Turn on sight

Cinema rethought

Jan Krüger from Port au Prince Films had just reached the last quarter of filming with its co-production "The Black Square" when suddenly nothing could be done: "Every day in March, we asked ourselves whether we could continue filming or not. In the end, there were still seven days of shooting left," reveals the CEO, who is also responsible for distribution of the new cinema film with Port au Prince Pictures (mainly produced by Frisbeefilms). Filming is due to resume in June, but a lot has happened in the meantime. Krüger has founded the new Hamburg-based company Cinnovation GmbH and, withCvod.dehas launched a platform in just a few weeks that aims to make it possible to experience current cinema films as a streaming event. The Systemsprenger cinema day kicked things off on 10 May.

The film could be streamed on the platform for 24 hours and there was also a Q&A with the cast and crew, including Director Nora Fingscheidt and lead actress Helena Zengel, in the evening. Almost 2,000 people bought a digital ticket for 9.99 euros. A third of the proceeds will go to cinemas that have joined the campaign. "We are currently in talks with marketing partners, distributors and other cinemas. Cvod should establish itself as an additional building block in the exploitation chain," says Krüger. Further digital film events will follow in June and July. "In my opinion, there's no point in thinking about how things will quickly return to the way they were. We should rather look ahead and ask ourselves: How can it work differently?"

Hygiene measures on set

How things can continue in terms of hygiene in the futureArt director and production designer Seth Turner (including Fatih Akin's "Into the Fate" and "The Golden Glove") almost a fortnight ago on his first job after the lockdown. In May, he shot a commercial for Markenfilm near Hamburg on a private property with no public access. He and his team fully equipped a house: "The hygiene concept was implemented perfectly on site. We had to check in on set in the morning, sanitise ourselves and pick up our masks, which had to be changed every four hours. The minimum distance of 1.5 metres was also observed. Someone was always going round reminding us of this. We shot with a very small crew in the house, most of them had to wait outside," says the Hamburg production designer. However, he could not for the life of him imagine how a complete film could be shot under these conditions. "We only had one day of filming with four days of preparation and one day of dismantling - that was very strenuous under the hygiene measures. Wearing the mask for 10 to 12 hours is really uncomfortable, and everything simply takes much longer. How is that supposed to work with a production run of four to six weeks?" The second half of the year will show which concepts actually become established in practice.

Use time for further training

Many people have used the last two months to further their education in one way or another. It doesn't always have to be a new language or an instrument - digital workshops on work-related topics have also been booming. The Hamburg Media School has also shifted part of its seminar programme online. "Seminar participants and speakers are currently exchanging ideas via video conferencing - from Zoom to Google's Hangouts communication platform, Apple's Facetime, Slack or WhatsApp, all technical possibilities are represented. This means that participants not only learn about digital business models, for example, but also about technical tools for collaboration," saysUlrike Dobelstein-Lüthe, who is the heads the "Continuing Education" department at the Hamburg Media School. Within two days in March, many of the seminars were transferred to digital - a feat that will hopefully pay off in the future, according to Dobelstein-Lüthe. The situation is similar in the Master's programmes. Lectures here are also held via online meetings, as at many other universities. However, with the new technology, not everything always goes according to plan. "We are currently fluctuating between 'everything is going well' and 'nothing is working'. Sometimes we're euphoric at the end of the day - especially when our webinars have gone well - but sometimes we're also a little down," says Dobelstein-Lüthe. An up and down that is likely to accompany many training providers over the coming weeks and months.

DoP Matthias Bolliger (including 4 Blocks) has also given webinars at the Hamburg Media School in recent weeks. In order to make the best possible use of the technology, he attended an online coaching session himself in advance. "After the cancellation of the filming of "DAS HAUS" by Wüste Medien for NDR, I first had to reorganise myself as a solo freelancer. The fee for the cancelled production had to be negotiated and I also had to make an effort to get emergency aid," reveals the Hamburg native. However, he was a little worried about what would happen when the three-month funding phase came to an end. In his home country of Switzerland, it is possible to register proven fee losses up to a maximum cap amount. In Germany, he has to see what is left of his fee if filming is cancelled.

Thinking outside the box - what are web broadcasters doing in times of Corona?

Anyone who streams their content live from a studio via the internet all day anyway hardly needs to rethink in corona times, right? Unfortunately, that's not quite true: "Of course, we have also reorganised as many work processes as possible so that 90 percent of the workforce is working from home. This also includes streaming from home with suitable equipment. Programmes were also either changed in terms of production technology for working from home or cancelled and replaced with more compatible formats," revealsBritta Schewewhich are known asChief Sales & Marketing Officer at Rocket Beans TV is responsible for the distribution and marketing of the Hamburg-based web channel.

The station's team thinks digitally and sees the internet as a playground for thought - an advantage over traditional media. Nevertheless: "Despite a positive basic attitude, you don't have to sugarcoat everything: we miss our colleagues, the personal exchange, hugs, the gossip at the coffee machine. Some people voluntarily go into the office for a day to see something other than their kitchen table," says Schewe. Is there anything that the traditional film industry can learn from digital natives? "For example, I have been recommending for many years that the internet should not be seen as a second-class medium compared to TV and cinema. However, US streaming services have so far done the greatest service in terms of dispelling this prejudice. Particularly with regard to an intelligent distribution concept that can contribute to the financing of a project. Branded entertainment is also still being used too hesitantly as a source of financing in classic German film. In many people's minds, art clashes directly with commerce, which I think is a great pity," says Schewe.

And what happens now? Drivers on sight

Working from home means spending a lot of time within your own four walls. Everyday life is different. "For me, the crisis has meant a huge slowdown. The day started more relaxed with yoga and meditation, which I definitely want to keep up," revealsKalli Brunnbauer, who runs an artist agency (Genuin) for actors* in Hamburg Ottensen has. TheSchleswig-Holstein filmmaker Moritz Boll used the time to renovate his bathroom, among other things. Seth Turner also switched from the workshop to childcare and was able to live out his creative streak for a few weeks with his offspring and do plenty of handicrafts. Of course, all of this works for a few weeks, but at some point the money cushion dwindles and things have to get going again. "Some of my actors who have regular roles in series such as Notruf Hafenkante or Großstadtrevier are about to start again. For many freelance actors, however, it's currently a pretty tough time. There has been no financial support for them so far. Contrary to many claims, access to Hartz 4 has not been made easier either. So if they're not filming, they don't get any money," says Kalli Brunnbauer. Moritz Boll was also unable to apply for emergency aid in Schleswig-Holstein, as this can only be used for business expenses. "Fortunately, however, Corona has also resulted in new commissioned work, such as a portrait of a children's book author, who is now being honoured in film form instead of at an award ceremony," says Boll.