SAFE SETS

New safety policies are being developed so that movies can resume filming while mitigating the risk of coronavirus. Contagion director Steven Soderbergh has been selected by the Directors Guild of America to lead a task force to establish fresh industry standards and find a way forward.

Among the safeguards being considered are:

*Temperature checks before entering a studio lot.

*Testing for cast and crew to see if anyone has been infected.

*Masks and gloves for crew members.

*Cast and crew staying in a hotel during filming and isolating from friends and family.

*Makeup artists disposing of brushes once they have used them on a cast member.

Many movies have been delayed by the global pandemic – including Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible 7 which had been due to shoot in Italy – and the industry wants to get back to work while keeping employees safe.

A set of social-distances regulations will not only help that goal but also help films get insured at such an uncertain time.

Epidemiologists, insurers, studios, unions and guilds are all being consulted as moviemaking looks to find a way back.