Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

How Emmerdale's production team created a new filmic language

04/06/2020

Philip Stevens learns how social distancing is affecting soap production

By Philip Stevens

Published: June 4, 2020

Philip Stevens learns how social distancing is affecting soap production

target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin> Philip Stevens learns how social distancing is affecting soap production

https://www.tvbeurope.com/production-post/how-emmerdales-production-team-has-created-a-new-filmic-language title=Share via Email class=share-email>

The Covid-19 pandemic halted production of ITV's Emmerdale on 20th March. But on 20th May, a phased return to recording was initiated with stringent health and safety measures in place to protect cast and crew.

All scripts and stories will adhere to the government guidelines and medical advice at the time of production, emphasises senior production manager, Nader Mabadi. If the guidance was to change, we would consider the impact on our team and the story, before retrospectively amending the scripts. We are playing stories that allow for some latitude to embellish, it's easy to turn a hurtful look' into a slap', for example.

Although adhering to all the guidelines, Mabadi says that the content will not expressly acknowledge Covid-19. Some of these will be obvious and others hidden through cuts and camera illusions. We try to tell human stories from our society and sometimes that means taking on a topical issue. Any references would go through a compliance and negative check. We have a duty as a broadcaster to behave responsibly, respectfully and lawfully.

New schedule The shooting schedule calls for a slight reduction in episodes from the pre-lockdown timetable. Previously, 13-14 episodes were completed within the two-week production cycle, at present that has been cut to 12.

Mabadi reports that the time frame for shooting an episode remains much the same, although less is being completed each day in order to maintain adherence to guidelines. We have editorial measures in place that have dramatically simplified the content. There are only 14 scenes to shoot for each episode instead of 20, there are more two- and three-hander scenes instead of complicated set-ups with six to seven people. That ensures we can keep social distancing for cast and crew. We have no fourth walls in play, no scripted design, costume or make-up requirements, no stunts, no special effects, reduced background action, less props, and no food consumption. Where we were doing ten scenes a day, we are now doing six or seven, but mathematically that still equates to a similar number of days given the mitigations.

Crew and cast adhere strictly to the two-metre rule The scripts are calling for more use of domestic sets. Where a scene does need to involve more than three people, these will be shot as two conversations in isolation and stitched together in the edit to create the appearance of one scene. The cast members will still be exercising social distancing in the scene; it just helps us manage those on the floor and gives everyone space to perform. Some of the sets are quite compact, so to help we have reduced to single camera working when required. That keeps crew numbers to a minimum.

Before shooting restarted, Mabadi and the production's Health & Safety risk manager assessed each set and decided that some were too compact to be used during the time of restrictions.

Being creative As far as camera moves are concerned, Mabadi says that these will be a little less dynamic in order to social distance. Luckily, our camera teams are still being very creative with their lens work. We have reduced down from three to two cameras in studio. A lot of our location grip equipment requires two people to operate safely, track and dolly, ladder-pod etc so we have had to impose some restrictions.

While those restrictions are in place, programme directors will work from the floor, rather than the gallery. Only the vision operator and script supervisor can be safely accommodated in the production control room. They will be seated more than two metres apart with a Perspex shield separating them as an additional safety measure.

Many scenes are restricted to two actors on set Although all cameras are ISO'd, previously, a vision mixer would also produce a guide cut version of each scene. However, for the time being this practice has been dropped. As we are only using two cameras and reducing the gallery down to two people, we have created more flexibility on the studio floor to concentrate on our safety measures. We want to avoid scheduling pick-ups if possible so the more raw data we have the better.

He goes on, We have stopped all guest location filming. We will only be filming at the Emmerdale Village or extensions of the Village over which we have complete control of and can implement our risk management strategy.

Remote resources Editing, using Avid Media Composer, is carried out both within the Leeds studio facility and remotely from home locations. We have facilities and infrastructure so that the editor and director can work collaboratively from adjacent suites at the centre, explains Mabadi. With home editing, we are using laptops as a remote control for the edit suites in the Leeds facility. The machines there still do all the heavy ingest, so we don't ever run the insurance risk of physically taking any rushes out of the building.

He says that directors, editors, producers and production have all been utilising Google Meet, Zoom and many other video conferencing software.

