Almost a month into our self-quarantines, the entertainment industry has found creative and original ways to reach out to people. It has also somewhat revived the dying world of television.
Shows, celebrations and events are taking a new approach to reach their isolated audiences. And, as their titles suggest, most are operating “from home.”
Entertainers are turning on their cameras and equipment to film in their own spaces. They’re talking behind office desks and performing in living rooms and kitchens, utilizing the rooms and furniture of their houses to host these live events. To help you setup the audio and video equipment you need, you may hire AV in San Francisco contractors.
But this has created some difficulties. Entertainers often video chat with each other for live talks or performances, and complications with these calls — frozen screens, buffering, problems with audio/video, etc. — have been challenging for their final productions. Musical groups have also had to work with lag during performances.
While it’s happened before, entertainers have gotten over these barriers more often than not, and their content has proved to be more creative, fun and relatable to families isolated at home.
Besides the news, talk shows are a big source of income for networks. Hosts like Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel and Seth Meyers have shared their homes with audiences. With quarantine making the industry compete for viewer attention, these hosts have presented creative ways to keep attention — some even bring their kids in front of the camera.
Fallon has proved to be a master at “from home” entertainment. He has his kids draw his logos and even films conversations while walking with his wife. He hasn’t abandoned his quirky antics, actively video chatting his celebrity friends for skits and songs.
Here’s a performance of “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” with The Roots, Phil Collins and some homemade instruments —
Some new talk shows have also broken the media, like John Krasinski’s “Some Good News.” In his series, Krasinski asks, “why is there not a news show dedicated entirely to good news?” Viewers submit positive news stories that he picks through and features on his show.
On one particular episode, he introduced the original cast of Hamilton to a girl who’s New York trip to see the musical got canceled.
Spring is a season of communal celebrations — a lot of them religious. The coronavirus has caused many affiliations to cancel public events, but gatherings are not all lost in the chaos.
Churches have recorded ceremonies and aired them on television. Priests have started or promoted existing forms of media streaming for their followers.
Others have suggested different ways to worship. Here is a video from BBC that outlines some of their suggestions —
Lastly, many concerts have been canceled due to the coronavirus, and musicians have used “from home” entertainment as an alternative.
And surprisingly, it’s been pretty effective. They’ve utilized video calls and other broadcasting services like Instagram Live and TikTok.
Musicians have teamed up for group concerts, an example being Brad Paisley’s “Country Club” with Carrie Underwood, Tim McGraw and Chris Young. Some have even created aid events for those affected by the tragedy of the outbreak.
How COVID-19 is changing our era with quarantine online culture
“FOX presents the iHeart Living Room Concert for America” was aired March 29 to provide relief and combat the spread of the coronavirus. Hosted by Elton John, artists like Billie Eilish, Sam Smith, Mariah Carey and Alicia Keys compiled their performances into a live show.
“From home” entertainment has been an odd alternation, but its evolution arguably prepared it for the outbreak.
This new digital world is expanding, and entertainers have utilized technology well before the quarantine. Now, they’re able to take advantage of what they’ve learned, and publish their content in fresh ways.
It’s definitely aided in the evolution of entertainment as well. While we hope for the end of the coronavirus, it’s nice to know that our art and culture is adapting to survive.
