Lights, camera ( back in) action: Film, TV industry ramps up
23 projects currently shooting across the city — with major COVID- 19 precautions in place
On a recent evening, TTC bus route 6 was ww detoured around the intersection of Bay and Richmond streets for a reason
that wouldn’t have raised an eyebrow in pre- COVID times: to accommodate a
film shoot.
After a lockdown that lasted from mid- March to the end of June, one bright spot in the Toronto economy is that film and television production is coming back strong, with at least 23 projects currently shooting across the city, including the on- location shoot of the film “Slumberland” at Bay and Richmond.
“I would say that the industry is definitely coming back and getting back into production and ramping back up,” said Marguerite Pigott, Toronto’s
film commissioner.
“Certainly production is very busy now and will be, going forward. But the ultimate impact of the lockdown has yet to be seen. It’s not like the lockdown ended and production resumed ( immediately). Everybody had to take time to replan their schedule, replan their physical plant because it was going to take more space. It all took time,” Pigott added.
Tremendous collaboration between various unions and guilds, producers and aa levels of government at the outset created a framework of health and safety protocols — known as section 21 — which ww provided a blueprint for how to safely shoot productions going forward, Pigott said.
Then each production came up with its own oo health and safety plan that is “spe- cific to the needs of that production because every production is so different,” she said.
“Those health and safety protocols are really quite rigorous and so far, they’re serving us very well. There are layers and layers and layers of rigour and protections happening in (those) workplaces, and that’s really keeping us going,” Pigott said.
At present, there are 17 television series in production along with four feature films — including “The Man From Toronto,” starring Woody Harrelson, Kevin Hart and Kaley Cuoco, “Nightmare Alley” by writer/ director Guillermo del Toro (“The Shape of Water”), starring Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara and Bradley Cooper and Disney Channel movie “Spin” — as well as one television movie and a web series.
The Star contacted all 23 and while most productions declined to share details, a handful did, offering details about onsite testing and other safety protocols.
“Like most producers, at ‘Kim’s Convenience’ we spent from March through July planning for and financing a return to work. I don’t think any of us saw this coming,” said Sandra Cunningham, supervising producer of CBC’s “Kim’s Convenience,” which is shooting Season 5.
“While we are an adaptable bunch very accustomed to change, our first attempt to implement new on-set protocols felt like trying to turn an ocean liner on a dime. But with a full dress/technical rehearsal, we ironed out the wrinkles and within a couple of weeks were growing accustomed to new ways of working,” she added.
One major change: reducing the daily shooting schedule to a maximum of 10 hours.
“I think we are a more rested and healthier team because of this change,” Cunningham said.
The production budget was also increased by 10 per cent to pay for personal protective equipment (PPE), cleaning, COVID testing and ventilation systems, Cunningham noted.
Suzanne Colvin- Goulding, producer/executive producer of the CBC series “Coroner,” in Season 3 production, noted a range of challenges, including a budget increase of at least five per cent, stiff competition for crews as other productions returned to work, difficulty obtaining simple materials like lumber and Plexiglas, as well as obtaining insurance.
“Emotionally, it was quite an adjustment for people returning to work following the lockdown. While there was a definite and varied level of fear and anxiety for all, film and television people are incredibly resilient. At first, establishing, implementing and managing the COVID-19 safety protocol requirements in this unprecedented time was overwhelming for most,” Colvin- Goulding said.
“It continues to add a layer of stress every day with all decisions now being made through a COVID-19 safety-first filter, but the necessary changes have been embraced, becoming part of our everyday routines. It is like running two simultaneous productions at once,” she added.
The production team hired its own health management company, Oncidium, which oversees daily online health screening questionnaires monitored in real time, daily temperature checks and weekly swab testing of all cast and crew, as well as ensuring compliance with protocols such as mandatory masks and face shields. The health management team has more than 12 members, including two full-time nurse supervisors, Colvin-Goulding said. The production has also moved from one to two studio spaces and reduced its daily shoot hours, she added.
“With all the industry-wide safety measures productions (being put) in place, I would say our industry has amongst the safest and now cleanest workplaces going,” Colvin-Goulding said.
Amy Cameron, executive producer of fledgling series “Lady Dicks,” said filming was underway earlier in the year when COVID struck.
“The pandemic has forced us to reimagine our approach to producing, everything from the economics of financing additional costs associated with new protocols and procedures to creatively refine scenes to mitigate any risks and to keep cast and crew as safe as possible,” Cameron said.
Safety protocols include regular testing of cast and crew, physical distancing and wearing PPE at all times, which means cast members only remove masks during actual takes.
COVID arrived as Toronto’s film and television production industry was on a roll, coming off a record year in 2019 of $2.2 billion in total production spending, with a total of 1,500 screen projects and 7,600 days of production.
The previous four years were similarly strong — $2 billion in 2018, $1.8 billion in 2017 and $2.01 billion in 2016 and $1.55 billion in 2015.
In fact, Pigott noted — despite the pandemic — another 500,000 square feet of studio space is in development and expected to open in 2021. City officials have also posted a request for proposals for 3.6 hectares (nine acres) along Basin Street in the Port Lands for additional studio space development.
“We are a global juggernaut and we are firmly ensconced in our place. The only impediment to our growth as an industry right now is space. We need more studio space. We’re not keeping up with demand. We turn away a lot of work every year because we can’t accommodate it,” Pigott said.
“So I don’t know what this year is going to look like. But I know what the future is going to look like and I’m excited about that,” she added.