Walking off a non-COVID compliant set

[LoganSound]

I was asked to do sound on a 10-day student film (feature length) and the director seemed like he had all his ducks in a row in regards to scheduling and safety in these times. In addition to everyone being required to be tested for COVID before production began (which requires 5 days for results in this area) they had a 2 page policy document that claimed crew would be required to wear a mask 100% of the time and actors would wear a mask when not in a scene. Great! 

Of course I get on set in a very confined space and compliance is closer to 50% with frequent offenders being the director and unit production manager who are responsible for compliance. I brought it up at lunch day 1 and they nodded their head, said they would take care of it and it continued. Despite mentioning meals would be served by one person or individually packaged, dinner was served buffet style and everyone congregated around it with masks off (I ran away). At the end of the day I told the director I cannot be a part of this production if they won't adhere to their policy, and I had lost trust that they were willing to enforce it so they should rent another audio kit and I would train someone else on set to do it (student productions...) So I did that the next day and enforcement lapses continued. I ended the day and the director understood that I would be leaving though I'm sort of dumbfounded by how they'd rather lose a major component of the crew then make people wear masks.

Anyway I wanted to vent here, and hopefully get someone thinking about what they would do in the same position, because we likely will all be there at some point in this.

[John Blankenship]

If it's a student film, what school do they represent, because they should be notified. 

[daniel]

First of all sympathies for the situation you were put in.

I think for the most part you have done the right thing, which in the moment can be tricky. I am not so sure about this bit though:

"At the end of the day I told the director I cannot be a part of this production if they won't adhere to their policy, and I had lost trust that they were willing to enforce it so they should rent another audio kit and I would train someone else on set to do it (student productions...) So I did that the next day and enforcement lapses continued. I ended the day and the director understood that I would be leaving though I'm sort of dumbfounded by how they'd rather lose a major component of the crew then make people wear masks.

 

Aside from them essentially breaking a contract with you by not adhering to a policy which they said they would and underestimating the value of the Sound as a "major component" – training some else to do it is for me, not putting enough distance between your concern for public health and production's irresponsible behaviour. If it were just about the well being of those on set it would be questionable but in this context it goes beyond this. Eg it's less about the willing colleague you trained getting ill but more the potential for them to go on to infects others. 

 

Of course a tricky situation and I'm really not trying to have go at you for the sake of it. Regards.