LOS ANGELES -- State health officials are allowing Hollywood film companies to resume filming movies, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic causing some major restrictions, no intimacy by actors is allowed.
A report in JDSupra said that crowd scenes, intimate scenes and fight scenes are being discouraged. Brief dialogue between actors without wearing masks is permitted, but actors are not supposed to touch their faces during filming.
While the restrictions may be similar to those of other businesses mandating social distancing, washing hands and wearing masks, the report conceded that attempting to film a movie without actors getting close to each other is a unique challenge for Hollywood.
The filmed productions previously had a safety officer overseeing things like the safety of set construction. But now because of the pandemic, a special COVID-19 safety officer is required to be on-site when filming occurs.
Cast members and crew are required to submit to repeated coronavirus testing and symptom exams, especially if they are working in close proximity to each other, the JDSupra report said. In some cases, actors will be asked to provide their own wigs, makeup and props, as well as costumes, to reduce the chance of infection.
Movie scripts are not to be shared or passed from hand to hand, and food deliveries for actors and crew on the set are forbidden.
Location shoots for filming will have to be deemed expansive enough to allow social distancing. Rental periods for equipment, including portable restrooms, are to be extended to provide for more thorough cleaning before and after filming takes place.
The restrictions administered through Los Angeles County are impacting the country’s biggest movie studios, the JDSupra report noted.
Gov. Gavin Newsom, in allowing the reopening of filmed productions, indicated that agreement on the new protocols will need to take place between the film companies and their workers' unions.