Leading figures in the UK filmmaking industry said Diversity Friday that they have full confidence in the steps being taken to protect the cast and crew from COVID-19 on the British set. According to the Daily Mail, without the presence of star Robert Pattinson, Warner Bros. in Lewedden, UK. Production on “The Batman” has resumed in the studio. On Thursday, Pattison was diagnosed with Covid-19 and had to be self-isolated for 14 days.
The Mail report claims that director Matt Reeves is trying to finish shooting as much as he can without Pattinson, including scenes with the actor’s body double. Diversity Reach out to Warner Bros. for comment.
On Thursday, Warnermedia Studios and the head of the network group, Ann Sarnoff, declined to comment on the clarification, citing privacy concerns.
Meanwhile, the UK industry is confident that crews are observing the COVID-19 protocol that was released by the British Film Commission in late May. “We know that productions in the UK, including a strict testing regime, are strictly following the BFC guidelines with strong health and safety procedures in place, so any case of coronavirus can be quickly identified and appropriate self-isolation procedures applied,” Adrian said. Said Watton, chief executive of the British Film Commission and Film London Diversity.
“We are confident that with all the measures taken, it is safe for any product to start shooting immediately. We also believe this will not affect current production in the UK as a whole, precisely because we have such stringent health and safety measures in place, enabling us to back up and run our world-class film and top TV segment. “
“The behavior of the UK cast and crew is exemplary,” said Lindsay Duthy, CEO of the Great Britain Production Guild. ” Diversity. “Wanting to get back to work, everyone accepted the comprehensive measures they needed and as a result many productions returned to the set and filmed safely weeks in advance. Where we have seen productions abroad where a cast or crew member has tested positive, care has been taken to make it clear to them that they may be able to start shooting immediately. “
UK crews have also had access to free training modules advising them to stay safe in the event of an epidemic provided by Screenskills, and about 20,000 people have used them. “Productions are taking this issue very seriously and we know we are working hard to prevent the spread of every COVID-19 during the shooting of the film,” said Sita Kumar, CEO, Screenskills. Diversity. “We have partnered with industry and health and safety experts to develop a basic awareness of free online coronavirus on product training to support the available guidance.”
In addition, the Production Guild is working on a Bespoke program targeting senior production staff, who are taking on the role of COVID supervisor, which will be announced next week. “This will be a crucial guideline for standardizing this new critical area of production to world-class standards,” Duty said.
It is also running a safe return to set up screensavers seminars to share the experience of people who have already returned to pre-production or are developing more advanced training. “None of this eliminates the fear of getting sick but he acknowledges that everyone can play their part in preventing diseases from spreading on set or location,” Kumar said.
There is also the question of how the crew’s morale will be affected when a high-profile member of the team, such as Pence Tinson, is diagnosed with the virus immediately after resuming stalled production. “Production teams are as resilient as already proven and will always find innovative ways to move forward,” says Doothy. “I think it’s more than a sense of despair, when everyone has worked so hard to follow the comprehensive steps.”
Although it is not immediately clear what type of insurance “The Batman” has, Covid-19 is unlikely to be covered under any of the existing policies. “What we’re seeing is that all insurers make sure there is a certain wording to exclude covid cover,” said Chris Bernford, senior account executive at Agar Forrester Insurance. Diversity.
“The Batman” production is the backbone of the UK Government’s 7 7.7 million film and TV insurance fund, which was announced in July. This funding is available to all producers where at least 50% of the budget is spent in the UK. Eligible productions will receive reimbursement for coronavirus delay costs up to 20% of the production budget. Productions abandoned due to coronavirus will cover up to 70% of the production budget. Production has a total cap on claims per production of 6.65 million.
