Here’s Why Widespread Vaccinations Will Be a Win For Filming

Although many of us have returned to work, everyone who works in the industry is well aware of how productions stopped filming at a moment’s notice last spring.  As we struggled through the shutdown with no end in sight, industry unions and producers tried to figure out how everyone could return to work safely.  It was a frightening balancing act to measure whether the risk of returning to work was worth the possible threat to our health.

A few months ago, I wrote about the safety challenges on non-union film sets that weren’t necessarily following the safety standards outlined in the industry-wide return-to-work agreement.  While strict safety standards on set and regular testing for COVID-19 have become more of the norm for filming now, it’s not the same as having the cast and crew vaccinated.  I pondered this as my husband and I waited in our car earlier this week for our first vaccine shot.

As I’m in a high-risk group for COVID-19, I’ve been very selective about which jobs and auditions I’ve accepted this past year.  I turned down auditions where cast members had to get tested on their own if hired and bring the test results to set.  I turned down a big 5-day commercial and a few days on a film with a big background call.  (I thought shows were supposed to be limiting the number of extras.)

Widespread vaccinations will change things for the better in terms of filming safely.  Here are a few ways vaccinations will mean positive changes for film production:

• There will be a surge of filming postponed productions once vaccinations are more widespread. Some projects that were predicted to be filming last fall are still on hold because of the pandemic’s uncertainty.  These projects will finally go into the production pipeline, generating more filming.
• There will be more location filming. Arizona and other states benefit tremendously from productions coming from out of state.  Location shooting was significantly curtailed during the pandemic.  Productions were trying to make projects work with one location doubling for many.  People will feel safer both flying and working in distant locations once there’s widespread vaccination.
• Actors will be safer on set. They’re the one group that has to be maskless when the camera rolls.  There will be less anxiety on their part about safety on set.  And those of us in high-risk groups will feel we can do more than submit self-tapes.  We can go on actual live auditions again and be safer when we’re on set.
• It’s no secret that many other businesses rely on the film industry for their success. Caterers, car services, and equipment rental houses are a few of the many companies that benefit from filming.  They thrive along with the film industry, and their success helps local economies.  Widespread vaccinations mean more filming.  Increased film activity contributes to the bottom line of many vendors that serve those companies.

Unfortunately, we missed out on all the spring training filming that usually takes place in and around the Phoenix area last spring.  It was frustrating for everyone to have everything in place for a terrific year of filming to have it all instantly grind to halt.  Maybe this year will be a bit better.

We've also witnessed how when live entertainment and sporting events that also generate filmmaking shut down, many production jobs are lost.  Widespread vaccinations will enable the return of live entertainment events and the filming that often goes with them.

Film tourism is another way film production benefits local economies.  Entire tours revolve around popular film locations.  When there’s more filming, there will be more film tourism.

By fall 2021, we should see more widespread vaccinations and more film production.  That will be a boon for everyone connected to the industry.