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The COVID-19 numbers in Los Angeles County are dire and hospital beds remain at worrying capacity, causing Hollywood to delay resuming production of most Los Angeles-based television shows. At this point, most of the major studios – including CBS TV Studios, Warner Bros. TV, Universal TV, and as of Monday, Netflix – are planning to return in mid-January.
But while the rates of positive cases in the county are gloomier than ever, close to or above 10,000 new COVID-19 cases per day, the current tenor of the conversation around the city appears to be less focused on a similar blackout. to that of spring 2020, and more focused on the prudent assessment of the day-to-day situation.
“The cupboards are empty and there is too much money at stake,” said a television producer who wished to remain anonymous. “We kind of convinced ourselves that we can do it safely. Are we doing it safely? We are made to believe that we are. So I think everyone will continue to take calculated risks.
He, like many others in the industry, noted that stringent safety measures have been implemented on the set, regardless of the impact on budgets. Protocols that have emerged over the past 10 months include routine actor and team testing, COVID compliance officers, constant masks on set, areas assigned to regulate contact, between other.
The fact that the past year has afforded the entertainment industry time to test and refine safety regulations has offered some measure of comfort and confidence, although this by no means eliminates the risk of contract the coronavirus on the set. “Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet”, “Mr. Mayor, “Lucifer” and “Young Sheldon” are among television series that have recorded positive cases of COVID-19 in double digits, such as Variety has already reported.
“That doesn’t mean we should always shoot, but at least there is that,” the producer added.
On the agency side, the blocking of production this time around does not raise the same kind of concern caused by the initial shutdown of several months at the start of the pandemic.
According to multiple talents and enlightened representatives who spoke with Variety, the current situation looks like a failure on the radar. The one week extension of the hiatus for some shows should not materially affect the workflow of those productions, they said, and everyone expects the cast and crew to receive their normal pay. . From their perspective, the studios’ decision is more of an effort to allay audience concerns while continuing production, given that the studios have invested millions in COVID protections over the past year.
The only way they see things change is if guilds and unions intervene in a meaningful way; if the workers’ groups officially call for a complete stop of physical production, the studios will have no choice but to comply. From an agency perspective, there seems to be virtually no scenario where they would shut down completely and risk losing jobs and income again.
On Sunday, SAG-AFTRA, the Producers Guild of America and the Joint Policy Committee jointly issued a statement recommending a temporary suspension of production, with SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris noting that “patients are dying in ambulances in waiting for treatment because hospital emergencies are overwhelmed. It is not a safe environment for in-person production at this time. “
SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director David White said Variety Monday that so far, the COVID measures implemented on the plateau are working but the union continues to closely monitor developments.
“We are constantly monitoring the situation and to date our security protocols are effective,” White said. “However, assessing the environment in which production takes place, including data points such as hospital capacity and increases in the local infection rate, is also essential. As everyone knows, right now we are all very concerned about these environmental factors.
Netflix is the latest studio to push back its return-to-work date for less than a dozen shows filmed in Southern California to mid-January. (The filming of “Dear White People,” a show produced by Lionsgate for Netflix, was also suspended for an additional eight days.) CBS Studios was the first to make the decision on December 29 to suspend production beyond that. usual vacation. hiatus, which would have ended on January 4. Other large studios quickly followed.
While industry insiders say minor adjustments to schedules or production dates can be made, they largely don’t expect the multi-month shutdown that brought the city to a halt in the spring and summer. summer 2020. those who are employed is precarious.
“We want the industry to thrive,” White said. “We want members to be able to put food on the table for their families.”
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