Filming pending until producers find out how to shoot within restrictions

Mumbai:

Maharashtra government given green light, but production companies and filmmakers don’t know how to resume filming, TV series and OTT broadcasts in the strict framework of do’s and don’ts. It could be a while before the entertainment industry comes back to life with the action cry “lights, camera, action,” the filmmakers said as they carefully plan to exit the lockdown. paralyzed their businesses, resulting in crippling financial losses and unemployment. for hundreds of thousands of people, reported the PTI news agency. From adapting scripts to standards of social distancing and pruning the number of people on set, reducing filming outdoors and managing budgets, the challenges are numerous.

While the lockdown, announced on March 24, has been eased in many parts of the country, with the exception of containment zones, the number of COVID-19 cases continues to soar. The number of cases rose to 2,266,770 and the deaths to 6,348, according to the Union’s Department of Health on Friday. Maharashtra leads the count of states with 77,793 cases.

“There is a lot of fear in our heads. This virus is not going to go away. It remains so we have to be careful. In the next few days we will start with smaller films that have one or two day shoots and with ads to see how it goes. We have to keep experimenting, ” Piku director Shoojit Sircar said PTI.

With projects stuck at different stages of production, costs increase but we have to wait, watch and understand the new realities of the time. In its guidelines for filming and television crews, the state government said on Sunday that work can resume in non-containment areas, but with only 33% of the usual 200 crew members. An ambulance, doctors and nurses and temperature monitoring are compulsory. In addition, no actor or crew member over 65 and children are not allowed on the sets.

While many filmmakers welcomed the government’s move, they also said the restrictions made it impossible to shoot a crowd scene or an elaborate dance performance. Ashoke Pandit, president of the Indian Association of Film and Television Directors (IFTDA), said that some of the guidelines are difficult for producers to follow.

“On average there are 65 to 70 jobs a day in Mumbai. How can you have so many ambulances and doctors there when they are in short supply?” He asked. He also finds the age restriction discriminatory for artists as well as for crew members. “How can you do that? In this way actors like Amitabh Bachchan, Mithun Chakraborty and Anupam Kher cannot work. There are senior technicians of this age. Everyone has the right to work and while we we are all concerned about our health. This seems impractical, “he said.

The association, he said, wrote to chief minister Uddhav Thackeray requesting changes to the guidelines. Director Anees Bazmee, who filmed the star of Kartik Aaryan Bhool Bhulaiya 2 in Lucknow, when the lockout was announced, said it would take a lot of planning to work with minimal staff.

“We had about 350 to 400 people on the sets at Lucknow. It was an outdoor shoot, so we asked people to handle the crowd in addition to the technicians and carpenters in large numbers and the usual set of artists beginners, personal actors, spotboys and camera people.

“Now, with the guidelines, we will have to use a third of the staff and it will be difficult to manage the work in a way and will require a lot of planning,” Anees Bazmee told PTI. It will be impossible to shoot crowd scenes, he added. And managing story scripts and storylines without them will be a creative challenge for screenwriters and directors. “There will be an increase in the budget but all the measures must be in place. The producers have a lot of money straddling a film so we have to start working one day,” he said.

Although there are no official figures, the losses due to blocked and unpublished projects amount to several crores of rupees. Several hundred thousand people depend on the entertainment industry for their livelihood. The Federation of Cine Employees of West India (FWICE), a parent organization of 32 different trades of workers and technicians, alone has more than five Lakh members. T-series chief Bhushan Kumar said they would only resume work if they were sure of the safety of the actors and the team.

“We plan to start shooting films that need patchwork or limited shooting days at the moment. But we will only go shooting when we are satisfied and completely sure of the location and the environment is safe for the cast and the work team. We’re still thinking about security measures, but we’re planning start working on Jhund, Bhuj and Mumbai Saga“Bhushan Kumar told PTI.

Jhund marks the beginnings of the Hindi realization of Sairat star Nagraj Manjule and stars Amitabh Bachchan, Bhuj stars Ajay Devgn and Sanjay Dutt while Mumbai Saga presents Emraan Hashmi, John Abraham and Anil Kapoor.

Director Akarsh Khurrana was ready to start shooting his new movie Rashmi Rocket with Tapsee Pannu when the lockout was announced. Now he discusses how to implement the guidelines and whether it is possible to shoot with all the restrictions. “Everyone is anxious to shoot, but our film requires a good amount of outdoor shooting, so a lot will have to be taken into account,” Akarsh told PTI. “We had to shoot in stadiums, outdoor houses in villages. It’s not something we can do on a set … we will have to consider a lot of things now,” he added.

Producer Jayantilal Gada said he was in no rush. He has two big films about the anvil – Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Gangubai Kathiawadi and of John Abraham Attack. “We can manage the dates, we have great artists, the unit will be a little big so we are not in a hurry in any way. We will see how the TV shoots are conducted and managed … note their experience and then filming “We will have to manage with fewer people and that will require planning,” said Jayantilal Gada to PTI, who believes the budget will increase by 10%, but fewer crews will offset the costs.

The television industry is also involved in logistics. Asit Modi, the producer of Taarak Mehta Ka Oolta Chashma and Binaifer Kohli from Bhabhiji Ghar By Hain said it will be difficult to return to work even if permits have been granted. “We talk to our team and our TV channels and decide how to move forward with the guidelines in mind. We will first have to follow the procedure, get permission from the Cité du Film. The work (process ) has started and we hope to start soon, “Asit Modi told PTI.

“The TV shoots should start in 15 to 20 days and for my show. I can’t say anything until the meeting takes place. We can’t compromise on anything, so it’s going to be difficult. We will find our way, “added Kohli.

(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)