The studios continue to plot returns to filming in states like California, New York, Georgia and Illinois, as they look at the details of the COVID-19 protocols established with the guilds.
The increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in the US may have caused the reopening of trade reopens in selected states, but it still has a significant impact on film and TV production plans.
Sources on the ground in states like California, Georgia, and New York count Hollywood reporter that the movies and television series that had been preparing for production are still doing so, although main photography in most national projects is not expected to start in a couple more months. So far, most of the filming has been done in international territories as new coronavirus numbers continue to rise in the U.S.
Naturally, however, on July 13, California Governor Gavin Newsom’s extensive state closings of various interior companies raised questions about another possible stoppage of production. Multiple sources, however, say the governor’s orientation to the entertainment industry has not changed and there is no indication that it will, at least not yet. According to an official state document, people who “support the entertainment industries, studios and other related establishments, as long as they follow the COVID-19 public health guide on physical distancing” are considered “essential workers.”
Experts say strict protocols somehow offer a more controlled environment than, for example, restaurants or other indoor companies that were ordered to close again, as evidence is required for the former rather than the latter. Also key to keeping the industry in view is the fact that there aren’t as many productions up and running yet, and most of them have been quite small. Just a few weeks ago, FilmLA, which tracks permits, said it had been receiving around 60 requests for movies per week. A spokesperson for the non-profit organization says they have seen nothing but a minor increase in new applicants since then and that the majority of incoming applications continue to come from the advertising and commercial sector.
In Georgia, experts say studies that are increasing their production plans have not yet been deterred by the state’s record COVID-19 numbers and the heated political battle over government guidelines. (After Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms ordered the city to return to Phase One and order facial masks in public, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp sued her for the directives, calling them “null and void orders that they only serve to confuse the public “).
The Georgia film office, which has stayed out of the dispute, maintains that the state has not been affected by any setbacks. “We are very grateful for the commitment recently made by industry leaders to return to producing more movies in Georgia, and it is gratifying to see our productions begin to take off safely,” said film office director Lee Thomas. “We will continue to work with the studios to answer their questions and help them make plans.”
One of the first major Hollywood productions, Tyler Perry’s BET playwriting Sistas, began this week in his spacious studio in Atlanta. The show was scheduled to start filming on Tuesday, July 14, but was delayed one day due to delays in retrieving COVID-19 results, something future productions will have to deal with when labs are affected by delays in testing amid the outbreak.
Also, Netflix’s Strange things is slated to return to the state in September, and a source says the streamer is speeding up plans to end the action thriller. Red notice, starring Dwayne Johnson. The actor, who lives in Georgia, is said to be eager to return to work in his home state, and the plan from now on is to wrap up. Red before he can start his next superhero movie Black adam for new line. (Sources indicate that Adam not likely to take off until 2021.)
Production plans are also beginning to take shape in other states. New York City has officially entered Phase Four of its COVID-19 recovery roadmap, which allows film and television productions to film with fewer restrictions. Projects can be filmed as long as they don’t have more than 50 people, interfere with hospitals or testing centers, block streets, or get too close to restaurants with outdoor tables without the establishment’s permission.
“In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, New York has followed a science-based and data-based strategy for a gradual reopening of the state’s economy,” said a spokesman for the New York Film Commission. “While we are excited for the film and television productions to return, we must remain vigilant, and ESD urges everyone involved to follow the state’s health and safety guidelines.”
Meanwhile in Chicago, sources say the fourth installment in the Emmy-winning FX limited series. Fargo, which was forced to shut down production at the start of the pandemic, is preparing to start filming again in mid-August. The plan is for the cast and crew to be tested in advance and then back on set, followed by a 7-day quarantine. They are also trying to reduce the risk by having two teams so that if one gets sick they can still keep production moving, a precaution that another production is likely to start taking as well.
For studies planning their return to production, government approval has somehow turned out to be less problematic than union approval. Sources say AMPTP, which represents major studies, and unions such as IATSE, the crew workers’ union, are still in the midst of details about established security protocols. The main issues still being debated focus on the role of COVID-19 managers, the frequency and type of testing, the 10-hour workday limit to allow more time to clean up and compensation for sick days ( the union is said to want members) who can get sick with the virus so that it can still be paid, while the studios want to avoid having to pay double the money).
For some major studios awaiting a return to production in early August, lengthy guild talks have delayed those dates (which, noteworthy, are attempts to get started). Warner Bros. informed key production partners last week that their television projects would not start in the beginning of the month, as initially expected, but would rather now start in late August. Universal TV is also delaying projected filming dates by one month in mid-September. Most informants say September is likely to mark the most significant return to production since COVID stopped filming – that is, if the virus is still raging or the union’s protracted negotiations don’t frustrate those plans.