Grading and dubbing will still be done at Leeds due to the more dedicated control surfaces and the controlled environment required, such as lighting and a sound proof room. These are single occupancy rooms and lone roles.

Mabadi concludes, It is testing us in new ways and asking us to think differently about how
LINK: https://www.tvbeurope.com/production-post/how-emmerdales-production-te...
See more stories from tvb

Most recent headlines

15/03/2025

'The Last Of Us' Season 2 Trailer Hits Record 158 Million Views

Warner Bros. Discovery is reporting that the trailer for The Last of Us season two amassed 158 million global views across platforms in its first three days, ...

15/03/2025

Scripps Sports to Air Las Vegas Aces Games on Vegas 34

LAS VEGAS & CINCINNATI The Las Vegas Aces and Scripps Sports have signed a multiyear agreement to make Scripps Vegas 34 station the official broadcast home of W...

15/03/2025

Cobalt Digital To Feature New IPMX Support, IP Multiview At 2025 NAB Show

CHAMPAIGNE, Ill. Cobalt Digital will feature IPMX-compliant products, including its SAPPHIRE mini converters and PACIFIC encoders enhanced with IPMX support, du...

15/03/2025

Sharp Smart TVs Powered by TiVo Launch in the U.S.

SAN JOSE, Calif. TiVo has announced that the latest release of Sharp Smart TVs Powered by TiVo are now available for purchase in the U.S....

15/03/2025

EditShare to Unveil Next-Generation Media Solutions at 2025 NAB Show

BOSTON Collaborative media workflow solution provider EditShare has announced that it will be showing a wide range of new innovations at the 2025 NAB Show that ...

15/03/2025

SES and Lynk Global Announce Strategic Partnership for Direct-to-Device (D2D) Services

SES to introduce a suite of integrated services that enhance Lynk Global's s...

15/03/2025

Editing and Color Grading Promo Codes for Audiio and MotionVFX!

Editing and Color Grading Promo Codes for Audiio and MotionVFX! Kasia Jarco March 14, 2025 0 Comments I wanted to share some promo codes for great too...

15/03/2025

Avid Makes Key Additions to Executive Leadership Team to Meet the Needs of the Evolving Media Landscape

Avid Makes Key Additions to Executive Leadership Team to Meet the Needs of the E...

15/03/2025

NAB 2025: Cobalt Announces Plans to Bring Plug and Play ST 2110 Experience to NAB with Expanded Line of IPMX-Compliant Products

NAB 2025: Cobalt Announces Plans to Bring Plug and Play ST 2110 Experience to NA...

15/03/2025

Student Spotlight: Rachel McFarlane

Student Spotlight: Rachel McFarlane The Canadian composer talks about being drawn to the storytelling power of scoring for film and video games, working with ...

14/03/2025

Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know Emilie Blichfeldt, the Writer-Director of The Ugly Stepsister

By Lucy Spicer One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival...

14/03/2025

Bill Simmons Reflects on Five Years of The Ringer

Time flies when you're having fun and we can confidently say that Bill Simmons, founder of The Ringer and Spotify's Head of Talk Strategy, is having not...

14/03/2025

Call for NFVF Funding Applications To Attend Film Festivals and Markets Taking Place From 14 April 2025 To 31 May 2025.

The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is pleased to announce that the ca...

14/03/2025

NAB Show 2025 Exhibitor Insight: Bitcentral

TV Technology: What do you anticipate will be the most significant technology trends at the 2025 NAB Show?...

14/03/2025

Dalet welcomes you to NAB Show 2025

The Dalet NAB 2025 showcase will feature its market-leading enterprise News, Media Management and Supply Chain solutions designed for faster deployment and acce...

14/03/2025

IMAX to Unveil Breakthrough Quality Innovation for Premiu...

IMAX Corporation (NYSE: IMAX) will debut its latest advancements for premium live streaming at NAB 2025 (booth W1401), introducing new AI-driven technologies d...

14/03/2025

TAG Video Systems and Harmonic Partner to Deliver Enhance...

TAG Video Systems, the leader in software-based IP media probing, monitoring, visualization, and analytics, and Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT), the worldwide leader in...

14/03/2025

Unicanal and Trece TV revolutionize Digital TV in Paragua...

