The show must go on
Netflix working to restart production
Netflix has laid out plans to reopen production on its shows and films, outlining a new normal for Hollywood sets that involves daily temperature checks, boxed lunches instead of buffet-style tables and disposable applicators for makeup.
The streaming company, which produces local language movies and TV series across the globe, has already begun shooting again in South Korea, Japan and Iceland, said Ted Sarandos, chief content officer. It plans to resume production in Sweden this month.
TV and movie sets closed across the U.S. in March, delaying the production of hits such as Stranger Things and Succession, and affecting companies from industry giants such as Disney to small independent studios. Thousands of people have been laid off or furloughed.
“Because Netflix shows and films are made around the globe, we’re starting to learn how to get production going again despite the crisis,” Sarandos wrote in the Los Angeles Times. “There are thousands (of ) crew members anxious to return to work, and millions of people relying on the entertainment they produce.”
Sarandos offered an insight into the new ways of doing things that will probably become the norm on Hollywood sets. In South Korea, for example, where Netflix has been shooting romance series Love Alarm, all cast and crew employees have their temperatures checked daily. If anyone shows signs of infection, production is halted.
Hand sanitizer, masks and gloves have become mainstays on sets in these countries. Actors eat boxed lunches, rather than helping themselves from buffet-style food tables. Every few hours, the cast and crew take a break to wash their hands and disinfect surfaces.
As Hollywood passes its eighth week of the shutdown, there are still question marks about reopening sets, warned Rich Greenfield, partner at consultancy Lightshed Partners. “If you are an aspiring actor or part of the film crew, getting back to work may be a financial necessity,” he said. “But if you are one of the world’s biggest movie or TV stars, do you want to take the risk?” The Financial Times Ltd. 2020. All Rights Reserved. FT and Financial Times are trademarks of the Financial Times Ltd. Not to be redistributed, copied or modified in any way.