What You Should Expect On Set
As the entertainment industry moves forward and we begin to live with Covid, there have been several changes to the ways that the industry functions. Everything from the audition process, to who is allowed to be on set, has changed over the past couple of years.
With lockdowns ending across Australia, a raft of postponed jobs are now finally happening, which means that clients have had to implement a number of procedures and protocols to ensure the health and safety of everyone on set. But what exactly should you be expecting?
First and foremost most clients are now requiring talent (if eligible) or their chaperones to be either fully vaccinated or return a negative covid test 72 hours before the job is scheduled to take place. This requirement is in line with the government restrictions in Australia and is in place for the health and safety of everyone on set. Keep in mind that most clients are private companies who will have their own vaccine and Covid testing requirements, which can be different from the rules set out by the government.
Victoria currently requires workers onsite across all industries to be fully vaccinated, whereas in New South Wales it is not mandatory to be fully vaccinated, but a negative Covid test is still required for talent who will be working on set. Vaccine and testing requirements on-set in other states are not mandated at the moment but are expected to fall in line with Victoria and New South Wales in the coming months as borders reopen.
A number of clients, especially for larger jobs such as TV commercials and TV series, are now booking extra talent as a ‘covid backup’. This talent is technically ‘on-call’ for the days of the shoot in case the main talent booked has to pull out at the last minute due to needing to isolate or contracting Covid. Your child may be booked as a backup and will still receive payment even if they are not required on set.
As well as ensuring that everyone on set is either vaccinated or testing negative to Covid, clients have had to limit the number of cast and crew on set. Density limits at inside venues such as studios have meant that clients will only have crew that are required on set for that day. They will also ask that only one parent or guardian accompanies children on set.
While these changes and new protocols may take a while to get used to at first, they are an important part of keeping the entertainment industry operating and providing a safe working environment for everyone involved.
