Maha govt issues guiding principles, conditional permission to restart film shooting

As the nation enters the first phase of reopening, termed 'Unlock-1', after braving the novel coronavirus outbreak for close to three months now, the Centre has directed the states to issue guidelines for the effective functioning of the various industries. In light of the same, Maharashtra state government, led by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, has issued a set of guidelines for restarting the media entertainment industry. The guiding principles laid down by the State's Cultural Affairs department detailed the precautions and safety measures that have to be followed during the shoots.

Guiding principles

As part of the set of new rules, the government has said that producers will have to conduct pre-production and post-production by adhering to the guidelines laid down by the government. A session on educating and sensitising employees on the sets or studios and also in post-production edit facilities will have to be scheduled. Once the entire team is made aware of the rules, any violation of the rules will lead to the stopping of the work.

Social distancing norms will have to be followed strictly with a focus on personal hygiene. A crowd cannot be allowed to be gathered while shooting is on. Norms have to be adhered to while using the air conditioning system (on sets) with focus on as much ventilation as possible. The guidelines also include a set of precautions to be taken while transporting shooting equipment, artists and technicians.

Specific guidelines have been issued for non-fiction TV shows where contestants are expected to be present. The exchange of materials like costumes, imitation sets to be kept at a minimum with auditions for reality shows to be taken online. Sanitisation of equipment, daily fumigation of the studios, regular temperature screening and oxygen level monitoring to be conducted by medical practitioners on sets.

The MHA has also said that frequent sanitization should be conducted for the entire set, common facilities and all points which come into human contact, including the temporary offices of people in charge. "All persons in charge of workplaces will ensure the adequate distance between workers, adequate gaps between shifts, staggering the lunch breaks of staff, etc," the directives read.