The show must go on: Content creation during a pandemic
What's the story
The world, as we know it, has changed. But if you come to think of it, content creation has never been as eerily exciting as it is now. There are no lines between work and home, implying home is the new studio, and audience is larger and has much more time. Here's taking a look at how creators are generating content during the pandemic.
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Desi Instagram is more lit than ever
Since Twitter, which is mostly loaded with COVID-19 updates, refuses to offer any respite for the time being, there's just one place to go at end of a tiring day: Instagram. And, desi creators are making sure it remains that way. Fun videos from the likes of Kusha Kapila and Dolly Singh are surely a relief from all the hard news of the day.
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Content for a cause: Online fundraisers are the new in-thing
Remember how they say difficult times bring out the best in people? Perhaps, that's true. The pandemic is bringing some of our biggest stars on the same screen. India recently witnessed a spectacular online concert, bringing together the likes of Will Smith, Shah Rukh Khan, Jonas Brothers, Bryan Adams. The I For India concert raised more than Rs. 52 crore.
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Fundraiser telethon in NY raised $115 million
Yet another fundraiser event, a telethon titled Rise Up New York, which marked the attendance of A-listers such as Robert de Niro, Jake Gyllenhaal, Billy Joel, and Jennifer Lopez, raised a whopping $115 million for those in New York affected due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Made-at-home
'A Viral Wedding': India's first lockdown show is here
Well, to be honest, it was only a matter of time. A Viral Wedding, directed by Shreya Dhanwanthary, is the country's first-ever web-series shot entirely from home during the lockdown. The 8-episode micro-series tells the story of Nisha (Shreya) and Rishabh (Amol Parashar), a couple who planned the perfect wedding before the lockdown applied brakes on their plans. It's streaming on Eros Now.
What's more
And, more such content is in the pipeline
A Viral Wedding has been mentored and backed by Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK (colloquially called Raj and DK). And, they're not planning to stop. The duo, who've previously given acclaimed movies such as Shor in the City and Go Goa Gone, are working on more such projects that will be shot at home. "You can't keep [filmmakers] away from making films," Raj noted.
'SGN'
John Krasinski and good news: What more to ask for?
Just possibly, the best thing on Internet to come out during the pandemic is John Krasinski's Some Good News. The show, which highlights weekly good news from all across the globe, is spreading smiles and melting hearts all around. And guess what, the YouTube channel from Krasinski has already garnered nearly 2.5 million subscribers. Because, everyone deserves a bit of good news these days.
Netflix
And apparently, Netflix can't ever keep calm!
Even as productions remain stalled around the world, Netflix isn't going to sit back and relax. The streamer recently announced that it has roped in the creative minds behind Orange Is The New Black to lead a new anthology series, that will be produced, scripted, and directed remotely. The series, from OITNB creator Jenji Kohan, is appropriately titled Social Distance.
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Netflix hopes 'Social Distance' helps people feel closer
"The experience of social distancing is currently universal, but no individual story is the same. Through a broad spectrum of tales and moments, some seismic and some mundane, we hope to capture a moment in time," Netflix said about the show.