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While Netflix may be one of the few companies on Earth who have actually gained ground during these unprecedented times — both subscription and streaming numbers have gone up for the content giant — that doesn’t mean they’ve been totally unaffected, as they were forced to shut down production sites all across the world as our current global situation ushered itself in back in March.
At this time, Netflix productions (such as Stranger Things 4, which halted filming on March 13) in the United States currently remain shut down. However, the streaming giant has already resumed filmmaking operations in countries such as South Korea, Japan, and Iceland.
In a recent Los Angeles Times op-ed, Netflix COO Ted Sarandos discussed the process of ramping production on their various TV shows and movies back up.
“Filming typically takes place in intimate, high-touch environments, with scores of artists and craftspeople working closely together on tight deadlines,” Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos wrote in a Los Angeles Times op-ed published on Monday, May 4.
“While we will need to change this process — in some cases dramatically — to ensure the safety of cast and crew during this pandemic, the closed nature of sets also offers some advantages. Not least that they provide a relatively controlled environment, where we can track who comes and goes.”
“The business of bringing stories to life onscreen is built on partnership and trust. We will only make progress if everyone who returns to the set, whether they are in front of or behind the camera, feels safe doing so. Without this basic trust, the creative process breaks down,” he wrote. [via Los Angeles Times]
Given the way things are currently progressing, Netflix is likely eyeing June or July to resume work on their United States-based projects.
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Eric is a New York City-based writer who still isn’t quite sure how he’s allowed to have this much fun for a living and will tell anyone who listens that Gotham City is canonically in New Jersey. Follow him on Twitter @eric_ital for movie and soccer takes or contact him eric@brobible.com