For the latest entry in our series, which looks at the coronavirus crisis from the standpoint of individuals in the industry, we speak to Lise Fearnley, CEO of Mikrofilm in Oslo, Norway. The boutique production company has a strong track record in commissioned work and short films, including Torill Kove’s The Danish Poet, and is about to start production on its first feature, Titina (image at top).

Over the last few months, Mikrofilm was operating much like other animation companies in Europe and the United States. Staff were mostly working from home — a situation for which Mikrofilm had been prepared for by years of remote collaboration with other companies. Some continued to come to the studio, whether because their home was uncomfortable for work or because they required a specialist setup (like the edit suite).
Over time, however, more and more animators started yearning to return to the studio. “Working from home is tiring in the long run,” says Fearnley. “We all miss each other’s company.” So when the government eased restrictions, due to the coronavirus’s limited spread in the country, Mikrofilm changed its policy.