With the government allowing production companies in the UK to resume production, it raises the question, how can I implement video productions in the UK safely?
Here are our tips for safe Video Production during the Covid-19 Pandemic
Well at Beast we are currently working that out ourselves, making sure we take all precautions to ensure the safety of not only ourselves but our clients too.
So what can you do to make sure your filming environment is safe?
- Risk assessment
- Safety Equipment
- Social distancing on set
- Hygiene
- Safety in post-production
Risk Assessment
So let’s get into it. Firstly you would need to do a risk assessment, as you most likely know you have to do this anyway but it takes on a new meaning at the moment. You should be looking for a few things, first and foremost you should make sure your cast and crew have shown no symptoms of coronavirus in the two weeks prior to production, the symptoms of COVID-19 as listed by the government are, headaches, dry cough, sore throat and a loss of sense of smell. It’s worthwhile to check up a few times before production just to make sure of this, to add to this also make sure the cast and crew haven’t been in contact with anyone who has shown symptoms. You should also check if your location has enough space to accommodate social distancing, you should have enough space for cast and crew to keep a 2 metre distance from each other. Finally it’s worthwhile to check that your location will be sterile, obviously we recommend you bring your own cleaning equipment but it’s always worthwhile to check if the location cleanliness is being up kept.
How to keep equipment safe?
So what about equipment? Well obviously you need your normal filming equipment, but is there anything you can use to help with the safety of the production? Yes, if possible you can use ppe (personal protective equipment) obviously it may be hard to get your hands on some but If you can it’s great to have. We would also recommend that you make sure your cast and crew wears masks during production, in certain scenes while filming it might not make sense for your cast to wear masks, so that would be something for you to work out yourself on the day. You would also need hand sanitizer so your cast and crew can make sure their hands are clean. A substitute for this would be just to wash your hands with soap so that can certainly work just as well.
How do I keep social distancing on set?
What about social distancing? It is one of the best ways to help with the virus, but what can you do to ensure it’s kept up on set. Firstly if possible put markings on the floor that specify where to stand, for example you can use some coloured tape and make a box around a camera to show the space that your camera operator needs to stand in. this can be the same for other crew members. Also when it comes to setting up equipment that needs more than one person it gets tricky, in that case it’s really down to you and your crew to decide how you want to go forward. For other equipment it’s pretty simple, for example when it comes to mics we recommend to use a boom mic as this keeps the setup simple instead of lavaliere mics. However if you do need to use lavaliere mics, a way to get around it would be to have your cast put them on themselves, with a crew member telling them how to put one on.
How do I keep a film set hygienic?
Hygiene on set is imperative, like we previously mentioned having hand sanitizer stations set up on set is a great start for hygiene, also making sure that equipment is assigned to one person only, ensures that cross contamination is kept to a minimum, however should equipment need to switch hands, make sure that the equipment is cleaned with antibacterial wipes or spray. Furthermore make sure the equipment is deep cleaned at the end of a shoot day, so it’s ready for the next day. Finally encourage your cast and crew to clean their hands at every opportunity they get, whether that’s with soapy water or with hand sanitizers.
How do I stay safe during post-production
Staying safe during post-production is simple, to keep safe during post-production all you need to do is just work from home, if you need to discuss a few things or want to watch the finished product, then a video call would work, perhaps use zoom or Microsoft teams, this obviously stops face to face contact.
So that’s pretty much it, that’s how you film a video production safely during the coronavirus outbreak, obviously we would recommend that you take a look at the rules In your area as some things we may have mentioned may not be the same in your respective location. Is there any precautions you would take? Let us know. From everyone at Beast we hope you stay safe and well.