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Senior Arts Reporter
Some local television producers and content creators say the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions have affected their productions.

The restrictions to contain the spread of the virus have left the industry moribund as movement of cast has been limited. Many productions shoot in different locations, while social distancing and testing of crews and actors is another problem.

However, Zimbabwe is not alone as the virus has affected the television and film industry globally, with some international movie studios postponing their film releases in response to the pandemic.

Many smaller films that had day-and-date theatrical and on-demand debuts have proceeded with the digital parts of those releases.

In an interview, the producers said the pandemic had killed their creativity as some productions can’t be shot in one place.

“Since March last year, our dreams have been shattered because we can no longer do the framework we wanted. Some had documentaries, while others had plans to do dramas using the outdoor background, and not the studio set up.

“Remember for the drama to be interesting, it is a thing of the past to shoot under one roof, although there is room for creativity. We need the societal picture,” explained Leonard Chibhamu, the director of popular drama, “Village Secrets”.

Chibhamu said they can’t blame anyone, but have to work with the situation.

“Right now in ‘Village Secret’ we are trying but you can tell that it is different from the past. We don’t have to blame anyone, but just go with the flow so that we all stay safe and survive. I wouldn’t say that we should invest in having one set which will accommodate everything, it might be possible but now with this pandemic, looking for funds and resources is limited,” he said.

The executive producer of local drama series, “Isithembu”, Zolile Makeleni concurred, said that there was need for creativity, although it was difficult with some documentaries and dramas.

“The challenge is on some documentaries, which requires travelling and research, it is not possible. Last year in June, I had to shelve a project that I was working on amid revelations that the Covid-19 pandemic had hit the area. I had to be safe and stay indoors, busy writing scripts,” he said.

The drama, which is in Shona, Ndebele and English, requires different locations, but Makeleni said that for now they have opted to use one house with different settings.

“We can no longer shoot in the streets or malls because it will attract a lot of people, which is against the law. We respect the law and it has been put in place to protect us. From last year we have been shooting under one roof at one location and it has been working well, although it has killed some of the ideas and scripts,” he said.

Makeleni, who said he was wrapping up season 2 of the drama, urged other filmmakers and producers to adhere to the call made by the Government banning gatherings in order to curb the spread of Covid-19.

“It is a fact and real that Covid-19 is real and we should always stick to the rules and regulations. We should desist from having a lot of cast members under one place for now. The best option is to embrace the new norm which is virtual platforms. Currently we have called for new drama auditions and they are being held online,” he added.