Tyler Perry was one of the first Hollywood producers to come up with a comprehensive plan to safely restart television production in April. He is now the first to complete a full season of a primetime scripted series filmed during the pandemic using COVID-19 security protocols. It’s season 2 of his BET show Sistas, which recently wrapped production at Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta and is set to debut in the fall.
In the break between finishing Sistas on July 25 and beginning season 2 of BET The oval, whose cast members will begin arriving at the studio on Thursday, Perry discussed with Deadline what the filming and testing were like; they addressed the challenges they faced; And what advice do you have for growers who are afraid to return to production before a coronavirus vaccine becomes widely available, describing daily testing or quarantine bubbles as crucial to a successful restart.
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As we’ve reported, Perry employs a quarantine bubble model, kidnapping the cast and crew in the batch during filming. In May, she sent a 30-page document to her casts that describes the plan in great detail.
Perry said he and his team followed that document “to the letter”, and it worked. (You can watch a behind-the-scenes video of the process and adaptations at Sistas below.) You will use the exact same protocols to The oval and two other shows he has lined up in the studio, one after the other until September: Bruh and Relentless, both for BET +.
“All the hard work and months of planning paid off. Production went extremely well in the second season of Sistas and now we are preparing to The oval“Said Michelle Sneed, president of production and development for Tyler Perry Studios.” Of course, there is always a learning curve when embarking on a new project and even more so when filming in the midst of a pandemic. The most valuable lessons I learned is to trust the process and the people you have to do their work. ”
There were 360 people – cast, crew, and 10 extras – inside the bubble that worked in Season 2 of Sistas for the duration of the shoot. That decreased 80-100 people from the regular production team that worked in Season 1, as Perry had to cut due to the number of homes available on the premises.
However, “my team stepped forward and they were amazing,” said Perry.
Still, production was intense. “We were filming a tremendous number of pages a day,” he said. “The movements that would have taken between 10 and 15 minutes took 45, but it was fine. It flowed, it flowed completely. “
Actors came from New York and Los Angeles on Perry’s private plane.
“We checked in at 160 on Thursday [July 9] with the actors, four days before they started working. They were tested before getting on the plane, ”said Perry.
Everyone, the cast and crew, were tested that Monday [July 13]. The crew was checked in on Tuesday, July 14, and everyone stayed in their rooms until the test results returned.
“We had four positives at our initial check-in before anyone could leave their room,” said Perry. “We made those people leave and got them the help they needed.” Positive tests did not include plaster; two of them were extras, two were crew.
Then, all were evaluated every four days for the duration of the session without positive results, since the quarantine bubble remained. The production used PCR tests, which are the most accurate available so far. During pre-production, the test results came the next day. But then the national peak came in the cases, and the test results began to take longer, 36-48 hours, leading to a delay in the start of production, boosted from July 14 to 15. That problem has already been resolved. “The labs we are using now return the results in 24 hours,” said Perry.
Perry admits that he was concerned in the effort.
“My biggest concern was that I have several crew members who have pre-existing conditions that I personally asked them to sit on, but they said no, they wanted to work, they needed to work,” Perry said. “I couldn’t legally prevent them from working, so my biggest concern was making sure they were safe and that actors who didn’t wear masks were safe. Because masks one hundred percent help to reduce the spread. Every time an actor took off his mask, and every time he looked at people with pre-existing conditions, they were my biggest concern. “
Everyone on the set of Perry shows must wear a mask, except the actors when shooting scenes.
In April, Emmy-nominated stylist Charles Gregory Ross, who had worked with Perry in the past, died of COVID-19. His passing had a profound impact on Perry and his approach to resume production. It also helps you understand other producers who are concerned about launching their programs in the midst of the pandemic.
“After losing a crew member to COVID who was in another production at the start of this thing, I clearly understand the nervousness, I understand the unease, and they should enter with extreme caution,” Perry said. “But I tell you that if you can’t screen everyone every day, I don’t know how you do it unless it’s a quarantine bubble. I don’t know otherwise, because COVID could be among you and spread and you don’t know it. “
As of now, only Perry’s shows are being filmed in his studio, one at a time. But with its “Camp Quarantine” model showing results, it is ready to open the lot to outside productions.
“There are still another 200 acres of open land, you can establish several other camps here like the one we installed; the camps can be established in a short time, we install ours in a month, a month and a half, “said Perry. “There are many, many more housing opportunities for other camps.”
There is already interest. “I have received several phone calls when it will be available and what can we do; there are some conversations going on, “Perry said.
He admits that he did not have to jump, develop safety guidelines, and start production in the midst of the pandemic, but he felt compelled to do so.
“I could go sit somewhere and wait for a shot, but what would have happened to all those people and their lives and their livelihoods if I hadn’t done this?” he said. “The level of appreciation I received from the crew in private as I passed, because I am there with them all the time, going to the food truck or having a drink in the truck bar. tell me how much they appreciate having the opportunity to work and work safely. “
Perry is ready to use the current production setup for months or even years.
“We are prepared for the long term, we could be here for a year and a half, two years, five years if necessary,” he said. “But my hope is that there will be a vaccine by this date next year. I know the hope is that it will be by the end of the year, but even if it is by the end of the year, by the time production increases and when it reaches the masses, to say that another year is certain. “
Along with his work to restart production in his studio, in recent months Perry has been active in his community and has been a leading voice for the Black Lives Matter movement. In April, he donated $ 21,000 to 42 jobless servers, $ 500 each, at Houston’s on Northside Parkway, one of his favorite restaurants. A few weeks later, Perry anonymously collected the eyelashes at 44 Atlanta-area Krogers during the store’s designated shopping hour for seniors and at-risk customers. He did the same for 29 Winn-Dixies in his hometown of New Orleans.
Following the death of George Floyd, who sparked protests across the country, Perry wrote an essay on racial injustice, which appears on the cover of Persons. He provided trips for the Rev. Al Sharpton, Eric Garner’s mother, Gwen Carr, and members of Floyd’s family for Floyd’s funeral. He also paid all the funeral expenses for Rayshard Brooks, who was fatally shot by an Atlanta police officer, and Secoriea Turner, an 8-year-old girl who was fatally shot.
Last week, Perry donated 1,000 Kroger gift cards to Southeast Atlanta residents, teaming up with the Atlanta Police Department to distribute the $ 50 cards.
“What is happening in the country right now with all the protests, and even with Secoriea, the 8-year-old girl murdered in Atlanta. All of that has been on my mind, ”said Perry. So when I gave those gift cards to the neighborhood around the studio and asked the police to distribute them, my hope was to bring some unity to the community, to understand that all the police are not bad and that we need them, just like all black people are not bad people, and that kind of mindset and that kind of thinking that is hidden is wrong. My hope is that everyone will come from their corners and only have a few conversations. That is my hope for the country; let’s have some conversations that we can at least hear each other. “
As for the industry, “my hope is that the industry can go back to work,” Perry said. “There are so many people who need to work. I hope everyone can go back to work. I don’t know how it happens without daily tests or quarantine bubbles. “
