of shutdowns. Like the many stars, the fans' attention of "Dajiang Dahe 2", "Thank You Doctor" and other crews are waiting to resume work, according to incomplete statistics, there are currently more than 40 dramas waiting to resume work. This also means that these crews will face problems such as the increase in venues, equipment rental costs, and the inability to debug the actor schedule. Especially when the crew suddenly stopped halfway through the filming, all kinds of losses are difficult to recover, from the leased equipment to the staff to the most difficult actors to finalize, every day is burning money, and small companies certainly can't afford it." The online novel adaptation of "Dear Mr. Lemon Essence", just held a boot ceremony on January 19, encountered a rapid shutdown of the outbreak of the epidemic, and on February 8, the actor Chen Pinyan informed fans on Weibo that "the crew currently filming has decided to suspend filming and disband."
The recording of variety shows also faces the same problem, and Zhejiang Satellite TV's "Ace to Ace", which has already been broadcast, has also been announced to be postponed due to recording problems. The entire project that has not yet been recorded has been postponed, and the variety show production company where Xiaowen (pseudonym) is located was originally planned to record a "head program" in the second quarter, but due to the epidemic, the selection of each division cannot be carried out, and the overall program recording is delayed. Unlike film and television works, variety shows are also facing the risk of advertisers divesting after postponement, "Maybe customers want to push a product in a certain season, so there is this budget to title, then your variety show is postponed to the next season, there is no need for this centralized promotion, I may not invest this money." "This will definitely affect her personal income," the project postponed, and the income of these months will have an impact. ”
Profile photo Mammoth News Oriental Today reporter Qiu Qi/Photo
The cinema line was even more costly. On the eve of the Spring Festival, almost all cinemas and cinema investment companies in the country are intensively clearing and settling accounts, and purchasing and stockpiling a large number of consumables. Because according to the predictions given by a number of professional institutions, the total national box office of the Spring Festival in 2020 will break the national record of 6.868 billion yuan in the Spring Festival in 2019, reaching a record of 12 billion yuan. Therefore, the vast majority of film investment companies and cinemas do not reserve enough cash on the books. But suddenly, the new crown epidemic broke out... "The film in March will most likely be postponed, and the film market will be closed for almost 2 months." Qiu Guoqin has a friend who borrowed money to build a theater a few years ago, worked overtime and got the movie key, "just waiting for this Spring Festival file to do a big job, the result is like this, want to cry without tears." In fact, many cinemas with smaller volumes in third- and fourth-tier cities will be difficult to sustain or even close. He personally estimates that the beginning of the revenue of the cinema should be in the summer slot, because the end of the epidemic does not mean that the audience dares to go to the cinema to consume, "may also need a psychological reconstruction process."
Qiu Guoqin's originally planned business has also been greatly affected. Their company has two films that have been scheduled, "Bartender" and "Sky of the Wind Horse", which were also forced to withdraw, and the subsequent films to be scheduled were also postponed, while the revenue of the rural screening business was zero, and the company had no cash income as of the first quarter. "If the epidemic can end in April, it is expected that there may be a succession of revenues by June, and even so, the company will have no revenue in the first half of the year."
Several practitioners have mentioned that among the many impacts, the most terrible is the problem of unemployment brought about by the collapse of confidence in the entire industry. "For Henan, what is more serious is the problem of brain drain." Qiu Guoqin mentioned that in recent years, the development of Henan's film industry has shown a good momentum, whether from the number or quality of works, there is a considerable development, with the improvement of the talent echelon construction of the film and television industry, the brand of "Film Yujun" has gradually become louder, but after the epidemic, he is worried that it will frustrate the confidence of existing practitioners and lead to talent outflow, on the other hand, it will directly affect the return of outstanding filmmakers who are working abroad.
Therefore, although it is difficult, he did not think of laying off employees, "we will still focus on stable operation, the business will not shrink, the team will not lay off, take this opportunity to practice internal skills." When you are not harvesting, do a good job of cultivation. ”
prospect
After the epidemic, it is expected to enjoy the dividend of "retaliatory viewing"
Some time ago, there was an "Open Letter on emergency rescue of Chinese films" circulating in the circle of friends of filmmakers, in which the "Open Letter to the Chinese Film Industry" talked about the plight of the film industry under the epidemic, which wrote that "not being able to open for business means that the theater has no income at all!" This means that the investment of producers and distributors has all been lost! The income is gone, but the personnel cannot be cut, the rent cannot be delayed, the loan cannot be owed, the film payment cannot be delayed... Behind all this, it also means labor disputes, bank breaches, contract breaches, and even bankruptcy. "And cinema is the infrastructure of the entire film industry, and in the eyes of filmmakers, the absence of cinema means that moviegoers can only walk on the road and watch mobile phones or stay at home to watch TV." Therefore, in the open letter to the filmmakers on the cover, Chinese film investment enterprises and investors also jointly called for "overcoming difficulties together and overcoming the current difficult times".
As a fellow filmmaker, Qiu Guoqin believes that calling for and mobilizing the help of national forces and social resources is one thing, but enterprises should focus more on self-help. "Because of this epidemic, all walks of life have been greatly impacted and are facing various difficulties. In the film and television industry, in addition to the theater, the film and television shooting base is closed, the crew is stopped shooting... It has different degrees of impact on the upstream and downstream of the film and television industry. "Some people think that the epidemic is worse for the industry in the cold winter of film and television, but some people think that the temporary dilemma has also given the industry a chance to innovate." When many filmmakers mention the development after the epidemic, they invariably say that "China's film industry market is undergoing another reshuffle," In recent years, the number of film and television companies is huge, and the current supply and demand pattern is saturated or excessive, this epidemic may eliminate a certain number of engaged enterprises, but it cannot change the current industrial pattern, can only make small companies stronger, and large companies become stronger. ”
The surviving enterprises will certainly be transformed in the future, "will tend to diversify their development, at least the format is relatively complete." Qiu Guoqin's company is divided into three businesses, in addition to film and television shooting and production, there is also procurement and distribution, and there is also an "action film program" that aims to fund and support college students to realize their film dreams. "Investment and production will be risky, the overall is still controllable, procurement and distribution is basically profitable, and the college student support plan is currently sticking money in, but these three business sectors are interlinked." When the procurement distribution is not profitable, maybe the college student program is starting to make money, and it has a balance, so it will definitely survive."
