On the Road to Recovery

 | PERG News: October 2020 |

About a month ago, in early September I spent a day just calling our members all over North America in an effort to get some perspective on the challenges and successes of PERG members at the current moment, and, we hope, the final act of this drama (or should I say horror show?) we have been living thorough, titled “COVID 19 Eats the U.S. Economy.” It has been four months since ESTA released the first draft of the PERG Safe Return to Work Guidelines. To date, the guidelines have been downloaded over 2150 times. I had questions. What is working? What is not working? What are your challenges? How is it going?

Rental companies report that, on the whole, crews and staff have been cooperative with observing the protocols, wearing PPE, and observing social distancing. In the major markets, people see these measures as a necessity if they want to work. It is worth noting, however that there are markets where our members contend with producers who resistant (or seem oblivious to) the protections recommended by PERG, the AICP, the MPPA, and IATSE, not to mention the CDC. For most, the basic rules of life with COVID are old hat. Several rental company principles I spoke to urged personal responsibility for everyone working in the industry. This is not the time to be going to bars and big gatherings. One DP, who was among the first to take his crew on location on a feature film, was recently asked how he deals with uncertainties of personal behavior off the clock. He said “I hire really boring people. That’s the key. Hire people who wouldn’t be going out anyway.” 

Across the board, rental companies say one of the most important measures that they have implemented is insisting on scheduled appointments for anyone visiting their facility, requiring sign-in, and limiting the number of people that could cross paths. This requirement not only helps them manage and track people in the facility, it also forewarns visitors that they are expected to follow safety arrangements. A signed health declaration for anyone entering the building also drives the message home. The AICP checklist is now widely used. Rental companies have worked to provide a controlled environment, separating people with distance or with plexiglass where necessary.

Many PERG members reported that, especially early on, producers asked them about their protocols. Many used the PERG Safe Return to Work guidelines as the basis for their protocols, or just sent the PERG document to the producer and said, “This is what we follow.” The process of creating the document provided dialogue with unions and other groups, which was valuable on getting everyone on the same page.

Rental companies are using a variety of methods to ensure that infection is not transmitted on their equipment. For equipment that is not in immediate demand when it is returned, placing the equipment in quarantine for a number of days has proved the easiest solution. When equipment needs to be checked out sooner, cleaning protocols are typically used, which is labor intensive. Many members report very little pushback when billing COVID related fees to clients. If the production has a separate line-item in the budget for COVID-related expenses, these fees can be paid from that part of the budget without affecting the camera or lighting line items.

The scale of production is still limited in many states by the restrictions on maximum occupancy. The challenge for everyone—crew and rental staff alike—is often is to figure out how to get the work done with fewer people. You have to remind people not to rush into doing things as we would normally do them. It is unnatural and it takes longer.

Another challenge for production companies and rental companies has been preparing for the possibility that someone will not pass their screening, will get sick, or will have a positive test. A positive test, even if it is not a cast member, can cause a shutdown. There have been false positives and there have been real cases that required quarantining employees. Over the summer many rental companies experienced unusual volatility with orders, often ending in cancellations. With minimal staffing, companies find they need their staff to wear more hats. (And, unfortunately, in some cases valued specialists have been the last to come back to work.) If someone gets sick the company has to have someone else who can fill the role. Rental companies report that, when this has come up, employees have been upfront. Some rental companies have implemented separate shifts to keep “pods” or teams separate. This idea has also been successful on the set. By limiting the number of lines of transmission that a sick person may cause, a production can manage a possible infection or positive test and can avoid a complete shutdown. Some shoots are using additional units, shooting with two or more smaller crews to get through the scheduled work.

Another challenge that rental companies face now are supply chain issues. Some of the domestic grip/lighting manufacturers still have their manufacturing shut down and are on minimal staffing. Chroma-key paints, filters, and other manufactured products and expendables are no longer in stock. Manufacturers may require deposits or prepayments in order to generate revenue to bring their services back online. ARRI is backordered on cameras. There are reports of delays for lens servicing.

Rental companies also report delays and less-reliable service from shipping companies. Rental companies need to plan additional lead time, when they can, to ensure equipment is received on time. 

Now, halfway through October, many rental companies are mainly concerned that all the shows are starting up at the same time. While everyone wants the business, it may be a huge logistical challenge requiring new strategies, perhaps multiple shifts and very late nights. For most, at this point, it is a welcome challenge. In Los Angles, production is coming back to full speed despite ongoing community spread. People have just adopted masks, social distancing, hand washing, and other restrictions, as the necessary new normal. There is simply too much at stake to do otherwise. In Los Angeles, Contract Services—the training arm of the seven major studios—will soon launch mandatory COVID-19 online training for IATSE crew members and well as the DGA and teamsters.

PERG recognizes the extraordinary efforts of the PERG Safe Return Task Group and of the AICP and Industry-Wide Labor-Management Safety Committee for the Motion Picture and Television Industry who developed safety guidelines. The AICP guidelines are largely responsible for the early return of commercial production, which was recovering well by September. The PERG Safe Return Task Group includes representatives from Abel Cine, ARRI Inc., ARRI Rental, Camtec, Cinelease, Cinequipt, Keslow Camera, Illumination Dynamics, High Output, Insight Equipment, LiteGear, MBS, MP&E Cameras and Lighting, MPS Studios, PC&E, Panavision, Quixote Studios, Taylor & Taylor, TCS, and William F. White International. Many equipment manufacturers also contributed information about cleaning and disinfecting their products.