Netflix's Ted Sarandos: We're learning how to deal with coronavirus from productions currently shooting in South Korea, Japan and Iceland

Los Angeles Times

In a Los Angeles Times Op-Ed, the Netflix chief content officer writes that Netflix will also start shooting again in Sweden this month and Norway in July. "While it’s still in the early days, here’s what we’ve learned so far." Sarandos writes. "For one thing, circumstances vary significantly country by country, and even city by city. So, directors and showrunners need to work with local health authorities to adopt safeguards that take account of the situation on the ground. There is no one size fits all. For example, in South Korea, where we worked quickly to develop safety protocols so that series such as our new drama Move to Heaven, and the popular romantic series Love Alarm could continue filming. Testing there is only available for people with symptoms. So all cast and crew have their temperatures checked regularly, and if anyone were to show signs of infection they would be tested immediately and production paused. In Iceland, on the other hand, testing is more widely available, whether you have symptoms or not. So, the entire cast and crew of our Katla, a science-fiction series, volunteered to get tested to start filming again. The tests came back negative, but everyone still has their temperature taken first thing in the morning. The team has also developed strict protocols with local doctors should anyone develop symptoms." Sarandos adds: "As our casts and crews return to work, it’s important that we all focus on what can be achieved in the short term, even if we can’t solve every problem. That means rejiggering productions, locations and set schedules to postpone shooting crowd or action scenes and intimate moments, as well as scenes that require international travel. Some shows will need to rewrite scripts or look to add visual effects to what previously would have been shot live. For others, that may be impossible. But if we can get some production going again, safely and smartly, we can learn how best to film under these restricted conditions."