Covid-19 requires risk mitigation.
The vast majority of video and film shoots have now stopped due to Covid-19. Hollywood has stopped filming, the BBC have stopped EastEnders.
The TV diet for most of us, now that we have finished Netflix, will be reruns.
But the need to be safe at work is nothing new.
It’s always the first consideration on any video production, and a sound risk assessment process identifies and mitigates risks on every project.
COVID brings in new concerns, but doesn’t change this basic paradigm.
So what do safe working practices for COVID-19 mean in reality?
Sometimes almost no change is needed.
With a video property tour minimal contact with outside parties is already the norm, and these are often shot with a single person crew. It’s almost the same for drone work, and of course animations are unaffected.
But working with people, doing interviews or telling a story, is not the same as shooting an empty property!
We now embrace screening for COVID symptoms prior to a shoot, we use appropriate PPE, we use different techniques for audio and photography to ensure social distancing, and we are more selective about location.
With our heritage of agile and small crews, we are equipped to adapt and produce less of a footprint on location, and thus less risk.
So when we tell a story or conduct an interview, right from the start the way we do that has always embraced safe working.
The need to be safe doesn’t stop us from working, it informs how we work.
The biggest challenge now is not the shoot, it’s in post production.
How do we maintain social distancing, whilst working closely together to be efficient and agile?
With every projects needs being different, we are building more flexibility into our systems.
In addition to redesigning the layout and function of our studio to ensure social distancing and hygiene, every member of our team can now work from home.
We are embracing more digital channels for team communications, and making this a regular part of our day.
We are becoming even more agile, further optimising post production to match the needs of the project.
And whilst this can’t replace all of the advantages of working together as a team in the studio, there are actually advantages and opportunities with this refined approach.
We are more flexible. Team members won’t waste time commuting. We will bring about technical improvements in the studio which will improve our colour grading and audio environment.
As we go forward we will adapt and embrace change to make best use of the “New Normal”, and in the end this will make us more agile and bring new techniques and possibilities into our work.
If you would like to discuss how we can produce great content for you right now, then please get in touch!
