[ad_1]
Nine and a half months after all Hollywood production ceased at the start of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States, filming in Los Angeles is once again at a standstill.
Film and television production was exempted from coronavirus restrictions and continued after the current stay-at-home order was instituted in early December. But, amid an unprecedented spike in coronavirus infections and Covid-19 deaths in Los Angeles County, the vast majority of TV studios and streamers have postponed January production of one or more weeks.
Learn more about Deadline
Like its mainstream media counterparts, Netflix has also hit the pause button on its Los Angeles-based productions, which were due to begin filming this week, at least until mid-January. This includes the sitcom Family meeting, which recorded its second season without a live audience at Paramount Studios – Gower, as well as several unscripted shows and additional stills for Netflix films.
As Netflix’s decision emerges today, the streamer has been working on the decision for the past two weeks. Last month, Netflix pushed the start of production of The gray man, starring Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans, his biggest budget tentpole film to date, from mid-January to at least late January due to the growing number of Covid cases. Ava DuVernay Limited Edition Colin in black and white, which shouldn’t start filming until mid-January, remains on track for now, as well as the next limited series True story, starring Kevin Hart and Wesley Snipes, also currently keeping his production start date later this month.
CBS Studios, Warner Bros. TV, Universal TV, Sony Pictures TV, Lionsgate TV and ABC Signature and 20th Television from Disney TV Studios are other studios that have extended production hiatuses for their LA series or delayed the start of the production in January. Do this, the producers had considered the logistics involved, including the availability of talent and whether the cast and crew would be paid for the extra days of inactivity.
Production stops are expensive and a delay of a few weeks would disrupt the delivery dates of the series and their continued broadcast.
The studios are responding to a call from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health which last week urged the film and television industry to consider halting production for a few weeks amid the continued surge in coronavirus cases in the whole county. Additionally, SAG-AFTRA and the Producers Guild recommended yesterday that commercial production on the shelf be temporarily halted in Southern California due to the push, with immediate effect.
“Hospitals in Southern California are facing a crisis like we have never seen before,” said SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris. “Patients are dying in ambulances awaiting treatment because hospital emergency rooms are overwhelmed. It is not a safe environment for in-person production at this time. “
The suspension of in-person production has also extended to talk shows. CBS ‘based in Los Angeles The late show and Jimmy Kimmel Live! returned to remote filming from today The Ellen DeGeneres Show has extended its hiatus for a week.
Over the weekend, LA County surpassed 800,000 total coronavirus cases – almost half of the cases reported last month. The community transmission rate is so high that 21% of all Covid tests are positive.
According to the LA County Department of Health, the current 7-day average of daily cases is around 15,000, which makes for grim projections – the number of hospitalized Covid patients will likely drop from around 7,600 now to 9,000 per day in two weeks. and we could see weekly death tolls of 1000 or more. With With county intensive care capacity at 0%, the regional stay-at-home order for Southern California was extended last week to Jan.16.
With strict Covid safety protocols and rigorous testing, TV series have managed to produce new episodes during the pandemic. But, with the massive new wave of infections sweeping the United States with California emerging as the epicenter, the number of Covid outbreaks on active productions was on the rise before all shows went on vacation in mid -December. Family meeting was among the series that recorded positive Covid tests a month ago, but remained in production.
Best of Deadline
Sign up for the Deadline newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
[ad_2]
Source link