I’ve been back working now since August and I can safely say that risk assessments, guidelines and precautions for COVID-19 have taken up the majority of my working day. Production Managers always take on a lot of responsibility when it comes to Health and Safety, but since being back it can feel like it’s all I do.
Which sanitiser? Should we temperature check? Should we use the fridge?
I went through the various guidelines again and again, I spoke with friends and colleagues across the UK and eventually, carefully, ventured back to Musselburgh.
After a soft start, opening our rehearsal room back up for cleaning and maintenance, we planned a bigger project, with more people, more risks and a few more sleepless nights for me! We had decided to film WHITE, with original creators Andy and Ian and as few people in the room as I could get away with. I wouldn’t let any of the Catherine Wheels Team (apart from Gill) into the room, we did press interviews via Zoom and I took on the role as official photographer, the only other people were our film crew D Fie Foe, Suzie our stage manager and Shaun on sound.
The minutes whizzed by…the cameras started rolling…we got annoyed with our masks … Gill volunteered to make the tea every day…. but we kept our distance, wiped down the props and cleaned everything in sight. We enjoyed ourselves, we remembered what it felt like to be in a room working together and on Friday lunchtime declared “that’s a wrap!†after firing the confetti cannon for the fifty-seventh and final time that day.
How was it? Fantastic. We hope you enjoy it.
Read more about WHITE: THE FILM here.