A light of inspiration can come from the darkest of corners.
The COVID-19 pandemic made filmmaking a giant pain for too many reasons to list. While the pandemic ended almost all productions, creatives still found a way to be creative. From pandemic storytelling to limited crew and one-location films Alone With You to Zoom horror films like Host, filmmakers embraced the limitations to spark their creativity.
Low-budget filmmakers were not the only ones using the COVID-19 pandemic as inspiration. Wes Anderson revealed at the premiere of his latest film, Astroid City, that the quarantine order was a big inspiration behind the story.
According to IndieWire, the auteur filmmaker credited the global pandemic for inspiring the quarantine plotline in the Asteroid City script.
“During the intense part of the COVID period, we were writing the script. I don’t think there would be a quarantine in the story if we weren’t experiencing it,” Anderson said. “It wasn’t deliberate. Writing is the most improvisational part of the whole process.”
Anderson wrote Asteroid City with Roman Coppola, who has also joined Anderson on previous projects like The French Dispatch and Isle of Dogs. The film is set in a fictional American desert town in 1955 during a Junior Stargazer convention. The town ends up undergoing a quarantine after unwanted visitors from space arrive, thrusting the town into a series of genre-driven plot lines.
During filming, which was shot in Spain between August and October of 2021, the pandemic protocols on set were still in full swing, giving the production an odd ounce of realism to this Anderson-esque sci-fi and bonding the troupe of actors even further.
“The making of the movie during COVID protocols really suited us. It worked for us,” Anderson added. “I loved that we formed a troupe and stayed together and sat at a long table and had dinner.”
If you look closely enough, there is always a silver lining to every challenge presented to you. Creating art is hard work–no one said it would be easy. How you look at these challenges and difficult times can help shape you as a filmmaker and inspire future projects that you take on.
What was a difficult moment that inspired a story or bonding moment on a project for you? Let us know in the comments below!
