The Covid 19 Pandemic has definitely changed things a lot.
Feb - June 2020
Looking back at the end of Feb 2020, I had a gig booked for a shoot w/ Nike. They were gonna have a few athletes out in Las Vegas and most of the crew was gonna be from LA, and I believe I was going to be gaffering, which is taking care of the lighting during the shoot. Keep in mind it's always the team effort that gets the job done.
However, less than 24 hours before the shoot, we got a group text from the producers saying that NIKE has grounded all their athletes and executives in light of this new virus. Keep in mind that this was Feb 28, 2020.
That was the first gig we had cancelled due to the Pandemic.
At that time we didn't know how serious it was gonna get, the media was just starting to cover it.
Fast forward 15 days laters, I believe it was March 15, we had a few things planned and on the books, I believe a shoot with Cirque Du Soleil, but a few days before that that got cancelled as well. So it was becoming a trend and things were starting to look very grim.
By beginning of April, Las Vegas was a desert town. Empty strip, which is unheard of, closed casinos, police everywhere. Scary stuff. We even made a video about it. Check it out below.
Everything was shut down. Businesses closed their doors. However, TV/FILM industry that we are a part of was trying to figure out a way to start bringing things back.
A notable example is the Tyler Perry Studio in Atlanta. They realized early on that the key to making production happen is complete lockdown. So if you got to be a part of that production, you would get flown to Atlanta, where you would be quarantined for 14 days, no excuses, then the set was locked down as well. No outsiders of any kind, every day Covid 19
testing. And it worked.
July - Dec 2020
By July, Shark Tank Production as well as Love Island production had moved it's filming to Las Vegas. Same thing. Quarantine for 14 days at the hotel, no outsiders, we film the season, don't interact with anyone outside the bubble. And they got it done.
So slowly but surely our industry has started to find a way to bring production back.
That involved Covid 19 testing, hand sanitizing, mask wearing, and generally being mindful of the situation.
If it was found out that one person on the production got tested positive, the production would shut down immediately. Case and point when Jamie Young from the Joe Rogan Podcast got tested positive and they shut the whole thing down until Jamie would get better and would test negative.
TODAY
Today we are still not out of the woods just yet, small productions are taking place however we are still waiting until the massive events such as CES or EDC or other concerts can start coming back, when it's gonna be safe to do so. We are hopeful that it's gonna be sooner than later because literally many people livelihoods depend on that.
Have a question or a video idea hit us up at Art@c137prod.com or call/text at 310 620 3934