The big screen or the streaming screen? Which outlet offers more to the Pittsburgh film industry?
Pop quiz: What was the last movie you saw in the theater? Now, what was the last movie you streamed or TV show you watched multiple episodes of on a streaming service?
It was probably easier to answer the second question than it was the first, right?
Certainly, that has had an impact on the film industry, including here in Pittsburgh. While the pandemic did a number on the movie industry and it's still struggling to recover, streaming entertainment took off and is still climbing.
When The Dark Knight Rises hit the big screen, we swelled with Pittsburgh pride at the very obvious local scenes.
"We're not picky, we just want the work," said Dawn Keezer, the Executive Director of the Pittsburgh Film Office.
The local film workers are getting that work, while the streaming screen might be smaller, Pittsburgh is appearing on Watson on CBS, and The Pitt with Noah Wyle on Max.
"All those scenes where you see when they're sitting in the ER, that's all modeled after [Allegheny General Hospital]," Keezer said. "They love pretending they're here, we just really wish they were here."
Both Watson and The Pitt shot their exterior shots in town for about four days each, but the rest is studio work elsewhere.
"The cost differential between filming Watson where it was written, in Pittsburgh, or Vancouver, Canada, was $16 million," Keezer explained. "So they went to Canada."
Since movie theater attendance is half of what it was pre-pandemic, streaming shows is now huge and a bigger source of entertainment for many, but since it's now multiple episodes in a season rather than a single movie, it means more work.
"Longer work, look at Mayor of Kingstown, they're here for about six months out of every year," Keezer said. "Now, we're in the process of completing season four with hopes for season five."
American Rust has also made return visits, but there is still a desire for the 12-week stays of a major film.
"I don't think movies are dead," Keezer declared. "I don't think theaters are dead. I think people are still looking for forms of entertainment. It's a matter of creating the content that they actually want to see."
Keezer pointed out that it's especially challenging for families with younger children to find something in the theaters, and with the exception of the Minecraft Movie, even teenagers like her son have no desire to go see a movie; they'd rather watch YouTube or one of the other streaming outlets.
Now, all of that said, even with the desire for the return of a big movie to Pittsburgh, the streaming services offer workers the chance to move up in the crew and establish connections. When it comes to movies, it's like starting from scratch each time.
