THE SHUTDOWNS
University of Calgary event , they ’ ve now re-approached us wanting to do a larger socially-distanced event on their campus . So , having educated them on how to do it safely the first time , now they ’ re actually coming up with bigger and better ideas .
STANNERS : Most of our designs are now made with the camera in mind . I had limited TV / broadcast experience , but this really made me look at it differently . Thousands of eyes are replaced with a few lenses , but each shot needs to look great !
VEY : We have learned that contactless options for customers are very important for safety and customer comfort . Keeping our equipment extra clean also helps . Thinking outside-the-box and coming up with innovative ways to keep people distant but still enjoying live music has been the main point of discussion .
PL & P : Generally , how are you currently feeling about the foreseeable professional future for your business and the industry overall ?
FLYNN : Although it is bleak right now for the industry , I do feel positive about the long term . This whole industry is built by people with a passion for their profession . I don ’ t know anybody who got into this industry for fame . The public loves live shows and spectacular events . Solotech is a solid company with a healthy core of people . Until large gatherings are allowed again , we will maintain our focus on sales and installations , keep developing new offerings , and look for opportunities . As soon as it ’ s safe to return to events in large numbers , we will be there supporting all the artists , venues , and crews .
MARLEAU : I ’ ve decided I ’ m going to fight this and I am going to be there on the other side . So , we ’ ve made that decision and we ’ re going to do everything needed to be there .
I think it ’ s going to be an interesting business when we come back . There will definitely be attrition . We ’ ve already seen some , and companies that were maybe already in trouble will be eliminated very quickly . Technicians and people who weren ’ t passionate about this industry will have moved on to something else .
So , personally , I feel optimistic because I ’ ve made the decision that we will be there , so we are trying to find pleasure and find wins in everything we can . We ’ re floating lots of projects and we ’ re trying to be creative and trying to be solution-driven to try to spark ideas from our clients .
STANNERS : Like everyone else , I ’ ve had my doubts . One day it looks like we ’ ll have shows by Christmas , and the next , nothing until 2022 . Since our company is , now more than ever , very diverse , I think it just means that we ’ ll be doing different work and learning new skills until we can get back to what we were doing March 11 th when we all came home .
VEY : The future is very unpredictable . In New Brunswick , we have been very fortunate to have kept our COVID numbers down and things outside of our industry are back to some form of normal . Unfortunately , large gatherings are not allowed , so this takes away large live events , which are our main source of income . We are hopeful that if the numbers stay low , we may see more acceptance for events .
As it stands , people have worked out a few live events at drive-ins and around lakes where people can boat in . This is great to see but with the low number of attendees , the revenue from the events is not enough to sustain them for the long term .
UNGERLEIDER : The bottom line is : people love live events and they need live events . When they do come back , the productions may be cut down quite a bit because I know the gross potential that the bands were used to receiving probably won ’ t be the same . So , a lot of industry will suffer because of that , but at the same time , it ’ s more important to get it back up and running safely than it is to worry right now about the bells and whistles , at least until we can build it back to where everyone is happy .
That said , I think that a vaccine needs to be in place before you ’ ll see any of this happening . So , I really feel it ’ s going to be well over a year before we see it . I don ’ t want to be a pessimist , because I actually have a very optimistic outlook on this , but to be a realist , I have to say it ’ ll probably be a year . I have been watching these drive-in theatre events with live music and from what people are saying , they don ’ t make money . But people are doing it to break the monotony of having nothing to see . It ’ s a need . There ’ s only so much television you can watch . You really want a live feel to it .
But as far as some things on the calendar , I don ’ t have a thing on the calendar other than my volunteer work that I am going to be relentlessly going forth with . So , more power to anyone who gets out there to do something , but we do have to be very careful , because this is a serious illness .
Michael Raine is the Senior Editor of Professional Lighting & Production .
Fall 2020 |
33