VAMPIRES SUIT UP FOR SAFETY
Plot line fits pandemic protocols
The writers of the Syfy channel’s TV series Van Helsing look a bit prescient as they shoot the fifth season in Vancouver amid COVID-19.
At the end of Season 4 of the fantasy/drama, something happened to the vampires that necessitates that some of them now have to cover their faces.
“There are certain conceits you build into a story to try and help you with these circumstances so, yes, we are leaning on a plot device that fortunately we kind of set up at the end of Season 4 with no idea that this pandemic was coming but that has enabled us, without being too specific about it, to bake that (mask wearing) into Season 5,” Van Helsing showrunner and writer Jonathan Lloyd Walker said recently. “There is a very valid justification for why some of the vampires are now wearing face coverings. They only remove the face coverings when they want to bite somebody.”
Walker said when blocking a fight sequence, the stunt performers meet the new safety standards because they’re wearing masks under the face coverings.
In early March, the $3-billionplus-a-year film/tv business in B.C. went dark. Aside from a bunch of Hallmark titles, Van Helsing and Global’s new drama, Family Law, are the only major productions back to work now.
“So far I am remarkably proud of everybody associated with our production because everybody top to bottom is taking it very seriously. They are very concerned and considerate about their welfare and everyone else’s,” said Walker. “Our protocols are really solid and they’re working very well. There is surprisingly a very good moral. Everybody is feeling like they’re glad to be back to work. They’re prepared to do what is necessary to make it safe and effective, and we’re getting some really good material.”
Van Helsing shot most of three episodes in Slovakia before the shutdown. Family Law too had a taste of filming before COVID-19 changed everything and showrunner/creator Susin Nielson said even the short time with cameras rolling was a help when it came time to start back up late last month.
“Luckily for us, we were able to bond during our first weeks of shooting, and so coming back, it almost felt as though we’d never been away. We’re all buoyed to be working, and on a 100 per cent Canadian show,” said Nielsen. “We are doing our best to work hard and have fun while following protocols and being safe. I love the people I’m working with and their health and well-being are our top priority.”
As for other major network shows, most of those set to shoot in Vancouver have pushed back production to later this month and into September. There are soft plans in place now — production offices have opened, writers are writing and location scouts are scouting.
Under the new safety and health protocols laid out by Worksafebc and separate studios, the onset changes include: distancing, masks, sanitation stations, dedicated safety-protocol personnel, and no more hanging out and communal lunches.
“We have an actor that has been on the show for five seasons who shot their last scene the other day and it was a very emotional moment,” said Walker. “A big round of applause from all of the crew, but then no one could go hug that person and congratulate him because we can’t do that anymore. It’s changed the culture a little bit.”
Actual workdays have changed too. Shoots are a couple hours shorter — so people don’t get tired and then complacent with safety — and there is no guarantee that an episode will be completed eight or nine days later.
Another difference is the amount of people on-set at any given time. Crews are about 20 per cent smaller, but the biggest drop in bodies is the number of background actors brought in.
Heading into shooting Season 5, which will air in late 2020 or early 2021, Walker said all 13 episodes of the season were written. Then the pandemic appeared and stabbed a stake through the heart of that plan.
“There’s an old expression with writers, it’s called, ‘Kill your babies.’ It just means the things you love the most sometimes you have to dispense with because logistics and environmental factors come into play that just make it not possible to do what you had in mind,” said Walker.
“That is just the new reality of this: How do you story-tell in a compelling and interesting way in this new reality?”
When you talk about the new reality you have to talk about quarantine. Those coming to Hollywood North to make TV shows or movies face a mandatory 14-day hiatus. On Van Helsing, a director has done so already and two of the series stars are set to in the near future.