Hollywood’s next great challenge
Along with hair stylists, camera operators and the hundreds of others who make magic happen for TV and film, Hollywood is counting on a new supporting member for future productions: COVID -19 consultants.
The coronavirus pandemic has prompted producers, movie studios and workers’ unions to seek expert advice on how to safely reopen film and TV sets, which shut down worldwide in mid-march.
In demand are epidemiologists and other public health specialists to provide detailed strategies for dealing with large crews who work in cramped spaces, makeup artists who get face-to-face with stars, and actors who kiss, hug and fight on set.
The shutdown has taken a severe financial toll across the industry, as well as on cities such as Los Angeles (and in Canada, Toronto and Vancouver) that benefit economically from production.
While U.S. and Canadian sets remain empty, productions are ramping back up in South Korea, Australia, Sweden and New Zealand. People in the industry expect to see smaller crews, regular testing, hand sanitizer everywhere and the use of computer-generated imagery to create big crowds on screen when work resumes.
Writer-director Tyler Perry has taken the lead on getting cameras rolling again, announcing plans to begin shooting two BET TV series on July 8 at his studio complex in Atlanta. Perry’s 330-acre self-contained lot offers housing where people can be isolated to help prevent spread of COVID-19.
Perry said “it took a village of staff, medical doctors, epidemiologists, lawyers, union reps, talent and their reps, crew members, insurers, and a lot of other great thinkers” to develop safeguards.
One was Dr. Carlos del Rio, an infectious diseases expert at Emory University, who said he advised that all cast and crew be tested at the start and at least once during the two weeks they remain sequestered for a shoot.
“It may fail” to keep coronavirus completely out of the set, he said. “But I think it’s also not feasible to say we’re going to wait until the virus goes away, or we have a vaccine, because then we might as well not work for the next two years.”
Unions representing actors and set employees have hired experts from Harvard and the University of California to help develop guidelines.
Actors are watching closely. Actress Anna Kendrick, in an interview promoting her HBO Max series Love Life, said some ideas she’s heard sound like they’re from “somebody who’s never been on a film set.”
It took a village of staff, medical doctors, ... lawyers, union reps, talent, ... crew members, insurers (to develop safeguards).
TYLER PERRY