The director of Netflix in charge of the original international productions, Felipe Tewes, recently had a chat with the US newspaper Variety, detecting a cross section of the situation in Italy. Specifically, he went to probe the conditions of our local TV series, as well as the support provided by the company to directors and actors from the Bel Paese.
Even before the quarantine began, many of the productions were slowed down or stopped to ensure the health of the cast and professionals. It was first to block the engines Zero, unpublished rap sound series that narrates the experiences of young black people. According to the words of the producer Antonio De Angelis, despite the shooting being stopped, Netflix would still be financially supporting the staff, most of whom are made up of newbies or non-professionals.
The third season of Baby she was hit when filming closed. Now post-production is carried out “following strict health safety protocols”. It proceeds, in short, but with probable slowdowns in the roadmap. Also Curon, a supernatural series set in northern Italy, found itself in quarantine in the phase of the finishing touches and is now forced to rely on “smart working”. Its producer, Alessandro Mascheroni, however, stresses that Netflix has provided “immediate” “moral and economic” support.
In all this, the opening of the Roman offices Netflix, although no specific date for ribbon cutting has yet been provided. According to Tewes, this new administrative presence will have “profound importance” for the relationship between the streaming platform and local producers.
Netflix, on the other hand, is one of the few companies that, while working in the entertainment sector, is safeguarding itself from the economic meltdown. With everyone locked up in the house, Netflix has seen himself annexed to his service 15.8 million of new paying subscribers and its stock prices have taken off at a disarming speed. For a short time the actions of the on-demand service have exceeded even those of The Walt Disney Company, in awe of investors around the world.
The pandemic is therefore likely to upset the entertainment landscape too, offering Netflix what appear to be months of monopoly that will inflict a mighty shoulder on the competition. This will certainly affect the way in which cinema and series are used, but also on their production.
