)
Films in the time of COVID-19: Scarce crews, PPE kits — what will the industry look like post-lockdown?
FirstpostFrom the doubling of budgets to account for masks and sanitisers, to more projects being released directly on streaming platforms, the very face of Bollywood is likely to change in a post-lockdown world A small indoor scene is set up for a fruit juice My first time on a set was the result of a favour to a friend who was working as an assistant casting director and needed extras for a scene. On my first film set, I actually asked the spot boy, “Who is this ‘baby’ they keep talking about?" Film budgets likely to double Executive producer Vishal Bajaj, who has worked on films like Andhadhun, Angrezi Medium, and Raees, spoke about how this new protocol will affect the budget of a movie. “I am currently working on an unreleased Netflix show and just estimated that a normal 60-day shoot in a studio in Mumbai, which would have otherwise cost us nothing, is now going to cost up to Rs 50 lakh.” He now has to account for medical expenses, have a doctor and two to three nurses on set at all times, conduct COVID-19 tests for crew members, and keep sterilising equipment. Zoom-call shoots — a feature of only niche, small-budget films Anmol Ahuja, co-founder of the agency Casting Bay, said that casting agencies have been presented with an opportunity to “streamline their process more”.
History of this topic
Discover Related
)
)
)
)
