Manzini: Literally, no industry has been spared.
First identified in China in December, the COVID-19 pandemic has had sweeping effects in the public health, business, and travel sectors, among others. Although, the consequences for the entertainment industry may seem to pale in comparison to the clear threat the virus poses to human life, the ripple effects have implications for the people around the world who make a living producing and distributing movies, music, and more.
The impact of COVID-19 is having far reaching ramifications and the film industry is not immune to the fallout. The coronavirus has wreaked havoc, affecting the livelihoods of many people in front of the cameras or even behind-the-scenes as filming and production are delayed or suspended industry-wide.
Not far removed from the rest of the world, Eswatini’s independent producers have felt the effects of the outbreak.
Adapting to the sweeping changes is the talented team and cast of Eswatini Television’s new drama series ‘Ekhaya’ produced by Bumba Media starring notable local actors such as Thembinkosi Mthethwa, Gina Khumalo, Nqaba Tsela, Fikile Ngobese and Mathokoza Sibiya.
Quantifying the financial impacts of this crisis is near impossible and what will be even harder to understand is the lost opportunity to careers and projects that cancelled premieres and the momentum these things normally bring.
Welile Masuku, co-producer of Ekhaya Drama Series – the authentically Swati production produced by an 18-member strong production crew and a cast of over 70 performers, walks us through how the pandemic has affected shooting as well as difficulties and challenges encountered in ensuring that the production adheres to COVID 19 regulations while shooting.
- On how the pandemic has affected shooting for the series
Masuku: Luckily, we had completed Principal Photography by the time COVID 19 hit. We were in production for 12 weeks from August to 1st week of November 2019. You will understand that production takes months and at times years! The writing was completed and scripts greenlit in May 2019 so we had done the chunk of the work by January 2020. We did, however, have to do pickup shoots for 2days in March and I remember all crew listening to the Prime Minister’s speech on the bus as we filmed on day two as he announced the lockdown. To say, we were happy that this lockdown came three days after completion of filming is an understatement. We were flipping ecstatic!!!
This doesn’t mean we’re off the hook though. We were, on the other end, in post production. So, the lockdown has affected that phase massively. It hasn’t been easy to move between studios particularly for our Director, Score composer and Sound Engineer. We’re at the final stages though so we won’t be too off scheduled release date.
- On specific changes made on set since the COVID 19 outbreak
Masuku: We have had sanitizers and masks on set even before the lockdown was announced. We felt that we should follow the example of our American and South African counterparts who we follow on Instagram etc. They were already wearing masks on productions and sanitizing everyone and everything. I remember some cases had already been reported in Eswatini so we made sure from early days that we were well prepared, although few cases as they were, we were not taking chances.
- On difficulties and challenges they have encountered in ensuring that the production adheres to COVID 19 regulations while shooting
Masuku: I think the biggest challenge for any company that works on location will be availability of safety gear for crew ie. masks and then social distancing. We haven’t figured out how to do it but I already see stories that reflect such. So, in front of the camera, as an educational tool this pandemic has given creatives one more thing to “talk about” but for crews, we’ll just have to do our best by providing masks, sanitizers and immune boosters going forward. Work must continue and life must be lived, in whatever shape or form.
- On whether it’s realistic and practical to shoot a series whilst adhering to social distancing restrictions
Masuku: It’s not just about shooting a series (although yes in the country that may be the largest cast and crew) but about production crews and moving around to film etc. I think realistically speaking, no industry wants to stop right now, especially one that survives purely on projects and that is the difference between food on the table and starvation. There will be parts of production that will be affected such as the need to scale down crews but that also means productions take longer, which is the lesser poison you ask? No one knows. Film production and any other art form is a business and a career and I might argue that it’s just been bumped up to essential services. What are people doing in their homes during this lockdown…consuming media. All forms!
Although, there is a desperate need to educate the public about the current pandemic; which is still our forte as creatives, there’s also an increased appetite for escapism and that is where storytelling, music etc really thrive. I bet if we checked there has been an increase for VOD platform subscriptions such Netflix, Hulu, AppleTV etc worldwide and an increase in AR for t.v. too. We must never underestimate the need for entertainment and especially edutainment in the covid19 era. So, we soldier on and tell stories that will reflect the time. Ours is to adhere to all precautions as best we can and do what we love.
- On their hopes for the future
Masuku: Two things; that the world may #postLockdown realise the value of the craft of filmmaking and all art forms. I hope that filmmakers and artists in general can finally live off their craft. So, it is my hope that after this lockdown the nation, especially potential stakeholders (broadcasters, NGOs, the corporate sector) realise that there is value in what we are doing.
The next thing after that realization is asking ourselves whose stories, culture and way of life has been engraved in our minds after these 41 or possibly more days of lockdown? Our people are busy consuming South African, American and British content. As a people there is a lot of spadework, we need to do in the area of high-quality local content. If this lockdown has taught us anything it’s that there will come a time when we can’t leave our homes and virtual living will be our only form of existence. Are we going to allow ourselves to adopt the narrative of another society as our own because of the absence of our voices in the filmmaking space? Let’s let that sink in. If anyone had told us on Dec 31 2019 (when we were busy welcoming 20plenty), that in a matter of weeks we’d be living our best lives vicariously through the characters we see on our screens (TV, mobile etc) we would have thrown them at Zakhele Psychiatric centre…but alas!!. The future is not predictable and all we can do is take this lesson and run with it. It is time to create and we step out, in these uncertain times, with the hope that we journey with clients who hold the same vision.
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