“There is no one size fits all”

There is no one-size-fits-all in resuming Drama production according to Ted Sarandos is chief content officer at Netflix.

The streaming giant is addressing drama re-starts on a case by case basis. Filming is resuming in select territories subject to production requirements and local health regulations.

“…directors and showrunners need to work with local health authorities to adopt safeguards that take account of the situation on the ground. There is no one size fits all,” he wrote in the LA Times.

“For example, in South Korea, where we worked quickly to develop safety protocols so that series such as our new drama Move to Heaven, and the popular romantic series Love Alarm could continue filming. Testing there is only available for people with symptoms. So all cast and crew have their temperatures checked regularly, and if anyone were to show signs of infection they would be tested immediately and production paused.

“In Iceland, on the other hand, testing is more widely available, whether you have symptoms or not. So, the entire cast and crew of our Katla, a science-fiction series, volunteered to get tested to start filming again. The tests came back negative, but everyone still has their temperature taken first thing in the morning. The team has also developed strict protocols with local doctors should anyone develop symptoms.

“In Sweden, testing is much more scarce. So the cast and some members of the costume and makeup team for the romantic comedy series Love and Anarchy, which will resume production this month, volunteered to self-quarantine for 14 days beforehand — and then throughout the planned 11-day shoot.”

Catering is now with boxed meals, make-up uses single-use, disposable applicators and there is continual hand washing and cleaning of everything from doorknobs to props.

“As our casts and crews return to work, it’s important that we all focus on what can be achieved in the short term, even if we can’t solve every problem. That means rejiggering productions, locations and set schedules to postpone shooting crowd or action scenes and intimate moments, as well as scenes that require international travel. Some shows will need to rewrite scripts or look to add visual effects to what previously would have been shot live. For others, that may be impossible. But if we can get some production going again, safely and smartly, we can learn how best to film under these restricted conditions.”

Netflix has previously pledged US$150m for affected productions, but is yet to announce a restart for Clickbait which was filming in Melbourne.