Producers Guild of India suggests stringent rules for film production

Exhaustive SOPs provided for every department from casting and costumes to editing and voice overs.

The Producers Guild of India has come up with a ‘Back to Action report’ recommending standard operating procedures (SOPs) to be instituted whenever the permission to resume production activities is granted by the government. 

The exhaustive report touches upon and offers guidelines for almost every department and professional at film and TV shoots — from pre-production work like casting, location hunting, tech scouting and costume fitting to on-set departments like wardrobe, hair and make-up, art, sound and camera, and even catering and post production work including editing, sound and voice overs etc.

Initial 3 months

The document begins by underlining that the COVID-19 pandemic has made it a necessity to create a new working protocol. The new practices include temperature checks, sanitisation, social distancing, work-from-home where possible, downloading of the Arogya Setu app on phones, limiting the number of cast and crew, avoiding outdoor shoots, and the presence of a medical team — in two different shifts — on sets for the initial three months when shoots begin.

It notes that each filming is different, hence specific risk-based measures need to be established before work begins, and that even after the decrease or termination of government’s preventive measures, the risk of contagion will persist in the first weeks and months, if not longer.

What makes film shoots more vulnerable is that it’s very common for different professionals and crew members to be participating in multiple projects simultaneously. One positive case can then endanger several lives and projects.

The assessment of risks and the adoption of measures related to contagion must be part of the complex risk analysis in accordance with the existing directives of the government, the report states. Follow the risk assessment methods, then determine the technical and organisational measures for contagion prevention and use the services of qualified professionals, it adds.

General practices

Among the general practices outlined are mandatory hand-washing for everyone on entry, exit and during the shoot. Each crew member to be provided with a triple layer medical mask and gloves, which will be mandatory to wear during the entire shoot. The masks must not be left unattended and would need to be disposed off in the bins provided on location. Only designated people should be allowed to open doors, if any. 

Minimum two meters distance between colleagues should be maintained, and people have been advised to avoid handshakes, hugs and kisses, and other physical greetings and sharing of cigarettes. Every crew and cast member should undergo temperature measurement with a contactless thermometer before entering the set, the advisory states.

A fitness or declaration form should be signed and submitted by all talent and crew, informing the production team about their health status and exposure to COVID-19 at the time of booking/ signing-up for a project, and again on arrival at the set. A record of every person should be maintained through out the shooting schedule every day, it advises.

Proper training on precautions to be taken during the shoot would need to be given to all involved. “Carry out a drill every day with entire staff regarding precautions so that it becomes a habit,” the statement advises. Crew, artists and participants should be called at least 45 minutes prior to the shoot to ensure thorough implementation of safety precautions, it says.

It has also been advised to display posters to develop consciousness about preventive steps and promoting hygiene, along with emergency helpline numbers displayed at easily noticeable places.

Hired staff

All in-house office housekeeping staff hired directly or through third party vendors should have mandatory COVID-19 sanitising, the statement recommends. The complete studio should be sanitised daily before the shoot, with sanitisation to be undertaken by a government authorised agency. Rest rooms should be kept clean and sanitised at all times, and portable washbasins be strategically placed at all operational clusters for easy access to soap and water.

The PGI document advises the setting up of an isolation zone or holding area, away from the main filming area. Two junior-level doctors and a certified nurse must be present on set for an initial three months in two different shifts, the statement suggests. Anyone exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms must not be permitted on set. Anyone developing symptoms while at work should immediately be isolated in the designated isolation room on set, and have the set medical team monitor them for symptoms and inform the necessary authorities. Ambulance should be on stand-by at all the times, it says.

Work-from-home

The guild has encouraged a work-from-home strategy where possible. “Anyone who can work remotely must be allowed to do so, on rotational basis. People over the age of 60, or with co-morbidities and health issues, will have to work from home,” it states. The advisory says that crew above the age of 60 years should not be considered at least for three months after shoots begin, and cast of those above the age of 60 years should be judicially employed.

The guild thanked Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray for considering requests from the Film and TV industry to resume work safely.