Nicole Sperling and Brooks Barnes | NYT (BOMBAY TIMES; August 19, 2020)

After months of lockdown, as industries across the globe revise pre-Coronavirus work protocol to suit the new normal, Hollywood, too, is making a comeback. Jurassic World: Dominion, one of the first major Hollywood studio films, is leading the way with a 107-page safety manual detailing all necessary precautions to prevent infection.

UNDERSTANDING PROTOCOLS
Before agreeing to return to Pinewood Studios outside London, the film’s cast grilled producers and executives through a series of Zoom calls and emails about the precautions being taken. Bryce Dallas Howard, who’s been a major part of other films in the series, says she now knows how to attach her microphone before filming — she does it herself outside, with help from her dresser, as a boom operator in a mask and a shield instructs them. “Until now, actors were not really included in prep,” Howard says, referring to the moviemaking process as “a need-to-know-business”. “But in order to get any of us on a plane, we had to thoroughly understand the protocols, who was involved, and hear second and third opinions. We are the guinea pigs who are taking the leap.”

A CLOSED SET
The production is divided into two categories. The larger has departments that don’t need access to the set during filming, like construction and props. The more exclusive category, called the Green Zone, includes the director, cast and essential crew, like camera operators and the sound department. The result, Howard says, is comparable to a “closed set,” which in pre-pandemic times was used for intimate scenes.

The sets are fogged with an antiviral mist before use. The chairs actors sit in are surrounded by orange cones to remind people to remain socially distant. There are numerous sinks, and each time someone leaves or enters the Green Zone, they must wash hands. The aim is to keep everyone healthy, and thinking less about the coronavirus. “We are able, for this little moment, to be in the world we’re creating and leave the rest of the world behind,” director Colin Trevorrow says. “After being on set, us actors hope these protocols stay in place,” Howard adds, saying, “Nothing feels like a redundancy; nothing feels annoying. It is in a sense a safety reckoning that still feels like a good idea in a post-COVID-vaccine world.”
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SAFETY PRECAUTIONS TAKEN ON THE SET

- Infrared temperature scanners

- Vacuum-sealed meals served by masked workers standing behind plastic partitions in a takeout-only cafeteria

- Division of the production team into two units and creation of a Green Zone

- Fumigation of set with antiviral mist

- Social distancing maintained on set using orange cones

- Washing hands mandatory while leaving or entering Green Zone
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PRE-SHOOT MEASURES

- Medical agencies consulted for testing guidance, one doctor and four nurses present on set all the time

- An entire hotel was rented for the team

- Those involved with the production were each quarantined for 14 days upon arrival. After that, they were free to roam the hotel

- The cast is tested every Monday, Wednesday and Friday

- Every scene is rehearsed and all questions are answered in the hotel beforehand instead of on the set