Best Film Gear During Coronavirus!
As the production industry attempts to increase business and productions, it's important to be safe. There are always risks on set, but there are solutions for safety.
Similar to taping down cables, using shot bags on stands, and keeping clear pathways, COVID safety is key! Wearing a mask it a no brainer. It will help keep you and the crew safe... and it masks bad breath! Nevada law requires masks in most businesses and situations; sets and studios are no exceptions. Your on-screen talent is generally exempt from wearing a mask when on camera.
Audio:
Lavaliere microphones should be used a little as possible. If a lavaliere is required, the talent should put it on themselves. A much better option is a shotgun microphone and boom pole. Both the Sennheiser MKH 416 and Schoeps CMIT 5 (my favorite) are great options! Another fun trick, if you're doing ENG interviews, is to use a handheld microphone on a boom pole. You can take the excellent Sennheiser MD 46 cardioid mic, put it on a boom pole, and keep your distance!
Makeup, Wardrobe, Hair:
Talent should come to set with their hair, makeup, and wardrobe done. If however you need touchups or small fixes, crew should wear masks, visors, and gloves. All of these items are readily available for purchase, and don't cost much. The typical problem of a little shine on talent is easily remedied with "shine killer". NYX makes a great "shine killer" that talent can easily apply to their own skin.
Lenses and 4K:
Lastly, while the CDC and other medical experts have said that masks are the key to stopping the spread, socially distancing is needed too. You can only stay so distant on set, so here are a couple items to help you along. Use a longer lens like a Canon 70-200mm L-Series; or heck, a 100-400mm lens, and shoot from really far away! Also, consider investing in UHD/4K. Having the ability to crop in will make it possible to stay further apart, and have less people on set. (The idea is you don't need as many cameras...)
So, there are some ideas and suggestions to keep us safe, healthy, and working. Best of luck!
Safely Film During COVID-19
COVID-19 is the worst! We're heartbroken for the sick and departed and their friends and families. We're also heartbroken and empathetic to those financially burdened and broken. The masks are hot and annoying, the gallons of hand sanitizer and bleach spray is not free or convenient, and we miss hugs and handshakes. However! We're doing our absolute best to follow the CDC and Nevada State Guidelines so we can beat this and get closer to how things used to be.
All that said, we need to keep the economy going, and do so safely. Here are some best practices and gear to help you stay safe and healthy:
Personal health and hygiene:
Wear a mask and wash/sanitize your hands. Doctors and scientists say it works, so we believe in it. If you don't, and you're entitled to your own beliefs of course, wearing masks and socially distancing as much as possible keeps things open. If wearing a mask keeps us on set/in the studio, we'll happily suffer through it!
Gear cleaning:
Clean and sanitize gear and work spaces. This has been a big priority for us. In hindsight, we should have been doing a better job of this all along. It's not just Coronavirus out there, so, this will be a "forever practice" for us. As a note, make sure to be careful cleaning, not every solvent works for every piece of gear!
Food safety:
Re-imagine meals/craft services. The whole idea of a bag of mixed nuts, tray of fruit, or single large bag of chips without paper plates/bowls is bad enough. During COVID-19 however, those practices must go away completely. Now, I say this also being very aware and careful about single use plastics, food waste, etc. For the foreseeable future, and probably well beyond, meals and craft services should feature individually wrapped meals/items. Another alternative is to hire a serving staff if that's in the budget. Your craft services PA may be able to act as food server if they have appropriate PPE- check local laws on that first though. One last note on this, a growing trend in the industry is to simply add the food per diem to the crew's check, and have them bring their own food.
Recommended gear and such:
As far as gear goes, there are a few items/best practices recommended to keep socially distant. Shotgun mics on boom poles are way safer than lavalier microphones. The Schoeps CMIT-5 microphone will give you amazing audio! It would also be a good idea to invest in any sort of wipes/papers the talent can use on themselves to eliminate oil/moisture on their face. NYX makes a great "Shine Killer" the talent can use on themselves. The Eye Direct Mark II is a great tool to minimize producers on set; the producer can FaceTime in, and you just put the tablet or laptop where the physical producer would have been.
In conclusion:
So, there you have it; just some tips and suggestions to help keep us on set and safe. Again, masks and social distancing are annoying, but THEY'RE NOT GOING TO GO AWAY UNTIL WE ADHEAR TO THE RULES. The longer you don't wear a mask and be distant, the longer we're going to need to wear masks and be distant. So, let's be smart, be safe, and make that money!