Three Things I've Learned During COVID

It was late March 2020 when I found myself sitting on my couch with my laptop opened to Zoom, an iPad on my right side, my cell phone in my left hand, and two sets of earbuds going at the same time. This was next level multi-tasking. I was talking to the DP on my cell phone, watching a remote live stream of the shoot on my iPad, managing the schedule and shot list from my laptop, and chatting with the client via Zoom. I was working on a commercial shoot, with nearly every person involved operating remotely because of the shelter-in-place order in California. 

The lead-up to this moment was a whirlwind. One huge adjustment was that our Art Director needed to send every prop to our DP’s home. Then, the DP (who had wrangled his children to be the talent on the shoot) assembled and set-designed each scene himself.. This involved crafting a colorful tent tea party and directing his children to act like pros, on top of all his other lighting and shooting responsibilities. 

You cannot make this stuff up.

This was the life for many of us in the film industry in the early days of COVID. When restrictions eased and we were allowed to come back on set, I remember renting the entirety of Ciel II, an enormous creative space in Berkeley. While normally we would have only required a small space for the shoot, I rented the whole building. That much space allowed us to properly socially distance both while working and on meal breaks.

Fast forward 18 months and production has adapted to life during this pandemic. Those in the industry are learning how to be nimble as guidelines are constantly reviewed and updated. The creation of the COVID Compliance Officer (of which I am certified, as are other collaborators of Kraken Cove Productions) has helped with this.

I’ve learned a lot in this strange and scary time – here are three of my takeaways:

Good set hygiene is here to stay. I’m not the only person in the business who’d admit that before COVID, on-set cleanliness wasn’t a top priority. Film sets involve the organized chaos of many people doing many jobs at the same time, and the fast-moving nature of sets doesn’t always lend itself to squeaky clean conditions. 

All of that has changed since Spring 2020 and some of those changes will stay, which is for the better. Even after official mandates fall away, I see individually-packaged meals and crafty (with wrapped food) sticking around. I also think hand sanitizer stations will stay on set long after the pandemic has turned into a memory. 

Keep things light. The world, especially now, is hard enough and shoots before the pandemic were already intense places to work. It is important to try and keep things in perspective, and I aim to have a friendly, upbeat, and positive attitude on set and expect the same from my collaborators. It helps to infuse laughter into our days and to remember to keep things light and fun while busting our butts!

Always check on your people. The rules and regulations related to COVID are constantly changing, which can cause various levels of anxiety and stress among crewmembers. It is good to ask if people are doing OK and to offer breaks even if they don’t explicitly request them. Asking, for example, when was the last time someone took a drink of water, is a kind thing to do and your crew will appreciate you for it.