Many people are asking us if it’s safe to make a Legacy Film amidst this global pandemic. The short answer is: Yes, it is safe though we have modified our process in several key areas -- chiefly on filming days. I will elaborate in this post.
90% of our work need not occur in person. Information gathering, question preparation, photo collecting, film editing; these activities have always taken place remotely. Even our all-important pre-film interview sessions can now be conducted using either Zoom video conferencing or the good old-fashioned telephone (remember those?).
Nevertheless, making hi-definition movies does eventually require in-person filming. Throughout the spring, summer, and fall, we conducted many of our filming sessions outdoors. With the return of cold weather, we’ve recently shifted back to filming indoors, utilizing a host of precautions to afford maximal safety for our clients and team members:
1) SPACIOUS INTERIORS AND VENTILATION: Most often, we film clients in their living rooms, which comfortably allows for appropriate social distancing. If the temperatures are mild, we crack windows and doors to bring in fresh air and create additional cross ventilation. For clients that don’t have the necessary space for distancing (e.g., a small apartment unit), we're working with area institutions that can offer currently unused, open spaces (think atriums or galleries) in which filming sessions can take place.
2) LIMITING OUR TEAMS TO 2 PEOPLE: When we work in our clients’ homes, there are only two of us: a cinematographer who is in charge of cameras, lighting, and sound; and a producer who leads the interview. No one else. We want to minimize the number of people we introduce in to the environment.
3) MASKS: In addition to practicing appropriate social distancing while filming, our on-site team members are wearing masks as an extra measure of precaution at all times.
If filming indoors is not something you are comfortable with, we understand and respect that choice. If this is the case, we recommend starting to plan now for an outdoor filming session in the May timeframe (we anticipate things will be busy then!). After initiating a project, it can still take between 4- to 6-weeks before we’re collectively ready to film. So the winter can actually be an ideal time to begin this process.
The global pandemic will impact our reality for months to come, but the need to capture family stories remains as important today as ever. Some might say it's even more important (see our "How To" guide: Sharing Stories from a Distance). We are committed to making this process as meaningful and enjoyable as it's always been, despite the new obstacles we must work around. That is our promise to you.