On May 16, Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) released the Interim Guidelines for Film and Audiovisual Shoots as production was allowed to start in the country following the changes in the community quarantine classifications.
FDCP head Liza Diño, in an interview with Arnold Clavio on DZBB yesterday, said the new normal will necessitate several changes, including the number of workers on set.
“Hindi pwedeng lumampas sa 50,” she said.
The production must ensure that there are zones for all departments to ensure physical distancing and that scenes involving a large number of people will be disallowed, she added.
“Hindi pwedeng scenes that constitute mass gathering, party, rally, parade — bawal talaga,” she maintained.
When it comes to scenes that will need actors to come into close contact, Diño said the explicit permission of the participants must be obtained.
“For intimate scenes, they have to get the actors’ full consent,” Diño said.
Movie houses remain close during GCQ, said Diño, and there are safeguards that cinema owners would need to address first before cinemas reopen. But then, there is also the issue on the audiences’ confidence for the return of movie habits, she said.
“Kailangan sanayin rin ang audiences to watch inside cinemas again,” said Diño, “It’s one thing to open but it’s another to make them feel comfortable.”
When it comes to seniors, meaning movie workers aged 60 and above, they are “discouraged” from working. If it cannot be avoided that senior actors report to the set, Diño said that it is the producers’ responsibility “to create alternative work arrangement” for them.
For displaced film workers, Dino said FDCP had a D.E.A.R. (Disaster Emergency Assistance and Relief) program that distributed P8000 to qualified freelance audiovisual workers. FDCP also extended help to members of the entertainment media such as writers, editors, reporters, and photographers under its DEAR Press program.