Deadline: As California and New York are starting to explore ways to reopen when the worst of the coronavirus is over, Hollywood’s unions and management’s AMPTP are working on safety protocols to get film and television production re-started. “We’re working aggressively with industry safety experts and coordinating with other guilds and unions on this issue right now,” David White, SAG-AFTRA’s national executive director, told Deadline.
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I think it will be really interesting to see when things that opening back up again and what will open up first. I assume the film and TV industries will open up again before the theatre industry because they are able to do their work with fewer people in the room as they don’t require a live audience. I think it was interesting to hear David White’s perspective on the situation and what Hollywood is doing to prepare for opening back up again. But I feel like people will read this article looking for answers about when things will start running again, but n body knows that. So really all this article was telling us that Hollywood also does not know when they will start again. I feel so mixed about reading articles like this because, on one hand, it is nice to read hopeful articles but on the other, it is terrifying all of the unknows laid out in these kinds of articles.
Though this article was interesting to read, it was not very informative or definitive in the least. Hollywood wants to get productions for film and television up and running as soon as possible in order to limit the backlog, postponements, and cancellations. However, no one really knows when this pandemic will end, or how the world will start back up again. Honestly, I think the only way we all can move forward is with a vaccine. If the film industry wishes to open soon, they must do so slowly and with a well communicated plan to limit the risk of another outbreak amongst their workers. It is true that the theater industry does not have this sort of luxury, as theater is meant for a live audience. Also, many theaters are non for profits and therefore do not have enough money to produce a show without a live audience to fill the seats and pay money. Film production companies are for profit and thus have much more leeway than the theater industry does.
This article reflects how hard of a hit the TV and film industry took because of the pandemic. Everything is shut down, productions and filming. Even the committee that regulates health and safety for the industry has shut down. I think things are going to be very different after the pandemic dies down. I’m curious to see what measure does the industry think they need in order to keep everyone on a production safe while working. Before that I wonder when will productions start up again and what things reopen first. I think that’s the biggest question that every is asking. I can’t help but compare the TV and film industry to the theater industry though. I think production companies for TV and film make enough money that they can afford to halt production. They don’t require live audiences to go watch their movies. Yes ticket sales contribute significantly to their profit but they can find other ways to showing their work, probably online. But theather is much more limited.
I’m really glad that in a time of such unclarity and confusion (especially for the entertainment industry), that Hollywood is exploring their options. Yes, it is still too soon to reopen, but having a plan for whatever happens is always better earlier than later—and, it gives people hope. I think it’s interesting that despite there being so many crew members on a set, it comes down to the actors, because the nature of what they do on camera prevents them from wearing protective equipment against the virus. I do wonder, if the approach will be having less crew members on a production team for the time being. However, if this becomes the case, and they are able to get by with less people, I wonder if that will permanently affect numbers and employment going forward (I would really hope not). As for the entertainment industry, I think Hollywood will get back on its feet before theater does, because with massive audiences every night, and entire casts around each other in dressing rooms daily, it proves much more difficult to prevent the virus.
It's encouraging that these conversations are happening. I'll be curious to see what they come up with in the new safefty guidelines. If they come out soon, it could provide a pretty good framework and idea to the rest of us of what kind of timeline we might be looking at before things get back to normal. If they are very conservative and very cautious, it may be quite a while before we even get to the point where they can be implemented. On the other hand, if the guidelines they put out are optimistic, it could mean a much faster return to normalcy, but could also spell out a lot of problems and a more patchwork situation as some lower level regulations by employers might be stricter than the general regulations. Not to mention the health risks. I imagine it will be a little after film gets going again before live theatre can happen due to the crowds, but even so, it might be helpful.
Getting back to work safely is an interesting challenge for everyone. Masks seem to be the future for everything, but I wonder if non-essential industries like the entertainment industry would be able to get their hands on masks because they are in such short supply. Gloves and masks are of high value now, but it’s known that they are cutting down on sickness. The emergency department, potentially contagious people are greeted by hospital workers with respirators and full body coverings. First responders are wearing gowns, N-95s, and goggles with those same patients, so they are offered less protection. At this point we have all transported at least a Person Under Investigation (PUI) and so far I haven’t known of any personnel in my 16 ambulance unit to get sick. There have been some members of the fire department that have gotten sick, so we are all being careful. It seems like masks should cut down transmission rate for employees, but goggles might also be in order because there is some thought that a significant portion of transmissions are through tear ducts.
This article may seem a little disheartening at first, but when reading it it gave me some hope for the future. I’m glad the entertainment industry is taking into consideration the changes they will have to make in this new environment. What this article brought up that I had not previously thought about was how this pandemic will affect actors. For the crew members, it is easy to wear masks and gloves because we aren’t seen on screen or stage, but actors are. A mask covers their mouth, making them more difficult to understand. It’s going to be a real challenge for this industry to attract audience members and perform to the best of their abilities, but at least these thoughts are being taken into account for their solutions. I dread the effect it will have on their jobs, but I do have hope for how they fix the issue they have been challenged with.
This article makes a lot of sense to me. I imagine literally every human on earth is making plans for what they hope to do to try and restore their involvements and situations back to normal. I do not think that an unpopular thought is wondering what the landscape of this (and every other) field will look like once we begin the steps of re-emerging. I do not know, however, if this article contained enough information to write an entire article with a headline and everything. It may be important to know that these considerations are occurring but I feel like that can be inferred. What would be very interesting to know is what steps they are considering to take. I do not think that these people would have enough information to make that decision either though. There is a lot of uncertainty still to come, with a viable solution being a little bit away.
I'm glad that people are making plans to get back to work, but it makes me a bit nervous.I understand that we're probably at the point in the quarantine that it's time to start making post-social distancing plans. As much as I want things to go back to normal, I don't want to ruin the progress that's been made in keeping people safe. I just hope that the television industry is not trying to prematurely go back into production for profit , because it may put people in danger. But, more positively, it would be really great to see people be able to go back to work and create new content. If it's possible to do this safely, I would love it. It would just be a breath of fresh air to receive some good news during this quarantine because all the news seems to just be terrible. But, in the end, I think we should try to take this shift back into normal life a bit slow. It's exhausting and really tough for everyone, but remembering that what we're doing right now is keeping everyone healthy and will help us in the long run is really important.
This doesn’t surprise me - I know many industries are eager to get back to work and start recouping their losses from the last month. I just hope that the ‘safety protocols’ are actually effective, and that people don’t end up dying for the sake of others’ entertainment because we were too eager to start again too early. I think Hollywood and the film industry has a slightly better chance of making this work than theater, due to the comparatively smaller number of people in a room together; not necessarily the actors and crew, but the lack of audience. While people may be allowed to come back to work, it’s likely that large gatherings will still be banned, so theaters that reopen are going to have a hard time operating as normal without ticket sales as a source of income. I think this move towards reopening is understandable, and I can also see it going badly if not done correctly.
Although this article really did not give any definite answers, it is extraordinarily encouraging to hear that Hollywood (and, hopefully, the rest of the entertainment industry) is thinking about how and when to eventually open back up again. Obviously, that time is not now and I hope that they will take the necessary time before returning to any type of normally scheduled work, but that people are working to set the groundwork for a safe return to work for those in the entertainment industry makes me very hopeful. I think it will be interesting for those working on-screen because crew members could take necessary precautions by wearing gloves, masks, goggles, etc. but performers (who sometimes are required to make contact with each other) may not be able to take those precautions due to aesthetics.
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