With the majority of the world in lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, people are finding new ways to be creative. Charli XCX is creating an album in self-isolation; Louis Theroux has switched from documentaries to podcasts; and Lena Dunham is writing an interactive novel. Even drug dealers have had to change tact, dressing up as key workers to evade the police.
With IRL productions largely on hold, the film and TV industry is also having to adapt, with Netflix seemingly leading the way. Yesterday (April 28), the streaming site announced a new series called Social Distance, which will be scripted, produced, and directed remotely.
The brainchild of the Orange Is The New Black creators, Social Distance will explore the experience of living in a time of social distancing, with each episode telling a new story and starring a different set of characters.
Writing on Twitter, the show’s creators said: “Our job as storytellers is to reflect reality, and in this new, bizarre, bewildering reality we are all experiencing, we feel passionate about finding connection as we all remain at a distance. We’ve been inspired to create an anthology series that tells stories about the current moment we are living through – the unique, personal, deeply human stories that illustrate how we are living apart, together.”
“We are challenging ourselves to do something new,” the post continued. “To create and produce virtually so that our cast and crew can stay healthy and safe.” The creators explain that as well as writers, directors, and showrunners working remotely, all of the actors will film themselves at home.
They concluded: “The experience of social distancing is currently universal, but no individual story is the same. Through a broad spectrum of tales and moments, some seismic and some mundane, we hope to capture a moment in time. And we hope that Social Distance will help people feel closer to one another.”
Social Distance will be executive produced by Jenji Kohan, Tara Herrmann, Hilary Weisman Graham, Diego Velasco, and Blake McCormick (Mad Men). Velasco will act as the director, while Graham will serve as showrunner. There’s currently no news on who will star in the series, or when it will be released.