LA County Allows Filming to Resume Under Strict Rules

Hollywood — and the rest of Los Angeles County — can resume TV and film production today, but it won’t look anything like it did before COVID-19.

A Los Angeles County public health order released Thursday requires everything you would expect, including mandatory masks and keeping plenty of sanitizer on hand. Everyone must maintain six feet of social distancing “except when specific tasks require closer work.” Buffets are a thing of the past.

There are also entertainment industry-specific requirements.What follows is a very abbreviated list of some of the most noteworthy changes. Please click on this link to the Los Angeles County protocols and read it carefully before starting any production.

• No open casting calls; casting should be by appointment
• Scenes that require intimate contact, such as fights and sex scenes, “are discouraged at this time”
• Crowd scenes should be avoided
• Scripts should be distributed digitally to avoid sharing
• Casts bringing their own props — such as phones — to discourage sharing
• Talent should do their own hair and makeup, whenever possible
• Location scouting should be done virtually, when possible

Also Read: John Barry Won an Oscar for Star Wars — Then Worked on a Disaster. Introducing The Industry Podcast

While productions may begin filming again tomorrow, it is unlikely that casts and crews will immediately resume work, in part because productions are still assessing the risks of COVID-19, and in part because it typically takes films and TV shows weeks to ramp up, even without a slew of new protocols that need to be carefully observed.