Should We Blame Hollywood for Covid-19? And Hallyuwood, Bollywood, and all other ..woods?

Why have movie storylines for the most part completely ignored Covid-19 and associated safety protocols like masking? I am not expecting every story to be about Covid-19.? But shouldn’t there be an acknowledgment to some extent, that there is a pandemic that is likely to remain with us??

The movie industry around the world has been one of the most affected by COVID-19. Productions had to be halted or shut down causing major financial damage.? Numerous actors and crew contracted COVID-19.? Some of these unfortunately did not make it. May they all rest in peace.? And to top it all, movie theaters around the globe shut down fully or limited access, halting distribution.

The same movie industry then faced the pandemic head on.? New and extensive filming protocols were developed to limit actors and crew exposures. These included quarantines, regular testing, and filming bubbles.? Protocols for less people on sets and more distancing were adopted. Frequent disinfections and plastic replaced dusty director chairs.? Crowd scenes and background actors were limited or eliminated.? New distribution means were developed.? Actors and crews selflessly raised awareness and funds to help deal with the pandemic.

To be clear, many although not everyone acted responsibly. Stories abound of actors being replaced when refusing to work on unsafe sets.? The state of Maharashtra forbade the use of actors over 65 until that decision was questioned by a higher court. And ‘déjà vu’ would be the best way to describe Summer 2021 with many shoots affected by the rising infections associated with the delta variant.? And many other problems still exist.

Still, the tentative July deal between Hollywood studios and a number of unions seemed to exemplify responsibility and balance. Among other things, studios were permitted to require vaccination of crew and actors.? They were also allowed to reduce and limit safety protocols in areas were Covid-19 incidence was very low.??

Period dramas may not be best fit to showcase masking.? But couldn’t most modern contemporary or reality style shows incorporate masking or acknowledge the pandemic?? Why don’t we nearly ever see actors in the background or foreground wearing masks in public or in crowds????

I know what you are going to say: Faces need to be shown. The storyline may not want to be set in a particular era. It may affect the show’s popularity... But what about this: Much before the Covid-19 pandemic, many Asian and especially Japanese cinema has incorporated in the past individuals wearing masks without altering the viewing experience. Think scenes of the Tokyo subway, or of 'famous actors' in public in kdramas. ?

More recently, a Korean drama written by Moon Young Nam incorporated masks and even had a scene where actors went to stores looking for masks.? The public’s response to mask wearing in Revolutionary Sisters was very positive.? And I am betting Yun Ju-Sang, who is 72 was not bothered by wearing his mask.? And I have not seen any complaints about mask wearing from his movie ‘daughters’: Hong Eun-Hee, Jeon Hye-Bin, and Go Won-Hee, or Kim Kyung-Nam. And no one was hurt either when the series hit record viewing and was top ranked.?

More importantly, movie makers, writers, and audiences must ask: What is the impact of COVID-19 denial in storylines and filming?? Is this denial possibly perpetrating the denial by many of the existence of the pandemic?? Could it be helping us all feel that the pandemic is finished when in fact it is raging?

I saw an article about a doctor who had more than a 100 patients die of COVID-19.? The bottom line is that most of his patients denied the existence of COVID-19 until their last breath. In pandemic times, reality is often filtered through what people watch on their TVs and devices.? If movies and series do not reflect the pandemic, could they be propagating the COVID-19 denial myth? If they never show masked individuals, could they be perpetrating the hoax on the benefits of masking? Could ignoring all safety protocols be leading us to doing the same? Do we need to wait for historians to point the damage that could be done?

Stories focused on the pandemic may take time to bubble up.? Incorporating the pandemic into the writing doesn’t need to wait. Is anyone listening?

P.S.: BTS’s seven members: RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook were often seen wearing masked in public much before the pandemic.?It may be a band and not a movie, but the point is that part-time masking, one way of reflecting the pandemic, does not have to be the anthesis of popularity and making money. Wearing masks may even be money making considering the costs of ill members, quarantining and production delays.

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