With the COVID-19 pandemic raging all over the world, artists were also compelled to stay inside as live shows and theatrical releases were on an all-time low. Similarly, American comedian Bo Burnham spent his days cooped up inside and ended up documenting an exaggerated look at his quarantine in a Netflix special aptly titled Inside.
Burnham isn't the only creative soul as many others utilized the situation to work on their creative projects while some ended up capitalizing on the pandemic itself. For instance, Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker wrote a mockumentary based on the global chaos, named Death To 2020.
Bo Burnham
Following his directorial debut Promising Young Woman. Last month marked his comedy comeback with an unexpected one-man special. Rather than performing it in one go, Bo Burnham's Inside was planned as a series of individual skits and songs from the perspective of a man trapped inside his house for one whole year.
Drawing rave reviews from critics and audiences alike Inside succeeded in expressing common fears and frustration around the tumultuous year that was 2020.
Olivia Rodrigo
Olivia Rodrigo had already gathered a fan following thanks to her role in the Disney+ series on first studio album Sour.
An instant hit that's still trending on the charts, the album was entirely produced and recorded in social isolation by Rodrigo and Dan Nigro. Upon its release, Sour struck a chord with music critics who praised the coming-of-age elements and the Gen-Z appeal in the pop record.
Aziz Ansari & Lena Waithe
Aziz Ansari and his creative collaborator had shifted to London to offer a new take on Ansari's Netflix comedy Master of None. Titled Moments in Love, this new season was totally focused on Waithe's character Denise as she explores the ups and downs of a serious relationship.
Written by Ansari and Waithe, the season's production was slightly delayed during the lockdown in Britain. In a video interview with an Italian culinary publication, Ansari also hinted at the possibility of having written most of the drafts during this lockdown.
Sam Levinson
two lead actors (Zendaya and John David Washington) simplified Levinson's filmmaking process further.
Shot in black and white, the romantic drama drew positive reviews for the lead performances but Levinson's writing drew mixed responses. Still, the film is notable for kicking off a new era of pandemic filmmaking in 2021.
Rob Savage
British filmmaker Rob Savage might not be a household name but his 56-minute-long film Host definitely raised eyebrows last year with its socially distanced visual style. Filmed entirely via Zoom calls, Host is a techno-horror that revolves around a video call that invites supernatural forces.
Even though a similar format has been tried out with Unfriended, Host's intense atmosphere and timely release made it an increasingly claustrophobic and haunting watch. With some critics even referring it to as the scariest film of 2020, Savage offers a lot of promise for his future filmography.
Amy Schumer & Chris Fischer
In the wake of the pandemic, comedian and actress Amy Schumer fronted a 'quarantine cooking show' for Food Network that ran for two seasons.
The premise of Amy Schumer Learns To Cook is evident from the title itself as Schumer's husband and chef Chris Fischer teaches her the basics of cooking. The show even spawned an uncensored version that premiered on Discovery+. As Fischer is also a farmer at Martha's Vineyard, the island served as the chief production location.
Zack Snyder
Zack Snyder's original vision of the Justice League Zack Snyder's Justice League, a superhero saga that runs for a whopping 4 hour-runtime. While most of Snyder's film had been filmed long before, the pandemic allowed the director and his team to add some finishing touches.
Following the lockdowns, the director reshot the iconic Knightmare Sequence that plays out in the final moments of the film. While all cast were present in a remote location, Ezra Miller's (who plays The Flash) footage was recorded via Zoom as he was busy filming for the next Fantastic Beasts film.
Sacha Baron Cohen
Sacha Baron Cohen's mastery over socio-political satire is quite evident from past works likeBorat Subsequent Moviefilm. The sequel finds the eponymous reporter exploring a pandemic-struck America that's also getting ready for the Presidential elections.
Scenes like Borat infiltrating a Mike Pence rally or actress Maria Bakalova interviewing Rudy Guilliani in private also point out the real-life risks that this project had. The result is an astounding work of journalistic fiction that documents American chaos with a simultaneously exaggerated and authentic approach.
Charlie Brooker
British screenwriter Charlie Brooker ended 2020 on a satirical note with the Netflix mockumentary Death to 2020. Relying on a popular star cast with names like Samuel L Jackson and Kumail Nanjiani, the film interviewed various fictional individuals to gather their views on lockdowns, corona conspiracy theories, racism, and the US Presidential elections.
The goofy humor aside, Death to 2020 works as an apt restatement to show how ill-prepared the entire world was for a global catastrophe like the pandemic.
Ben Winston
Ben Winston was involved as producer and director for two of the biggest projects of 2021, namely the 63d Annual Grammy awards and the highly-anticipated FRIENDS: The Reunion. Shooting had commenced for the latter since last year with two lockdown-induced delays.
Some of the scenes like the sequence featuring Lady Gaga were filmed as late as The reunion lived up to the comedy series's fans and also made headlines for featuring diverse cameos including the likes of BTS and Malala Yousufzai.
