Film, TV find creative ways to cope amid COVID-19

Film, TV find creative ways to cope amid COVID-19

With its second season airing on Citytv and an order in for the third, writers and producers for the police procedural Hudson & Rex set to work in January on new scripts to film later in the year.

But when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in mid-march, it quickly became apparent their storylines would need some tinkering. The timing ultimately worked out well for the Newfoundland-based production, which directly employs 200 people and is ready to begin filming for season three later this month.

"We've simplified our season quite a bit. It started for us in the script stage," said Paul Pope, a producer on the series through his St. John's production company, Pope Productions.

"We're doing different stories until we get this COVID thing straightened out. We're reaching into the outdoors more ... None of the episodes are set on George Street — we did three there last season. So, there's no big bar scenes. We're avoiding all that.

“We think the audience won't notice. We'll just do it in the writing. That's where we're starting. Do really interesting shows that are showing off our real estate and not putting us in contained spaces and keeping us away from the general public."

The move towards different ways of working under the microscope of a global health pandemic is a challenge facing the entertainment industry in all corners of the globe, delaying the release of many projects and even threatening the future of some.

Laura Mackenzie, executive director of Screen Nova Scotia, knows the future cannot be predicted and admits it is possible the province could lose productions because of the pandemic. She believes the number of productions for the year will likely be cut in half. At the moment, some are taking steps to get back to filming.

"We were poised to have production all year long," she said, adding approximately 500 to 600 full-time equivalent jobs were affected by the recent industry shutdown.

"What this does is, if you have a certain amount of productions planned for the year, it's based on a certain amount of crew that you have. You can't just automatically double your crews. At some point, production is going to become compounded. Some are going to get pushed.

"First and foremost, I'm hopeful we can get to a place where our locally-created Nova Scotia films can get off the ground. They're going to be a bit more nimble, I should think ... Ultimately, it's really going to come down to supply and demand."

In recent weeks, Screen Nova Scotia released a 14page guidelines document for film crews that received approval from the province's chief medical officer and the Department of Labour and Advanced Education.

"Realistically, you do have to have a health and safety plan in place in order for a production to go forward," Mackenzie said. "That's really why every single production in Nova Scotia came to a complete halt."

Groups of 10 will be allowed to work together closely without the need for physical distancing or personal protective equipment. The general rules apply for people coming from outside the province when it comes to self-quarantining.

According to Mackenzie, these guidelines were informed by conversations with other industry groups across Canada. Screen Nova Scotia also set up a back-to-work committee in late April that included representatives from various industry stakeholders, including unions, guilds and suppliers.

"The back-to-work committee identified what the barriers would be and then we started to really dig into it through our subcommittees and working with our national trade organizations, such as the Canadian Media Producers Association, to find solutions and work through these," Mackenzie said.

"It became really clear very quickly that the challenges and obstacles that Nova Scotians were going to have to getting back to work were a global concern. Everybody's dealing with the same issues."

Work on the guidelines remains an ongoing task, with Mackenzie noting her organization is preparing some appendices to support productions preparing their own individualized health and safety production plans.

When the pandemic hit Newfoundland and Labrador, the Hudson & Rex team had four scripts completed. Those stories were revamped, and now eight scripts are ready to shoot, with production work expected to continue until the end of next January. According to Pope, working with a closed set bodes well for ensuring the health and safety of all.

"We're not open to the public. It's our third year doing it. We're kind of like a family. We have pretty professional staff and a good occupational health and safety department that runs this COVID mitigation program."

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Newfoundland-based television series Hudson & Rex will feature more outdoor scenes in its yet-to-be-filmed third season.