With cameras slowly beginning to roll again, the Producers Guild of America shared some safety tips Monday for independent producers to keep their crews and casts safe during the coronavirus pandemic.
In “COVID Safety Protocols for Producing Independent Productions,” the guild’s Production Safety Task Force of industry professionals outlines steps to be taken before getting back to work, including how to navigate the guidelines and rules set by the major studios, unions and other guilds.
Production Safety Task Force Chair Lori McCreary, CEO of Revelations Entertainment, said the guidelines include tips on how to create a pandemic safety plan for individual productions, best processes for cast and crew management on set, processes for comprehensive testing, protocols for how to start and stop productions in the case of positive test results, and information on budgeting for new resources.
The guidelines will be updated as needed as health conditions and industry protocols change.
“The Production Safety Task Force has been a priority for us at the Guild and we’re grateful to Lori McCreary, the seasoned producers of the task force, and all of our many members who have contributed to this endeavor that will guide us into our next chapter,” Producers Guild of America Presidents Lucy Fisher and Gail Berman said in a statement.
“As fellow producers, we all feel the need to get back to work while still making sure that our cast and crew are safe and protected. We hope that our guidelines will help make this new reality possible for independent producers and provide an accessible resource for the broader creative community.”
The Producers Guild of America is a nonprofit trade organization that represents more than 8,000 members in film, television and new media. The guild is in the process of adding an online hub for its members to share best practices during the pandemic as another resource.
“There has never been a time where I’ve seen producers and the larger industry come together around an issue with such collaboration, endurance, purpose and, as we all need right now, hope,” said McCreary, a past president of PGA. “Our colleagues and fellow PGA members, whose talent for telling stories and making sense of the world has been paused during the pandemic but never extinguished, are eager to return to doing what they love. (We) are honored that we have the opportunity to help pave the way to work safely while continuing to produce great content.”
The guidelines can be found at www.producersguild.org/COVIDprotocols.