How Hollywood Is Working To Protect Cast, Crews In TV, Movie Productions Amid COVID-19

Although fans are eager to see their favorite stars to return to movies and television shows, Hollywood’s unions and guilds have yet to reach an agreement with Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers to ensure that the cast and crews are protected when they return to work amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Friday, Deadline shared a video of Rebecca Rhine, the national executive director of the Cinematographers Guild, IATSE Local 600, who revealed they are still working out some details regarding their expectations from studios.

“Getting back to work safely is the subject again this week of negotiations between the unions and guilds and the AMPTP to cover all of our work. The issues we’re focused on are the issues we’ve talked about: testing, safety officers, paid sick leave, PPE, etc., and that will be part of the final document, as it was part of the three documents already produced,” she said.

“Meanwhile this week, members are getting back to work and employers are, in large measure, adopting the protocols that exist in those three documents, and will ultimately exist in the final document.”

This update comes after Paul Franklin, the senior visual effects supervisor for DNEG, told USA Today earlier this month that directors will have to limit their ideas to protect everyone on set as part of the new normal.

“It’s a real challenge. I don’t think anybody has a magic bullet yet," he said.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, when Hollywood does restart filming for television and movies, many experts expect the sets and scripts to undergo drastic changes.

"Filmmakers will have to make choices carefully about exactly what they want onscreen," Franklin added. "They don’t have the freedom like before COVID-19.”