Film, theatre and music reporters writing about a cancelled industry

These days, formerly vibrant venues are closed off to the public and artists of all kinds are trying to figure out how to stay afloat. Without in-person interactions, arts reporters are having to connect to art in online formats while also seeing a major shift in what there is to cover.

Some people are turning to their favourite sitcoms (external link) , discovering new films and theatre productions, virtually touring art galleries and viewing concerts online.

“(This is anecdotal), but people obviously want to have some sort of escape from the day to day onslaught of miserable news,” said Barry Hertz (RSJ ’06), deputy arts and film editor for The Globe and Mail. “You're going to find something that you're either familiar with that makes you laugh, or something that gives you a little bit of a warm feeling, versus the cold dread of the outside world.”

But screens at home do not quite replace the real-life experience of performances and screenings that have been cancelled by COVID-19.

Effects on the reporting experience

Since no movie theatres are open, many productions have pushed their film release dates, leaving only online releases for critics. Reviewing films at home is not a new experience for Hertz (reviewers often get screener links), but now it is the only experience.

“You watch a film in a different way if you’re locked inside a darkened auditorium than you would if you're sitting on your couch looking at your laptop,” he said. “There's a lack of concentration and focus for home viewing, I find.”

Max Mertens (RSJ ’11), a freelancer who covers music, arts and entertainment, finds being unable to meet artists in person is a challenge.

“I feel it's a lot of people writing the same stories because there's less ways to find an angle when you can't sit down with them in their home or go see the neighbourhood that they live in,” said Mertens. “I think you have to get a lot more creative, especially when it comes to profile writing.”

Despite losing physical spaces, artists are coming up with innovative ways to share their work. One Toronto theatre company, Outside the March, has gained widespread attention for its mystery phone-in (external link)  production series, and past shows such as Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hit musicals (external link)  are being streamed online for people to view worldwide.

Reviewing performances in different formats could create new precedents in theatre writing, said Carly Maga (RSJ ’10), freelance theatre writer for the Toronto Star. 

“How do we talk about it in a way that uses the language and those skills that we've developed over our careers as critics, even though it's fundamentally something different and exciting?” she said. “It's an interesting challenge for us as writers and critics.”

The loss of art gatherings is a loss of social life as well. Maga is now realizing that attending performances was “like a lynchpin” of her social life. She is excited for the day when she returns to a theatre.

“I also really miss the whole process of it all,” she added. “The journey to the theatre, the process of going in and getting your tickets and getting a coffee or a glass of wine and sitting down, while looking around at the people around you, looking at the setting before the light goes down.”

Impact on the arts industry

The challenges people are having with accessing technology are now highlighting the issues that disabled artists dealt with long before social-distancing. Maga finds that there is “a whole mix of light and dark” stories coming out of the pandemic in the art world.

Musicians have been branching out through different online platforms, doing livestreams and music releases through services like Bandcamp. However, the majority of musicians’ revenue comes from touring and playing shows.

Mertens thinks that after the pandemic, there might be a return to smaller, more intimate shows. He is concerned for lesser-known artists and venues’ ability to stay afloat.

“For the little artists, it's going to get tricky because… midsize artists are going to be trying to reschedule their tours and there's not going to be places for them to play,” he said. “I think that this pandemic has kind of highlighted how precarious that ecosystem is.”

The cancellation of film festivals has also hurt jobs and connections in the film industry.

“You don't have films getting out there,” said Hertz. “You don't have the word-of-mouth building. You don't have deals that are being made on the sidelines at those festivals.… you have a slow down in the production pipeline, everything grinds to a halt.”

Future of the arts section

As a freelancer, Mertens is seeing many publications slash their freelance budget.

“I think I've had two or three editors, for places that I regularly write for, who have been laid off,” he said. “There's sort of less to go around in terms of freelance work.” 

Maga said that arts and theatre writers were already facing a decline in what they could cover. Volunteer writers will manage, but paid writers are facing precarious conditions.

“There's been a decline in what we cover. How much room we can cover, how often we can cover it and cuts to arts journalism have been happening since I graduated from Ryerson… I'm certainly concerned about how arts sections are going to come back from this.”

On the other hand, COVID-19 will not stop artists from making content, even if that looks different after the pandemic.

“I'm not certain about many things anymore in this world,” said Maga. “But I am certain that artists will keep making work, no matter what the circumstances. And as long as that is happening, there will be people to respond to it.”