Hollywood movie production grinds to a halt after possible virus causes Mac computers to shutdown

Mac computers running the movie-editing software, Avid, have been shutting down without explanation across movie studios in Hollywood.

The mass shut downs were first reported by Variety and may indicate the existence of a possible computer virus, though the cause still remains unclear. 

Once the computers spontaneously shut down, users are reportedly not able to reboot the machines, meaning affected studios have seen post-production efforts come to a grinding halt.

A rash of spontaneous shutdowns affecting Mac computers is causing chaos at Hollywood movie studios (File photo)

Variety reports that several film editors and studios have reported experiencing the problem and took to social media to voice their concerns. 

‘Lot of L.A. post shops and people out on shows having their Macs slowly crash,’ tweeted video post-production consultant Matt Penn.

The problem appears to be focused on 2013 models of a Mac desktop affectionately referred to as ‘the trashcan,’ due to its cylindrical appearance, that were reportedly running editing software from the company Avid and older versions of Mac OS. 

The company says it is currently aware of the issues and has launched an investigation.

‘This issue is top priority for our engineering and support teams, who have been working diligently to determine and resolve the root cause,’ said the company in a statement. 

‘As we learn more, we will immediately publish information—directly to our customers and via our community forums and social media platforms—in order to resolve this issue for all affected customers and prevent any further issues.’

Avid has said that it is currently investigating the shutdowns but hasn’t released any details on why the shutdowns are happening (File photo)

As reported by MacRumors, the issue may also be related to a software glitch created by an update to Apple’s Safari browser that is causing Avid data to become corrupted.

Users who have been affected by the problems have been told to boot using their Mac’s ‘single-user’ mode – holding command and ‘s’ keys while booting – which will allow them to back up Avid data without triggering a shut down.

Apple announced that it will be releasing a successor to its Mac pro series due to be out later this year. 

The high-end machine will start at an eye-watering $5,999 and is similarly geared toward creative professionals who require loads of computing power.