The long-running Australian TV series will continue to film amid the coronavirus pandemic. The production is said to start working once the lockdown is lifted.
Since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, the film industry is just one of those that have been affected by the virus. Movies and tv series alike have been suspended in order to help flatten the curve of the infection.
With the lack of medical supplies and the absence of a vaccine, the infection could easily be transmitted if proper safety measures are ignored. However, for the Neighbours showrunner, Fremantle Australia, filming the series is possible, but with certain protocols to follow.
Moreover, Australia’s Prime Minister, Scott Morrison asserted that the country is doing its part to contain the virus and that the country is positively recovering. The production team has placed a set of guidelines for the show to successfully deliver the storyline.
Camera tricks will do the job
While Hollywood and other movie companies are still shut down, Neighbours is said to be the first tv program to resume filming.
The studio will be divided into quadrants and will be managed by three production teams that are isolated from each other. Three actors are allowed to walk into the quadrants, which means they will have to take turns.
Everybody needs good Neighbours, and we’ve officially been yours for 35 years!!! ????????????
Celebrate with our week of 10pm specials, Neighbours Late: Endgame on Channel 5! ???? pic.twitter.com/U1LsVMx9WL— Neighbours (@NeighboursTV) March 18, 2020
Just to be on the safe side, Fremantle will only allow 100 people to work on the set daily, and social distancing will be heavily implemented.
Although the actors are far isolated from each other, camera tricks will be applied to create imagery that the actors are seen closer to each other. Moreover, everybody on the set will implement the four-square-meter-rule and the one-and-a-half-meter social distancing rule.
Social distancing level up
The cast and crew of the famous soap opera will have to adapt to the different environment on the set. To make the taping possible, there will no intimate scenes such as kissing, holding hands and touching. These may seem a bit odd for the cast and even for the viewers, but the show has to be done in spite of the pandemic.
The male actors will not be getting make-ups, and the females will not be having make-up artists to do the retouch. To top it off, hiring extras will not be possible since the crew members perform as the background artists.
Neighbours’ filming strategy could be a roadmap for others
Fremantle’s genius filming strategy could be a roadmap for other movie and tv producers. Fremantle asserted that the new set up will make filming possible, and at the end of the day, the production team is can safely return to work.
Moreover, a nurse is present on set to do regular checkups and temperature monitoring on all the cast. The new set up is important because if a member of the production team gets sick, they are the only ones that will be suspended.
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