Steven Soderbergh may have been a bit of a fortune-teller a decade ago when he debuted his film, “Contagion.” No, he didn’t use magic to accurately predict what might happen when the world is hit by a global pandemic. He, along with screenwriter Scott Z. Burns, talked to experts in the field and did plenty of research to figure out what our world would look like. And now, the Directors Guild of America has decided that Soderbergh is the right man for the job of figuring out when the film industry can get back to work in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the DGA, Soderbergh has been selected to lead a committee that will focus on when it is right to continue production on the various films and TV series that were halted when the outbreak of COVID-19 hit Europe and North America earlier this spring. His committee will speak with experts and scientists to help come up with a plan and a recommendation for when it is best for these suspended productions can get back to work.
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The announcement was made by DGA President Thomas Schlamme and National Executive Director Russell Hollander in a statement (via Variety):
“A major concern we’re hearing most right now is about when we’ll be returning to work, and how we can be certain that it’s safe to do so. Rest assured, this is something we’ve been spending a great deal of time thinking about as well. While we don’t have an answer as to when production will resume, we are taking steps to address how we can be safe when it does happen. A national board committee, spearheaded by Steven Soderbergh and with members from all categories, has been appointed to do a thorough examination of the issues at hand and to make recommendations to the board.”
As for what happens AFTER everyone goes back to work and productions have resumed, apparently, the DGA is using another committee that will work on figuring out how to preserve the theatrical experience, ensuring that the newly finished films are able to be shown on the big screen in the way they were intended.
“And speaking of when we all go back to work, a second national board committee has been appointed to focus on preserving the communal theatrical experience so that when it is safe to do so, your feature films intended to be seen on a big screen will have that opportunity,” they added. “The committee, comprised of feature film directors, assistant directors and unit production managers will begin working now to examine ways to promote that safe return to theatrical exhibition that’s so important for our culture and our art.”
It appears that, in the US at least, social distancing regulations will be able to begin to lessen over the next month or so, given that states can achieve certain goals. However, even then, it’s unlikely that “business as usual” will be attained anytime soon. So, needless to say, Soderbergh and the DGA have quite the problem facing them.