Therefore, he is not worried about the future development of the company at all, "I experienced SARS in 2003, and now I have experienced the new crown pneumonia epidemic, and I understand more and more the advantages of the country's system." This epidemic, the test is actually their own immunity, the same is true of enterprises, after the epidemic, people's immunity has improved, then the company's immunity should also be improved. He also mentioned that 17 years ago, SARS did hit the film and television industry hard, but it also promoted the reshaping and reshuffling of the industry order in disguise, which can bring new management concepts, audience experience and screening and distribution concepts to eventually grow into the leader of this industry.
Therefore, to some extent, the current industry crisis seems to be a natural disaster, but it only magnifies the problem of the current entire industrial structure. "Even without the pandemic, many practitioners need to rethink their business models." Xiao Wang of the marketing company also often communicates with peers, and many people in the industry also analyze that after the epidemic, it is likely to usher in "retaliatory consumption", if there is a heavyweight blockbuster, "retaliatory viewing" in entertainment is also very likely. "Therefore, for the cinema line, if it can take the lead in seizing the opportunity to complete the upgrade, this is also an opportunity."
As for variety show projects, Mr. Liu, who is in charge of publicity work on a certain line of satellite TELEVISION, has the most intuitive feeling that "after the epidemic, it will make more inflated value of artists come down, and there will be fewer and fewer money-burning programs", and more forms of small-cost variety shows and news programs will be more and more.
rethink
Regain the audience's trust, and ultimately rely on good works!
A few days ago, Hengdian Film and Television City issued guidelines for resuming work, which requires that the crew should start shooting at no earlier than 24:00 on February 12 in principle, that is to say, they can gradually resume work after 13 days. At that time, the news was on the hot search, and many netizens bluntly said that "there is no need to worry, it is okay to shoot less non-nutritious dramas." Of course, several industry insiders interviewed by Mammoth reporters said that film and television projects, as the front end of the film and television industry chain, if they have not started construction, will lead to the lag of every link in the entire industrial chain. Xiao Wang, who does film marketing, said bluntly that if the work is delayed, artists, publicity, screenings and other links will be hit hard. Qiu Guoqin even mentioned that many companies with unsound business sectors will face the crisis of bankruptcy. "It will affect the inventory supply of new projects on the broadcast platform to a certain extent." Film and television works are a sharp weapon to guide the masses to three views, if there has been no work, no new films are released, everyone's spiritual needs can not be met, will go back to see some old films, which will be a great blow to the confidence of the industry. ”
However, the words of netizens have also made people in the industry reflect. "At the end of the day, audiences need film and television works, and they need quality works." Xiao Wang admitted that before the release of the new film, they can indeed stimulate and stimulate the psychological needs of the audience through marketing means, thereby guiding consumption, but now the audience is becoming more and more rational in watching movies, "In the past, through marketing, it may be possible to affect the box office of the first three days, and now it may only affect the box office on the first day." Because after the release of the film, word of mouth and ratings, the market's response is very direct, and the number of films after that is no longer what they can influence, "So the quality of the work and the reputation of the word of mouth is the last word." ”
Because of this, in their view, after the epidemic, re-establish the audience's trust in the theater and pull the audience into the theater again, relying on good works. Qiu Guoqin said that for enterprises and individuals, including him, the current "suspension period" is actually a good period for immersion in cultivation, and it also gives the industry an opportunity to calm down and think. "We are now doing a good job of creating topics, positioning the market well, and doing a solid job in all the work before starting up, and I believe that after the epidemic, the film and television industry will be more vibrant when it recovers."
A few days ago, Qiu Guoqin also received a "survey on the impact of the new crown virus epidemic on Henan film enterprises", "The Henan Provincial Film Bureau is also to understand the operation of the film industry in the province, study and formulate countermeasures, and support our film enterprises to overcome the difficulties." There is a choice question in it is "What measures do you want the government to introduce to help enterprises tide over the difficulties", providing more than ten options such as "there are phased reductions or actors paying social security premiums, providing subsidies for job stability, providing cost subsidies such as rent, water and electricity bills". At the same time, he also received a relevant notice from the Film Department of the Propaganda Department of the Provincial Party Committee, "During this time, the government service work of film production is handled online, and the materials are expressed in the past." These actions make them, the filmmakers, feel "very warm, and some people care about what someone asks."
After the epidemic, his company will optimize the operation module, "do everything possible to achieve self-help quickly, and use the double diligence in the second half of the year to make up for the losses in the first half of the year." In terms of procurement and distribution business, they will give partners in Hubei a price tilt and rebuild industry confidence with many partners. "At the creative level, we will keep content at the heart of king and strive to export word-of-mouth content that boosts the industry market." At the same time, he feels that local cinemas and ticketing platforms can also launch more activities to mobilize audience enthusiasm. "At present, the film and television industry must be sincerely united, and the impact of the epidemic on the industry cannot be underestimated, but confidence is more important than gold." He believes that if there is unified guidance and encouragement from the competent authorities, relevant policy support, and the joint efforts of industry people, the "film and television winter" will soon pass.
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