Lockdown 3.0 across England means we continue to work remotely in accordance with government guidance, but once again Oliver Dowden MP, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has confirmed that film and TV production is permitted.
Updated: 4th January 2021
NEW YEAR, SAME RULES; FILMING CAN CONTINUE
So long as productions are safely working within Covid safety guidance, which we adopted earlier in May 2020, then filming on location is permitted. Our office remains open with appropriate safety measures in place, but from Tuesday 5th January we will return to working from home, where possible.
We appreciate this is a challenging time for our clients but over the last few months we have been fortunate enough to capture some great content on location with risk assessments to protect our crew and clients. We also continue to offer our remote filming services and animation continues to be unaffected by working restrictions.
Published: 26th May 2020
The creative industry has published guidelines on how filming can safely begin again and we want to explain how we’ve incorporated those measures into our production methods to ensure the safety of our team and clients in the ‘new normal’.
PRE-PRODUCTION
Working remotely isn’t a new concept for us, we’ve been doing it for the last 10 years. But for the time being all our client meetings are being facilitated by video conferencing, or occasionally just a good old fashioned phone call. As with any planning process, alongside the working out how, where and when we’ll film with who, we’re also now risk assessing how we can facilitate the required brief.
We’re sanitising all our film equipment before, and after any filming has taken place and we’ve also invested in additional ‘high-tech’ equipment. Who are we kidding? We’ve bought a boom pole, which allows us to record sound from a safe distance, without attaching lapel microphones to contributors.
PRODUCTION
When it comes to filming we can scale the size of crew according to requirements, it’s what we’ve been doing for the last 10 years to meet clients’ briefs, and budgets.
We’re used to adapting the size of our crew to suit different budgets, but the ‘new normal’ means we’re looking at this to a greater extent. We’re considering how we can reduce crew size further and reduce the number of bodies on location, which also goes for our clients and their teams; whilst making sure we don’t compromise on quality and production values.
Where possible we’re filming outdoors, which is perfect for the summer months, but if it’s essential we film indoors then we’re sourcing larger spaces on location. Or if required, we can use studio space where social distancing can easily be maintained, with appropriate plans in place to access shared spaces.
The use of zoom lenses, and even some of our prime lenses, means we can still ensure we get the desired shot, whilst maintaining social distancing guidelines.
Social distancing on location
Whilst we would normally operate cameras in person, if required we can operate our cameras remotely. In these circumstances we can set up the lights, camera and sound in advance and control the cameras from a nearby room.
Every production will be assessed in accordance with current government guidelines as to what level of PPE is recommended and we will ensure that appropriate equipment is supplied to all crew on location.
POST-PRODUCTION
Virtual wrap-party
After every great shoot comes the edit. We’ve introduced social distancing in our main studio, should it be essential that we work together, with an increased cleaning rota and daily cleaning of any shared equipment between use. That said, at present and where possible we’re working remotely from home, using existing collaborative tools we’ve used for many years to ensure we deliver on time and on budget.
Once our project is delivered to our clients, we always like to suggest a wrap party. What does that look like in the ‘new normal’? Well, let’s not let the fact pubs are closed at the moment get in the way of a ‘Virtual Wrap Party’.
WHAT WE DO
- Over the last two months clients’ requests for animation have increased, including a brief from South East Local Enterprise Partnership Limited to create an eLearning animation in just seven days. If you’d like to find out how we helped them you can LEARN MORE
- We’ve also altered our services to offer clients remote filming via webcams, which has proved extremely popular with the pharmaceutical sector, as global event organisers have quickly switched from face-to-face gatherings to virtual events. We’ve filmed with contributors in the US, Italy, Spain and the UK to edit and deliver a range of video solutions. To accompany on-going projects we’ve produced our own guide on how to look your best on camera. If you’d like to request a free copy simply email [email protected]
- In March we released our free top tips for film-making. Many private and public sector organisations are now making use of the tips, with further requests for us to deliver virtual training to teams via video conferencing software to help them to create their own video content.
