Let’s set the scene: in the middle of the pandemic, we produced a national TV commercial with our client, U-Haul. The shoot lasted 12 days for 12 hours each day and consisted of nearly 200 actors and crew members. Not a single person fell ill over the duration of the production.
Anyone who has been on both a professional and an amateur production set can relate to the value of strong protocol. When each crew member is given adequate resources to focus on their job, a flow emerges that creates an unmatched calm, efficiency, and creative spirit.
We studied the CDC and WHO recommendations, and we connected with several of our colleagues from all around the nation to share info and devise thorough strategies and policies to best protect our coworkers and clients. While office spaces and other work environments have their own needs in a post-COVID world, we learned that video production was going to be another beast entirely. Within a matter of weeks, we had constructed a plan that managed to synthesize our world-class workflow with top-of-the-line health and safety standards.
To start, we vetted and then hired a Chief Cleaning Officer (CCO) – a registered nurse brought on set for every shoot day to administer temperature checks and regulation briefs, as well as to ensure all standards for cleanliness were met by all cast and crew members moment-to-moment.
The CCO made sure cast and crew members’ temperatures were monitored with a non-contact thermometer upon arrival on set. Even a slight fever would send them home with zero penalty, with a contingency plan for that position in place beforehand. Crew members were then briefed on-set daily on regulations; how and when they would be expected to sanitize their hands, proper times to remove one’s mask if absolutely necessary, and maintaining as much distance from other crew members as space permits.
During 12-hour days, the cast and crew needed meals throughout the day, which required distribution of food to 40+ individuals. We provided a safe environment for this to be accomplished, assigning one crew member to organize and distribute meals, drinks, snacks, and utensils. Food and drinks were passed through an intermediary individually focused on sanitization, monitored by the CCO – preventing all-crew-access into the same food bins and drink coolers – avoiding cross-contamination.
Production days
Hours each day
Actors + crew
"We trusted Manley Creative with our brand in multiple large projects, and they exceeded all expectations. Jim and his team are first rate professionals with superb work product. Have yet to find a part of the creative and production process that they are not outstanding at. Looking forward to the next collaboration."
