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Restarting Theaters and Productions
by Karl F. Cohen
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Crowds flock to see a controversial film, in this case Sony's comedy 'The Interview' (2014). photo: courtesy CNNThree Major Theater Chains to Re-Open
AMC, Regal and Cinemark theaters, our country's three largest chains, plan to reopen from the Covid-19 pandemic closures on July 15th. AMC says they will open 450 halls in the US on that day and 150 more on July 24th.
They will show Disney's “Mulan", a live-action drama derived from Chinese folklore, and Warner Bros.' “Tenet”, the Christopher Nolan spy film, which they predict will be smash hits.
The chains say they will be implementing a wide array of sanitary and social distancing measures, including staggered, separated seating, in order to make customers feel comfortable again.
Despite increasing Covid cases in many states, they are predicting audiences will return in droves.
Covid-19 is mainly an airborne disease, so they have redesigned and are currently refurbishing their ventilation systems to provide 100% fresh air. They will also provide masks and encourage guests to wear them,
AMC will limit seating capacity to 30 percent in non-recliner auditoriums by blocking off every other row. They will sanitize seats and other surfaces between showings and “rearrange concession sales and stands,” although it is hard to know what that really means.
They hope attendance will rise to 50 percent by Labor Day and reach full capacity by Thanksgiving. Are these plans realistic?
What happens if there is a second wave of the Corona virus, which have happened in past pandemics and medical experts think is likely to happen this fall?
AMC, for example, is good at making news, but be careful about what you believe. AMC claimed recently they lost over two billion dollars the first quarter of this year, so they were questioning if they would ever reopen. They said they would never again show films made by Universal because the latter opened two features online for families.
Although it is hard to know the veracity of these claims, it is indisputable is that many of us are getting sick of watching world-class cinema on the small screen and are itching for a theatrical experience—if safe.
Restarting Film and Television Production
The DGA, IATSE, SAG, and Teamsters released their recommendations for ongoing set safety during the Covid-19 pandemic on June 15th, see the 37-page comprehensive guideline.
In it, the unions and guilds reiterated their position that comprehensive, mandatory testing was obligatory to allowing the resumption of production, especially with close contact, multiple actor scenes.
Without it, an entire production would be at risk to one asymptomatic carrier. Especially vulnerable would be the many film professionals over 60, or family members in that age cohort.
"While expensive and likely not real practical for most independent films, it can work for the studios for TV and movies," according to Debbie Brubaker, the premiere indie producer who tackled the topic for cineSOURCE a month ago (see article).
Obviously, the first and almost only factor is testing. This will happen at various levels of frequency, depending upon the "zone."
Zone A is "the set" with actors and crew, like the director, first AD, DP, operator,first AC, onset MU and costumer, etc, They will likely require testing two or three times a week, in addition to frequent taking of temperatures.
Zone B is the area around the set with the rest of the crew: scripty, the video village and art department, hair and makeup, other costumers, craft services and base camp, who will be tested one or two times weekly.
For Zone C, people who don't come into much contact with zones A or B—the production office, background extras (if they only work once)—it would once a week, plus the daily temperature taking.
"The 'Matrix 4' is going to start shooting in Berlin in August," Brubaker continued. "There are a number of films shooting in different places around the globe starting in the fall. Locally, Universal has plans to start shooting on Mare Island, Vallejo, in July."
All of these projects plan to test the cast and crew and then put them into quarantine. They are also recommending 10 hour work days, which, in a perfect world, means 12 hours on and 12 off.
"[The Zones] actually makes some sense and could work," according to Brubaker. "I think the studios have to go first and figure it out. They have the deep pockets for F-ups that indies don't. But the long and the short of it is that they're going back to work."
"In the Bay Area, there's nothing slated before October that I'm aware of. It's an ever changing landscape and all this will depend upon people's behavior."
"If we behave, we can work," concluded Brubaker. "If people go to bars and gyms and don't practice 'safe six' [feet social distancing] and don't wash their hands or stay mostly at home, then we won't be working so much."
Without robust testing, cases are only recognized days after people shed the virus. In addition to jeopardizing cast and crew, it could lead to costly production shutdowns as well as drastic increases production insurance.
Karl F. Cohen—who decided to add his middle initial to distinguish himself from the Russian Karl Cohen, who tried to assassinate the Czar in the mid-19th century—is an animator, educator and director of the local chapter of the International Animation Society and can be reached . Posted on Jun 23, 2020 - 01:39 AM
by Karl F. Cohen
Please support our stories by liking articles—thanks!
