COVID-19 has disrupted operations for businesses across the economy. But for in-person services like video production, it’s completely reshaped the way things need to be run to keep everyone safe and minimize health risks.One major change is that production companies must have an infectious disease safety plan in place. This is in accordance with current federal, state, AMPTP, and union guidelines and must take place before pre-production begins.
In this article, we’ll go over 5 tips to help you run your production in a cost-effective, safe way.
1. Minimize Crew & Physical Distancing
COVID-19 is highly contagious and spreads quickly in environments where people are close together. Minimizing crew and maintaining physical distance are key to keeping everyone safe, on and off set. The abundance of video-conferencing and remote working tools today have made it much simpler for teams to work off-site. At NYGS, we’ve implemented a couple of protocols to minimize our crew and still ensure that we’re producing top-quality productions. For example, remote video services like Zoom offer an option for Directors to see what’s taking place on set and provide real-time feedback to actors and crew.
Another great way to manage social distancing requirements is to categorize and divide on-set production needs and personnel into specific groups. Then designate one person from each group to be responsible for the series of tasks that group is required to perform on set. Also, be sure to limit guests or crew that are not needed for the specific day’s shoot. If a crew or staff member’s job does not require set interaction, ask them to work from home.
For those on set, current recommendations are to allow for at least 6’ of distance between crew members wherever possible. This distance should be adhered to at all times, including shared lunch tables or while using a coffee machine.
2. Infection Control: Diagnostic Testing & PPE
Infection control is of the utmost importance when working on a set. While keeping production moving is important, the safety of your crew and actors on set needs to be your top priority. Routinely testing everyone on set and requiring PPE for anyone off-camera are great starting points.
Published guidelines from both the Producers Guild of America and the AMPTP recommend periodic testing of the cast and crew as well as regular use of PPE such as face coverings in order to mitigate the risk of the spread of COVID-19.
Another good idea is to designate someone on set as a ‘COVID safety officer’. Their role is to constantly monitor the production and ensure that everyone is adhering to current COVID safety guidelines. The safety officer can also be tasked with taking everyone’s temperature when they arrive and asking pre-screening questions to ensure that nobody is coming to the set with any symptoms.
3. Hand Hygiene
One of the primary modes of transmission of COVID-19 is through touching an infected surface and then touching the nose, eyes, or face. With this in mind, it’s imperative to stay on top of hand hygiene at all times while on set.
Per the latest guidelines from the CDC, the best way for team members to stay protected from COVID-19 is to regularly wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and use hand sanitizer where applicable. So it’s imperative that every crew and cast member can easily wash their hands throughout production. The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers require that “handwashing facilities with running water, soap and paper towels (dispensed using a non-touch system, if possible), adequate for the number of cast and crew, shall be available and accessible from the first day of work.”
And the Producer’s Guild of America states that productions must provide “multiple touch-free hand washing stations and hand sanitization stations at every production location.”For this, portable hand-washing stations are essential to have on set. Nestl Space has created an elegant, effective solution that meets all the latest COVID-19 Production Guidelines. Their station is simple to set up, has touchless functionality, a portable plumbing system built-in, and brings a reliable efficiency to shoot days. Since production teams are pressed for time now (with shoots limited to 10-hour blocks) Nestl’s portable hand washing station allows us to easily stay on top of hygiene and keep the production flowing at all times.
4. Disinfection Methods
Video productions have a lot of equipment to monitor and thus, a lot of opportunities for germs to spread on set. Therefore, all high-touch surfaces should be periodically wiped with an EPA-registered disinfectant. This includes tables, doorknobs, countertops, phones, and lighting equipment. In addition, any props that are used on set should be cleaned and disinfected before and after use. Staff should also use their own equipment wherever possible to keep sharing to a minimum. If equipment must be shared, then proper hand hygiene must be adhered to after use.
5. Proper Ventilation
Poor ventilation keeps indoor air stagnant, giving a virus more time to linger and infect people in the area. AMTMP guidelines suggest that “in indoor spaces, ventilation systems and other measures should be used to increase the circulation of outdoor air as much as possible (e.g., by opening windows and doors, using
fans and other methods).” It’s good practice to shut down the production multiple times per day, have all team members head outside, and turn on air filtration systems to filter out airborne particulates and clean the air on set.
Wrapping Up
Though video productions are certainly more complicated during COVID-19 it’s not impossible to run them safely. By incorporating these tips into your productions you’ll be able to keep the business going without putting anyone’s health at unnecessary risk.