America has talent is one of the first big budget unscripted formats to resume filming after the COVID-19 production shutdown.
The NBC show began filming outside last week in Los Angeles and the show produced by Fremantle and Syco launched a series of exciting processes to ensure a safe return.
Creator Simon Cowell and executive producers Sam Donnelly and Jason Raff tell Deadline how they did it.
Before closing, the show, which returned on May 26, filmed the first six audition shows and the challenge for the team was how to resume production of their Judge Cuts episodes and live episodes.
The show was filmed in the Simi Valley on a huge open-air cinema stage that was created to resemble a movie theater. The judges, Cowell, Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum and Modern Family star Sofía Vergara, hop in separate cars, and sit in socially distanced directors’ chairs to see the artists.
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To facilitate the process, NBC has reduced the number of Judge Cuts episodes from four to one, airing on July 28, reducing the number of acts from 72 to 60, and completing the schedule with the best audition episode on July 21. and a special 15th anniversary on August 4.
Simon Cowell tells Deadline that there was a “real buzz of excitement” to get back together. “I could see the relief on the faces of the crew that they were back at work and then we turned the corner to the set we had built and it was honestly one of the most amazing experiences I can remember in a long time.” additional.
“It was something that encompasses the Southern California lifestyle and landscape that we all know and love, and are somehow missing at the moment. Wait until you see the vehicles in which the judges arrive. We just had to have fun with this, ”added Sam Donnelly and Jason Raff. “While it was a great effort to figure out how to move forward with the recording of our judge courts at this time, the team really lived up to the circumstances. With the magnitude of AGT and the variety of our acts, we knew we had to find a really creative way to capture our performances. “
Cowell admitted that the Judge Cuts episodes were never his favorite part of the show, having previously moved from Pasadena where there were 3,000 members of the public to the Dolby Theater with 250 and this provided an opportunity to refresh the format. “I always felt like you were up there on the audition shows and then I felt like you were losing energy in the interim rounds, so I always wanted to change those interim shows, they never felt good to me. Personally, now I would stick to this new way that we have done it not only for the present but also for the future. I think it is a better show this year than in previous years, “he added.
SECURITY PROTOCOLS
Since the team was filming a few days after production shutdown stopped, security was integral, as was obtaining approval from unions and guilds.
In addition to regular testing and the talent handling their own microphones, the producers created a capsule system with each capsule assigned to a particular production area, a specific zone. Everyone in the area adhered to social distancing and when they interacted with someone who worked in another area, they spoke on the phone or walkie talkie.
Everyone wore masks, including host Terry Crews and the judges, except when speaking on camera.
“Safety was, of course, our number one priority when we returned to production. Using state and local guidelines, as well as those established by unions and unions, we set out to create one of the safest environments for television production, ”said Donnelly and Raff. “We would have to say that the end result was an outfit that felt even safer than buying from a grocery store, and it was evident that our AGT family overall was very grateful to be able to return to work.”
Cowell added that security was “number one priority.” “If we thought someone was at risk, we wouldn’t film. Therefore, as long as you know that people are safe, thankfully everyone in the lot was tested, will be tested and continually tested. Once you know you have that part and it works, the second part is to run the program. You learn very, very quickly to adapt and the program will feel different, but I hope people will still enjoy watching a new version of the program with the directors of the program intact, ”he said.
The next step for producers is the live shows, which will begin on August 11. The number of live shows is expected to grow with forty-four acts over four weeks, compared to 36 acts that appeared in three weeks last season.
The team is now determining where to film these shows live, including potentially at the Dolby Theater, and whether they will be able to incorporate any audience, in person or virtually.
the Got talent The format has been adapted in numerous international territories, and Cowell said he hopes global broadcasters, including ITV in the UK, will now adopt some of his knowledge. “The first thing we did was send the cut to all our territories around the world to show how we did it because I believe that many other countries will follow the same path and I believe that this will apply to many things that we are going to do in the future how We work through this, “he said.
The tycoon added that the quarantine has given him a little time to think and mocked that he has used the lock to create three new formats. “I have had to use my brain more than at any other time in my life in both the current programs that we have and the new programs that we are going to do,” he said. “I’ve had more time than I’ve had before, so we have, for example, three new formats that we didn’t have 12 months ago because I’ve had time to work on them, develop them properly, and the last one when I did that or had time to do it, honestly it was around 2005 which was the moment that occurred to me Got talent. I am very excited.”