Crowds flock to see a controversial film, in this case Sony's comedy 'The Interview' (2014). photo: courtesy CNNAMC, Regal and Cinemark theaters, our country's three largest chains, plan to reopen from the Covid-19 pandemic closures on July 15th. AMC says they will open 450 halls in the US on that day and 150 more on July 24th.
They will show Disney's “Mulan", a live-action drama derived from Chinese folklore, and Warner Bros.' “Tenet”, the Christopher Nolan spy film, which they predict will be smash hits.
The chains say they will be implementing a wide array of sanitary and social distancing measures, including staggered, separated seating, in order to make customers feel comfortable again.
Despite increasing Covid cases in many states, they are predicting audiences will return in droves.
Covid-19 is mainly an airborne disease, so they have redesigned and are currently refurbishing their ventilation systems to provide 100% fresh air. They will also provide masks and encourage guests to wear them,
AMC will limit seating capacity to 30 percent in non-recliner auditoriums by blocking off every other row. They will sanitize seats and other surfaces between showings and “rearrange concession sales and stands,” although it is hard to know what that really means.
They hope attendance will rise to 50 percent by Labor Day and reach full capacity by Thanksgiving. Are these plans realistic?
What happens if there is a second wave of the Corona virus, which have happened in past pandemics and medical experts think is likely to happen this fall?
AMC, for example, is good at making news, but be careful about what you believe. AMC claimed recently they lost over two billion dollars the first quarter of this year, so they were questioning if they would ever reopen. They said they would never again show films made by Universal because the latter opened two features online for families.
Although it is hard to know the veracity of these claims, it is indisputable is that many of us are getting sick of watching world-class cinema on the small screen and are itching for a theatrical experience—if safe.
Restarting Film and Television Production
The DGA, IATSE, SAG, and Teamsters released their recommendations for ongoing set safety during the Covid-19 pandemic on June 15th, see the 37-page comprehensive guideline.
In it, the unions and guilds reiterated their position that comprehensive, mandatory testing was obligatory to allowing the resumption of production, especially with close contact, multiple actor scenes.
Without it, an entire production would be at risk to one asymptomatic carrier. Especially vulnerable would be the many film professionals over 60, or family members in that age cohort.
"While expensive and likely not real practical for most independent films, it can work for the studios for TV and movies," according to Debbie Brubaker, the premiere indie producer who tackled the topic for cineSOURCE a month ago (see article).
Obviously, the first and almost only factor is testing. This will happen at various levels of frequency, depending upon the "zone."
Zone A is "the set" with actors and crew, like the director, first AD, DP, operator,first AC, onset MU and costumer, etc, They will likely require testing two or three times a week, in addition to frequent taking of temperatures.
Zone B is the area around the set with the rest of the crew: scripty, the video village and art department, hair and makeup, other costumers, craft services and base camp, who will be tested one or two times weekly.
For Zone C, people who don't come into much contact with zones A or B—the production office, background extras (if they only work once)—it would once a week, plus the daily temperature taking.
"The 'Matrix 4' is going to start shooting in Berlin in August," Brubaker continued. "There are a number of films shooting in different places around the globe starting in the fall. Locally, Universal has plans to start shooting on Mare Island, Vallejo, in July."
All of these projects plan to test the cast and crew and then put them into quarantine. They are also recommending 10 hour work days, which, in a perfect world, means 12 hours on and 12 off.
"[The Zones] actually makes some sense and could work," according to Brubaker. "I think the studios have to go first and figure it out. They have the deep pockets for F-ups that indies don't. But the long and the short of it is that they're going back to work."
"In the Bay Area, there's nothing slated before October that I'm aware of. It's an ever changing landscape and all this will depend upon people's behavior."
"If we behave, we can work," concluded Brubaker. "If people go to bars and gyms and don't practice 'safe six' [feet social distancing] and don't wash their hands or stay mostly at home, then we won't be working so much."
Without robust testing, cases are only recognized days after people shed the virus. In addition to jeopardizing cast and crew, it could lead to costly production shutdowns as well as drastic increases production insurance.
Karl F. Cohen—who decided to add his middle initial to distinguish himself from the Russian Karl Cohen, who tried to assassinate the Czar in the mid-19th century—is an animator, educator and director of the local chapter of the International Animation Society and can be reached . Posted on Jun 23, 2020 - 01:39 AM
