IPA Production Consultant Kim Knowlton is in daily contact with production staff across the industry and professional organisations such as the APA. She is not only able to provide sage production advice to our members, she now also has a unique insight into how everyone is coping and adapting.
As outlined in part 1 of my coronavirus production update, I am currently working closely with the APA (UK production companies) to provide comprehensive guidelines for the industry on Live-Action shooting, which will be published in the next few weeks.
Once the guidelines have been published I would advise you to share these with your clients, and discuss the impact they will have on all Live Action productions.
I will be hosting a webinar on the May 18 at 3pm to run through the guidelines and answer all of your questions.
From my recent conversations with agencies, production departments are extremely busy. They are re-purposing existing material and seeking fast production solutions to meet their clients changed requirements. (The IPA Legal & Public Affairs team have produced a short legal alert about this for agencies.) Production teams are now actively involved from the very outset on creative strategies, offering their extensive expertise and knowledge in helping creative teams hone their ideas so they can be made under current restrictions.
Last week I heard of more shoots than the previous week, although this is from a very low base. Self-filming productions, remotely managed are the most popular production solution at the present time.
These productions have had to be very cautious in respect of safety and exposure to risk, with clean camera equipment and props being sent to people’s homes so they can film themselves.
Casting is being done remotely, with talent sending in auditions and locations (their kitchen, lounge etc.) Where more than one person is required for the shoot, the family of the chosen main actor/actress are being used. Directors, agency and clients are remotely present and able to see the performances and comment.
CGI and Animation productions have seen an increase, but these productions often require more production time than an average live-action shoot, so are not immediate solutions.
Currently, filming on the street is not advised and agencies should of course comply with government restrictions.
Please be aware that no London boroughs are currently issuing permits, and the Met Police will disband any crews "whilst lockdown is in place, as currently no commercial filming in London can be justified".
Some countries/local service companies are rumoured to be open for filming again.
Please be aware that there are restrictions in place in most of these countries, and you will probably find they are similar to those in the UK.
It is not practical to travel, and although remote shooting is available, the number of productions for which that is of use is limited. Agencies are now writing scripts that work within the parameters of social distancing and current restrictions. These are being discussed with production partners who are starting to put in place rolling schedules for productions beyond the self-shot material, that can go into production as soon as Government lockdown ends and Government advice allows for a return to Live-Action filming.
Please do get in touch with me for any production assistance, or if you would just like to chat through possible filming solutions. I’m more than happy to help and it’s what I’m here for.
Please contact me (kim@ipa.co.uk) to see how I can help you.