The world has changed in imaginable ways due to the COVID 19 pandemic. We are living through it and we know its effects on all areas of our own life. But what about film and media productions? There are very few people that have been working on shooting content for essential messages and clients, but that is the vast minority. The ones that are working are already in our new reality.

What is this new reality and what does it look like? That is what I would like to talk about. I want to dive into the future and see what sets might look like as the shutdowns get lifted, the economy gets going, and crews begin to gather again. Overall, productions won’t and can’t look the same as before be are in a new normal, but that’s what a global pandemic will do.

As a cinematographer, I am chiefly concerned with the safety and well being of the production’s crew. They are the people that I work with on regular bases and are some of my best friends. As cinematographers, we lead the crew through the entire production. Protecting them and looking out for their best interests is what a good leader does.

So what does that mean in actuality?

Smaller crew sizes

To keep talent and crew safe productions will reduce the crew size and do with less personal. Smaller crew sizes mean less personal and less personal mean slower days and slower days mean more days to get the same product as before. Productions will have the choice between spending more money on creating the same aesthetics as before, sacrifice the look, or risk hiring the same number of personal as before. That’s the reality. As cinematographers, we need to lay these options out for production. 

New positions in the crew

Along with crews getting smaller, I see two positions that we are going to see more on sets of all types and levels. I see a COVID-19 supervisor or sanitation officer and set medics. Set medics are found on all sorts of projects now, but we will see them on smaller and smaller sets. Medics will have access to proper temperature checking equipment and able to tell if anyone has symptoms of COVID or not.

Another position that will be added to just about every set is a COVID-19 health supervisor or sanitation officer. They will be in charge of keeping sets safe and clean. Wiping down surfaces and making sure there are plenty of masks and gloves for cast and crew. I don’t believe this person will be cleaning gear, that may be up to the departments themselves.

New policies before crews get to set

Every production is going to be different and so will their policies when it comes to addressing COVID on that particular set. However, I do see every set addressing COVID in their own way. The New York Times and Los Angeles Times have written articles about productions filming mid the US shutdown in Iceland, South Korea, New Zealand, and the Chez Republic. The two articles go into depths about how the productions dealt with the crew and equipment. Some policies they discussed included…

• Plenty of masks and gloves for all personal

• Plenty of hand sanitizer on set

• Masks on for all crew. Masks on for cast when not on camera

• Only handle equipment that is in your department (color-coding system)

• Sanitation officer or COVID-19 health supervisor 

• Temperature checks for all personal throughout the day

• Boxed lunches

• Social distancing

• Quarantining the entire crew and gear before and after filming

• Quarantining foreign crew members and gear

Productions will get more expensive

Smaller crews, new positions being hired, and all the policies that are implemented we are most certainly going to see an increase in the cost of productions. That is the unfortunate reality of our current state. As cinematographers, we need to take that into account when the next job comes up. The status quo is no longer acceptable. How we work is going to be different. We need to be aware of and address these changing needs production has.

I can’t wait to see you all back on set soon.