How has your company been impacted by concerns over the coronavirus–or the virus itself if a worker or client has been stricken–in terms of business, your staff, client relationships?
We’re extremely thankful that there are no reports of PSN Partner staff or freelancers contracting COVID-19. From China to Italy we seem to have taken necessary precautions in time. Production associations from Poland to Mexico have been very proactive to close down productions before governments. Extreme precautions are being taken where cameras continue to roll in Australia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Cuba, Iceland, South Korea, Taiwan and Uruguay.
We’re planning for a post-pandemic world in which we can continue to count on a healthy production community, manned largely by freelancers, in the 50 film hubs where our Partners provide local shoot support.
The well-being, health and safety of people is clearly top priority. What measures have you taken to protect your staff and collaborators during this challenging time?
PSN Turkey initially encouraged and compensated employees for commuting to work by taxi or their own cars to avoid crowded public transport. But those measures were short-lived. All staffers are now working from home. Some at PSN Brazil are also taking paid leave.
How have you adapted your behavior, practices, policies, approaches, ways of thinking and doing business in response to the pandemic?
Our focus on live action filming worldwide means we have to sit this one out in many territories. As a word of caution, PSN Ireland reports that agencies and clients are going straight to post houses, animators, etc without the input usually reserved for production companies.
Meantime, as one of the few territories still filming, PSN Brazil sent an outreach email that sparked more interest than usual. I noticed the same amongst US producers who pinged me after announcing in a recent AICP Town Hall that several countries do continue to film, albeit within certain limitations.
Were you in the midst of a particular project when the coronavirus outbreak hit and how did you manage to deal with that situation?
Our Partners have seen multiple projects shift gears. PSN Turkey successfully wrapped one that is now is remote post using Frame.io. But project with an Argentine director for the Arab market was shelved due to travel restrictions.
Filming outside Mexico City was feasible for a few days after the industry closed in the capital city. This turned out to be just enough time for PSN Mexico to complete remote location filming of a feature. This leaves only scenes in Mexico City to complete when filming resumes.
PSN Hawaii and PSN Ireland have billed and received payment for local services rendered on productions that have been postponed. The latter only billed costs for 3rd party vendors and trusts service fees will be honored once production gets back underway.
What’s your biggest takeaway or lessons learned from your experience dealing with coronavirus concerns thus far?
Take measures to protect the freelance workforce that our industry depends on.
Health and safety must be our priority. Take care of your teams so they can take care of you and your company’s projects.
Read your contracts and keep current on accounts receivable.
Take nothing for granted.
What advice, if any, would you offer to your counterparts at other companies/agencies, your clients and collaborators?
Accept that it is for our own good that live action filming is only feasible in limited territories, often under strict limitations. Just breathe for a few moments.
Adapt to remote film production to reduce travel expenses and our industry’s carbon footprint.
Honor payment calendars or undermine the future of the industry we all depend on.
Contingency plans have been prepared by many in light of the situation. Please share any aspects of those plans or tell us how your short and long-term business plans have been affected.
Through its local producers association, PSN Mexico is asking the government to allocate taxes and permit fees collected from the industry toward relief for freelancers unable to work during the lockdown.
It’s said that strength emerges from adversity. Do you see any silver lining or positive dynamic emerging for our industry/marketplace from this global health crisis?
PSN Turkey sees fertile ground for alliances emerging between production and post companies.
PSN Ireland, Spain, Italy and Hawaii all anticipate pent up demand for live action filming of long format will result in a boon once conditions permit. But Ireland is also mindful that the volume of commercial work may be deeply impacted by a much-feared recession.
Whatever the case, there is money to be saved by relying on remote film production. Perhaps a recession would be just one more reason for agency and client to stay at home.
Have you deployed your company’s creative and communication skills to address the pandemic (PSAs, educational videos, other initiatives)? Please tell us about these efforts.
Producers are our clients. They’re anxious to know where cameras are rolling now and where else live action filming will recover the soonest. To that end we are maintaining a page with that info at this link: https://www.productionservicenetwork.com/covid-19-country-production-status
The same page features a number of industry media articles and PSN blog shining a spotlight on remote film production.
Inevitably, the cameras will be rolling before travel restrictions are lifted. Our Partners from Thailand to the UK, Spain to Mexico have all executed productions where clients, and even directors, have only been on set virtually.
