by Lincoln Lageson

t was the beginning of March. I was one week away from traveling to Europe to start prepping a romantic comedy, Movie of the Week, for the Hallmark Channel. The first part of the project was scheduled to be filmed in a small village in Bulgaria, with the remainder to be shot in Paris. Not bad places to set up shop and do what you do for a living while experiencing some beautiful places. With the Network targeting a full slate of projects, all signs pointed to very good year for film production.

In the blink of an eye, everything changed for all of us. At first, the collective thought that we could still make the movie. There were no travel restrictions, but there was a great deal of uncertainty as to what we could execute in a safe manner. Anticipating the need for some changes, we created a plan B, then a plan C, then a plan D, when reality hit; all production was shut down. Like so many, our focus shifted dramatically to a “new normal” for living our lives safely.

March, April and May passed as our nation and the world tried to learn how to move forward. Eventually the phone rang, and I was asked to produce what would be one of the first Network projects scheduled back into production during these unprecedented times. I was more than ready to go back to work, but a few of my colleagues advised me to pass on the job as they felt it would be a no-win situation.

By nature, it has always been difficult for me to walk away from a challenge. Although I did have a couple of projects around the house that needed my attention, I wanted and needed to go back to work. I quickly realized that for the industry to move forward and provide a safe working environment for our employees, we would have to do so in an educated, prepared and thoughtful manner. It seemed to me that during the previous months we had been provided half-truths, untruths, speculation, rumor, personal agendas and everything in between related to the virus and how to remain safe and healthy. My goal was to learn as much as I could about the virus based on information generated by the medical and scientific communities rather than by mainstream and social media. Working with entertainment industry leaders to gather information, we put together protocols that would allow a safe return to work and create a level of confidence for the crew. Employees from all segments of our business came together to ensure that the safety concerns for each job classification were taken into consideration. Commerce had to take a back seat to the safety and health of employees as well as that of their families and communities.

Establishing protocols, however, was not enough. Equally as important was our ability to execute the guidelines in a way that would keep people safe while allowing the production of content at the expected level of quality.

It was imperative that we create a work environment where our employees felt confident that we would do our absolute best to ensure their safety. Meticulous attention to detail was needed at all levels from crew to cast members. Next, we needed to engage employees who were prepared to go back to work. The virus had created genuine fear, anxiety, distrust and resentment as a result of mandated restrictions that also created financial hardships. We needed to move forward managerially taking all elements into account. I felt it was important to provide honest information to our team, coupled with understanding, patience, structure and leadership. The added hurdle was to do this competently on a day-to-day basis while navigating a new path. Our team rallied, connected the dots and incorporated the necessary elements. Casting, locations, equipment, wardrobe, set dressing and props were all secured. Adjustments to our script and operating procedures were made in compliance with the implemented protocols.

In the film industry, there are many situations that can result in close contact between employees. For example, hair and make-up artists come in close contact with cast members. We went to great lengths to ensure that proper protective equipment was worn, such as face masks, clear plastic face shields and gloves. We also made sure that workstations, equipment and supplies were constantly cleaned and disinfected. This was particularly important because it is common in the industry to pass equipment from one employee to another when being put into use or returned to the equipment trucks. Again, protocols specific to each circumstance and job function were clearly established. In this case, to help reduce the need for multiple employees handling the same piece of equipment, we established convenient staging areas. An employee could easily and safely retrieve a piece of equipment needed for a particular task, reducing multiple contacts with an individual piece of equipment. We also established traffic lanes with dedicated entrances and exits to control movement patterns. Particular attention was paid to cleaning common-touch areas such as door handles, faucets etc. Perhaps the more difficult protocol was limiting personal contact. The entertainment industry, by nature, is very social, with long days spent on set. Handshakes and hugs are commonplace, and we continually needed to remind our crew (and myself) to maintain proper distance.

Prep completed, Day 1 of principle photography had arrived. I never sleep well the night before Day 1. I always stare at the ceiling and wonder if we are ready, did we forget something? The same held true for this project but there was added excitement. I knew we had a daunting task ahead, but I also knew that if everyone came to work with a positive “can do” attitude, took care of their co-workers, adhered to the plan in place and behaved responsibly away from work, we could create the foundation that would help our industry get back to work. It was great to see that in no time our cast and crew settled into our new way of conducting business while still doing what they do best: make movies.

We learned, we planned, we adjusted, we listened, we cared and we finished our picture on time, on budget and, most importantly, SAFELY. It was interesting to take a new look at our business from the prospective of maintaining employee health and safety. Hopefully some of the things we learned will benefit the industry after the COVID era has passed. I was very pleased with how willing and capable our employees were to learn, contribute and incorporate the new operating procedures and guidelines required for us to safely reopen our business.

I know that everyone wanted to go back to work to earn money to provide for their families and themselves. My biggest takeaway from this project, however, was that our employees needed to go back to work. They needed to create, to accomplish a task, to collaborate with a co-worker, to be a part of a team and to have the satisfaction of knowing that, in spite of a very tough situation, they could get er’ done… and they did!!!