Written on 1^st September 2020

The return to the small screen

While COVID-19 still wreaks havoc on numerous industries, not least of all travel, filming and production companies are getting back in business, making us the entertainment we need to get through yet another night at home in front of the TV.  

Our Film & Media Manager UK, Deanna Williams, takes us through her first post-lockdown production job, giving the lowdown on how companies are mitigating risk and working round the clock to produce new shows.  

“So our first production has started filming again, four months since the UK went into lockdown...  

We started working on the project in the late stages of 2019. I met the production team on a recce trip in Manchester and we viewed various properties for cast and crew to stay in once filming would start. It was initially scheduled for May 2020, with filming taking place in Marrakesh at the start of the year, followed by a stint in the Peak District. COVID-19 hit and then we had to get everyone back for lockdown, which was no mean feat. 

Since early May the production crew were looking to kickstart filming as soon as it was safe to do so. The shoot location is in the Peak District and initially we were looking at having a crew of around 70 people staying in the city centre of Manchester. It then became apparent that these numbers had significantly increased to nearer 200 people and we had to be closer to set. 

All the previous research work went out of the window. My days were taken over with trying to get hold of people at hotels (that were still shut thanks to government restrictions) and doing virtual viewings. I found myself driving the length and breadth of the Peak District to try and find hotels that would actually speak to me. For those of you that know it… most are small family run hotels, so I decided that in the circumstances the back of beyond of Cheshire was the best location.  After various meetings, phone calls and emails we got a result and took exclusive use of a 150 bedroom hotel and part exclusive use of another with cast and crew split separately for a month. 

Before filming started up again the cast had to isolate for 7 days. Making sure they were comfortable, and following guidelines that would prepare them to still be in the best physical and mental shape to perform was tough, but the hotels really stepped up. This is the new normal for all productions now, adding another layer of management to travel arrangements. 

During these 7 days, conference rooms became like laboratories with a whole COVID team and a nurse in place doing regular tests on everyone throughout filming. This is the way productions can keep going – regular testing of all cast and crew, as well as enhanced cleaning and safety measures – and not have to conform to social distancing (which would make for some very strange TV!) 

As a supplier to the cast and crew, I always undergo private COVID tests before meeting the production teams and wear a mask at all times. No-one can afford for the production to be shut down, so the levels of caution taken are amongst the most stringent I’ve ever seen.   

Whilst we were getting everything in place daily calls with both hotels and the production team were scheduled to go through every possible scenario and request. Here’s some of the various things we implemented:  

• The hotels must nominate six staff who give permission to have regular tests and be the main support for the cast and crew during their stay 
• Fogging (cleaning like that done on airlines) is done on a daily basis in all areas of the hotel  
• Supplying all cast and crew with their own laundry bags during the isolation week. These were left outside the door of the room and returned within 48 hours, all contact free 
• Fresh linen and bedding on hand, should it be requested, as there was no housekeeping access allowed in the first 7 days 
• Additional dressing gowns for guests during the isolation period  

Once we got all of the production needs sorted and everything in place, it was then a case of drawing up the contracts and paying for everything. 

All done and I’m happy (and very proud) to say filming has commenced and everybody is now settled in their respective hotels for the coming weeks. The whole production team have been brilliant, the hotels have been so supportive, and we have worked together amazingly well to overcome an incredibly challenging, completely new situation.

I’m still in touch daily to manage the rooming lists and make sure everything is running smoothly between production and the hotel, which so far it is! All of that is a piece of cake compared to everything else we had to go through to get to this stage though! 

I can honestly say in my 30 years of doing this job, this has been one of the most challenging yet interesting and rewarding productions I have worked on….and there has been LOTS!!!”