FDCP issues guidelines for film shoots

The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) released on May 16 the Memorandum Order No. 6, Series of 2020 on the Interim Guidelines on Safety Protocols for the Conduct of Film and Audiovisual Production Shoots to Mitigate the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). According to FDCP chairperson/CEO Liza DinoSeguerra, the interim guidelines are for stakeholders that will resume shoots in MECQ and GCQ areas.

Producers and employers are expected to implement safety and health standards in all workplaces with the objectives of increasing their workers’ physical and mental resilience, reducing transmission, minimizing contact rate, and minimizing the risk of infection from COVID-19. All workers must be insured in every audiovisual production, with accident insurance as the minimum coverage.

Social distancing must be strictly enforced in all phases of production. Meetings and castings should be done online, and alternative work arrangements must be in place for employees, except for those who are part of the essential skeletal workforce. If on-site casting is needed, there must be physical distancing and the usage of personal protective equipment (PPE) like masks and gloves. Before reporting to work, members of the cast and crew must submit health declarations specific to COVID-19.

For on-site work, a maximum of 50 people are allowed on the set. Workers must maintain a one-meter distance from colleagues and cameras must be two meters away from talents. Big crowd scenes like concerts, rallies, parties, and championship games are not allowed while for intimate scenes, both actors must test negative for COVID-19 and give their consent before filming.

A certified medical personnel must be on the set at all times to do temperature checks and enforce health precautionary measures when a cast or crew falls ill. Producers and employers are required to provide for their workers face masks, hand sanitizers and alcohol, packets of tissues, and access to handwashing areas on the set. Face masks and other applicable PPEs must be worn by the cast and crew.

Sanitation must be done regularly throughout the shoot, especially in common areas such as studios, wardrobe and make-up rooms, holding areas, and bathrooms. The habitual disinfection of equipment, props, wardrobe, and vehicles must also be carried out. Meanwhile, on-site caterers must adhere to the government’s food service guidelines and provide meals and drinks in singleserve containers. As for the work hours during the COVID-19 situation, the limit is 12 hours. Productions should also follow local ordinances and abide by the curfew that is still in effect whether an area is under ECQ, MECQ, or GCQ.

The interim guidelines are based on the policies of the Joint Memorandum Circular No. 1, Series of 2020 of the FDCP and Department of Labor and Employment on the working conditions of audiovisual production workers. Duly-registered organizations can still propose safety measures for their respective sectors, and the FDCP will endorse such proposals as Annexes to the DOH and IATF for as long as the provisions are in accordance with the interim guidelines.