Movie, commercial shoots see big drop in Los Angeles as post-pandemic production surge recedes
As California reels from the coronavirus pandemic, many businesses are choosing to go back to their regularly scheduled operations. But, they are finding, with the help of video production and other special effects, the economy of film production will continue to rise.
The economic impact of the coronavirus on Los Angeles is being felt far beyond its borders. The city’s businesses are thriving as production takes off. With many production companies seeing increased work as a result of the pandemic, the total value of those productions is far larger than the entire film industry.
While some companies are returning back to production, others are seeing increases in the number of projects they are producing. Among them is Aardman Animations, the company behind the “Saucer” movies, such as “Wallace and Gromit” and “Lilypond.”
The company, which has a studio in LA, used to work mainly in Scotland and the U.K. It made the first “Saucer” movie, which was also the first film in which Aardman was involved. When the company moved to LA, however, Aardman made more productions: “Saucer” 2 and “Saucer” 3. But now, they are producing a “Saucer” movie a week, and have been producing a few each day.
The company did not have much time to prepare for the arrival of the coronavirus. One of its employees was diagnosed with the virus a few weeks after the start of filming “Saucer.” The company, which is based in London, said it could not be in Britain as the disease spread there.
With production of the film suspended, and Aardman unable to return to Scotland, Aardman’s employees are going back to the studio in LA to produce.
“Saucer” 3 was produced by Aardman from