Covid and Video Production

Film making in the time of Covid

Creating films and video in the midst of a pandemic has been a steep learning curve. Social distancing, lockdowns, peoples anxieties all contribute to projects that already have their own challenges, much more difficult. You also have the extra pressure of being responsible for everyones health and safety. Not just in the traditional sense but also in an environment where it is also possible to contract Covid. In order to carry on, we have had to adapt to a new way of working and as a result, developed our own Covid working policy. Here are just a few of the main things that are considered when on a shoot

Transportation

Wherever possible people should travel to the location or studio seperately. However, there are times when this is not possible. To cope with these situations the van has been fitted with clear perspex panels separating passenger seating from the driver. This allows people from two households who are also wearing face masks to travel at the same time. In most situations, this means that the company van has a capacity of two. The temperature of each traveller is also checked prior to them boarding.

Contact with the public

Our job inevitably brings us into contact with members of the public. People we are interviewing, people we film doing their jobs or actors working with us.

It is important that we maintain a minimum two-metre distance from anyone we are working with. If there are times that this is not possible then mitigation measures must be in place to minimise the risk of infection. If there are times when a member of staff must be closer than two-metres from another person, they should FACE AWAY from that person.

There may be some people that feel they are especially vulnerable to the virus and as such have extra mitigation measures that they have in place. In such cases, staff are to respect these measures without question. If someone has been kind enough to allow us to film with them at this difficult time it must be on their terms.

Recording Sound

For recording sound, boom microphones should be used in place of radio mics where ever possible. If a radio mic absolutely has to be used the sound-recordist wipes the mic, cable and transmitter with a 70% alcohol wipe before instructing the wearer on how to place it on themselves.

Selecting Locations

When selecting locations for filming outdoor locations are preferable as they carry less risk of spreading infection. If filming must take place indoors, good ventilation is required. Locations where social distancing can not be practiced should be avoided.

Handling Equipment

In normal times our team are multi-disciplinary team players – we carry one another’s equipment and help one another set-up tripods, light-stands and microphones. These are not normal times and so as much as possible equipment should NOT BE HANDLED BY MULTIPLE PEOPLE.

Members of the crew will be assigned responsibility for each piece of equipment brought to the shoot. The will be the ONLY person permitted to handle that kit for the entire shoot. This includes unloading and loading from the van. So on a normal three-person crew, roles might be divided as follows.

Crew member A:

Camera Kit Tripod Lenses

Crew member B:

Boom Pole, Rifle Mic and MixerRadio Mics

Crew member C:

Light Stands, Lights & Accessories and Reflectors/Scrims

These are just a few of the things that help keep us and the people around safe while on a shoot. Our Covid filming policy is a much more in depth and lengthy document. If you would like to find out more get in touch here.