Covid Safe Video Production in New York, NY

Need Covid Safe Video Production in New York, NY? Social distancing, masks, mandated closures, and a halt to nearly every working piece of the economy is not something that anyone in the United States or throughout the rest of the world could have possibly seen coming, but it’s what happened in March 2020 when the Coronavirus began to spiral out of control in North American cities the way it had already actively been ravaging China.

In New York City, COVID-19 resulted in media production businesses being closed down along with many other businesses and industries that were considered “non-essential.” Upon reopening, new state and federal laws were enacted to allow for COVID safe video production throughout New York City.

New York City Video Production Safety Standards

Media production was one of several industries at the center of Governor Cuomo’s phased guidance and documentation on reopening NYC with appropriate guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provide guidance to the people of New York City to reduce the potential COVID-19 transmission or other risks of illness occurring for those involved in various film production services.

These safety standards and initiatives include offering guidance around how people work, how places relative to the production are protected & sterilized for crew members, and how processes are conducted in terms of screening, testing, and risk tracking in the production environment.

Protecting People from COVID During Production

New York City has enacted several measures to ensure COVID safe video production for the cast, crew, employees, and anyone else directly or indirectly involved in the production. The following measures are part of the Interim Guidance for Media Production During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency as outlined by the New York State Department of Health.

This includes:

• Indoor production locations are required to limit capacity to 50% occupancy.
• Physical distancing is required. This means a minimum of 6 feet of space is required between employees, cast, and crew on the site.
• In situations where physical distancing cannot be maintained, a face covering is an acceptable alternative.
• Employees, cast, and crew that are in close proximity to actors and talent that are not wearing face coverings will be required to wear face coverings, eye protection, goggles, a face shield, or similar gear.
• The number of cast, crew, and employees on set either indoor or outdoor must be closely monitored and non-essential personnel and visitors are prohibited from entering the production environment. Appropriate security must be made available to ensure these rules of entry are not broken.
• Where possible, the production crew should have dedicated work zones that limit overlapping departments into a workspace and potentially spreading infection. Remote work activities are encouraged as possible for meetings, casting, editing, and scouting.
• Scripts & digital effects can be used to reduce the close proximity of performers for further protection against COVID.

Safety practices During video Production

Measures to protect the workplace, film set and locations that production crews engage business in were also enacted by the New York State Department of Health.

For COVID safe video production in NYC the following rules apply to places throughout the city:

• Face coverings are to be worn at the film studio or to any location being considered for a film project.
• Gloves are encouraged unless they would interfere with the task at hand such as when styling hair or applying makeup.
• Employees must all have PPE as required for workplace activities.  PPE protects the work environment from becoming a petri-dish of COVID-19.
• Hand sanitizer may be used between washes and should be made available in all common areas via touch-free dispensers at entrances, exits, and other areas.
• The Production studio or filming location should be thoroughly disinfected on a regular basis, especially major high traffic areas and frequent touch locations. Guidance on the set uses similar preventative measures to those found in the Polling Station guidance draft.
• All props, costumes, set materials and various other items used in video production are to be sterilized or disinfected to prevent virus spread from these items between uses.

Protecting Processes from COVID During Production

The processes that are used each and every day on the film set play a key role in how healthy and safe our crew, employees, and staff will remain.

The New York City Department of Health outlines the following essential guidelines to ensure COVID safe video production in NYC:

• COVID-19 testing is to take place at least once weekly for those responsible for working closely with employees and cast members that
• Mandatory health screening practices must be initiated on the film set, as well as in the studio to reduce the risk of COVID spread. This may include temperature checks, telephone interviews to screen for recent travel, cough, fever for other covid risks such as having been recently exposed to someone with COVID-19.
• Screening processes involve checking temperature and asking screening questions at an entrance that will not expose large areas or other workers prior to the screening practice to someone who may be sick.
• Admit only those who have been screened, do not show signs of COVID, and are prepared to socially distance themselves.
• Cast, crew, and employees should tell someone if they are sick — do not come to the film set!
• Individuals that test positive for COVID-19 will not be admitted to the location, facility, or area where production will take place and they should be sent back to their home with directions for contact tracing and further assessment or testing.

Additional COVID Safe Video Production Practices in NYC

Beverly Boy Productions has employed several additional COVID safe video production best practices in our day-to-day operations.

To ensure the safety of our team and our clients, we:

• Follow OSHA guidelines to ensure social distancing and the safety of our employees.
• Perform many of our production activities alone, virtually, or otherwise with appropriate PPE and protective gear.
• Schedule appointments in lieu of open calls to minimize the risk of infection.
• Disinfect all production equipment and tools in between use at the facility or on location to minimize the risk of COVID transmission from the high-touch surface.

Video Production Drop Kits

In addition to all of the above guidelines and rules in place to ensure safe video production practices, Beverly Boy Productions follows many of the recommended best practices outlined by various Cinematographers Guilds and specific groups. As an added measure for clients, we now offer video production drop kits that can be delivered to your home, office, or other location for safe, hands-off filming.

Our drop kits come with the following benefits:

• All drop kits are sterilized and ready for production at your home, office, or other location with no hassle or danger of infection involved.
• Drop kits can be operated remotely by computer control for completely hands-free production.
• A professional, remote, shooting experience that is ideal for a wide range of video production options.

Looking for COVID safe video production in New York City? Give Beverly Boy Productions a call to learn more about our production protocols and safety practices that are now in place to ensure continued success on the set while maintaining cast, crew, and community health.