Voices from the Cove: Alana "Lani" Trejo
To Lani Trejo, late February and early March 2020 felt like a bit of a blur. “I remember thinking: Is the world ending?” Back then she was working as a Managing Producer at a small film studio in Southern California, but soon after the extent of the pandemic started making news, work for producers and filmmakers started drying up, and Lani decided to pivot.
She moved to the Bay Area to be closer to family and launched a freelance production career and in her search for work, she happened upon a new role created in the void of the pandemic — COVID Compliance Officer (C19CO) — and got certified.
Fast forward 17 months and nearly every set has a C19CO — a person who helps keep sets as safe as possible. Lani is that person on many sets managed by Kraken Cove Productions.
We sat down with Lani— a valued member of our cove — for a small Q&A:
What do you enjoy about being a COVID Compliance Officer?
I like that it uses a lot of my skills. In addition to being in the production world for a long time, I also have a background working in healthcare. I’m more than happy to help people and answer questions on how to make sets as safe as possible.
When the pandemic started, what were your first thoughts as they related to life on set?
In the early days, it was pretty scary for our industry, primarily because sets can be challenging places to keep sanitized. Back then, there wasn’t widespread testing available and we didn’t know the extent of the disease. It was frightening and the ambiguity and safety-scare aspects forced many sets to shut down, albeit temporarily.
As a COVID Compliance Officer, what are some rules/regulations you’re most passionate about?
It’s interesting because rules and regs are different county by county and state by state. The most consistent thing about COVID safety is that it’s inconsistent. I’d say the most consistent thing is to wear a mask, always, and I don’t see that changing, but it’s been interesting to see how we’ve had to maneuver while staying safe.
Any fun stories of how you helped to make things work?
Oh, yes. The first job I did with Kraken Cove involved building a shower on stage; it was for a line of bath products. They had a woman showering in a flesh-tone bikini all day. I mean, talk about COVID complications! She obviously couldn’t have a mask on while showering, so we got creative and worked out a system of hand signals for various actions to keep everyone safe. We operated the camera remotely. That was very early in the pandemic and now we knew we would be OK, but back then we didn’t want anyone in the room with her.
What on-set protocols do you think will stay long after the pandemic is over?
I don’t think we are going to get big buffets and family-style charcuterie plates back anytime soon. It’s going to be individually wrapped meals for a long time. At Kraken Cove, we do our best to minimize the impact of that packaging and have an amazing caterer — Anna’s Catering in the Bay Area — where she packages everything in compostable containers. Danielle is also great about asking everyone to bring their own water bottles.
How do you think COVID is changing film sets, fundamentally?
It’s a little tough to say as we are still in the pandemic, but I think we are all going to be way more cautious moving forward. When California’s restrictions were lifted in June 2021, I didn’t think I’d work again as a C19CO and I was OK with that. While I still do a lot of producing, I look forward to the day when I’m not needed as a compliance officer because that will mean that we are out of this thing.