The Industry in Lockdown and Back Up and Running

This article presents a synthesis of semi-structured interviews conducted with thirteen practitioners from the film and television industry in North America, focusing on their experience of the Covid-19 pandemic and its aftermath. Drawing on testimonies from production managers, health and safety managers, showrunners, assistant directors, union representatives, and location managers, the article traces the industry’s journey from the abrupt shutdown of March 2020, through the uncertain and improvised process of returning to work, to the longer-term effects of the pandemic on craft practices, labor relations, and the creative choices made on screen. Mostly conducted in person in Vancouver in August 2023, during the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, these interviews capture a moment of retrospective reflection on a traumatic period – one not yet fully processed, and associated with acute tensions but also experienced with cohesion and solidarity across the industry

2019-20 coronavirus outbreak · Craft · Pandemic · Solidarity · Crafts, Textile, and Design · Cultural Industries and Urban Development · Management and Organizational Studies