Unicanal and Trece TV, two of Paraguay s leading broadcasters, have successfully launched digital TV services in three main cities: Encarnaci n, Ciudad del Este...

14/03/2025

IP Showcase Returns to 2025 NAB Show With a Focus on IPMX...

The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS), Advanced Media Workflow Association (AMWA), and the Video Services Forum (VSF) today announced that the IP Showcase ...

14/03/2025

Nebraska Public Media Standardizes on Digital Alert Syste...

Digital Alert Systems, the global leader in emergency communications solutions for media providers, today announced that Nebraska Public Media is deploying the ...

14/03/2025

Comcast Technology Solutions Achieves Enhanced QC Efficie...

Interra Systems, a leading provider of end-to-end quality assurance solutions for the digital media industry, today announced that Comcast Technology Solutions ...

14/03/2025

Rightsline Unveils New AI Features and Media Workflow Eff...

At the 2025 National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Show, Rightsline will showcase innovations designed to make rights and royalties management smarter, fast...

14/03/2025

PK Sound Launches Tx Series Intelligent Point Source Modu...

PK Sound, the robotic line array company, has formally released the Tx Series of intelligent multi-purpose point source modules, beginning with the ultra-versat...

14/03/2025

Avid Makes Key Additions to Executive Leadership Team to...

Avid today announced the expansion of its executive leadership team (ELT) with the appointment of three experienced executives: Tom Sharma as Chief Technology ...

14/03/2025

DigitalGlue Invites NAB Visitors to Experience New Featur...

DigitalGlue, a trusted systems integrator and provider of end-to-end media solutions, is redefining storage workflows with its innovative platform, creative.spa...

14/03/2025

CVP Supports Innovative Large Format Short Films Competit...

CVP, one of Europe s leading resellers and providers of professional video and broadcast solutions, is partnering with renowned director and cinematographer Joe...

14/03/2025

Cobalt Announces Plans to Bring Plug and Play ST 2110 Exp...

Cobalt Digital, the leading designer and manufacturer of award-winning signal processing products, and a founding partner in the openGear initiative has announ...

14/03/2025

Keepit named Best Cybersecurity Backup Service by Busines...

Keepit, a global provider of a comprehensive cloud backup and recovery platform, announced today its success at the Business Awards UK, 2025 Cybersecurity and R...

14/03/2025

Lightware simplifies complex AV integrations through stra...

Lightware, an industry-leading manufacturer of signal management solutions, has announced its commitment to fostering strong relationships with top technology c...

14/03/2025

Editing and Color Grading Promo Codes

Editing and Color Grading Promo Codes Kasia Jarco March 14, 2025 0 Comments I wanted to share some promo codes for great tools for your video editing ...

14/03/2025

Singaporean singer-songwriter JJ Lin on Craft, Courage, and Creativity

Singaporean Singer-Songwriter JJ Lin on Craft, Courage, and Creativity The artist shared candid insights into his musical evolution, personal challenges, and ...

14/03/2025

Avid appoints new CTO and grows executive leadership team

Three strategic appointments aims to bolster the leadership team at Avid, reinforcing the companys commitment to remain at the forefront of innovation By Matth...

14/03/2025

Confidence-boosting $215 million funding package announced for Cinesite

Coming at a pivotal time for the sector, the funding underscores Cinesites ambition and confidence in the media and entertainment industry By Matthew Corrigan ...

14/03/2025

Unmissable innovation: previewing NAB Show 2025

Karen Chupka, executive vice president and managing director, NAB Global Connections and Events, gives TVBEurope the lowdown on what visitors can expect at next...

14/03/2025

Avid Appoints New CTO, Adds to Its Executive Leadership Team

BURLINGTON, Mass. Avid has expanded its executive leadership team (ELT) with the appointment of three experienced executives: Tom Sharma as chief technology off...

14/03/2025

TVU Networks Celebrates 20 Years of Innovation at 2025 NAB Show

CUPERTINO, Calif. TVU Networks, a pioneer in live video production and a leader in cloud-based media solutions, is marking its 20th anniversary at the 2025 NAB ...

14/03/2025

Telos Alliance To Demonstrate New Next Generation Audio Features at 2025 NAB Show

Telos Alliance To Demonstrate New Next Generation Audio Features at 2025 NAB Sh...

14/03/2025

Live From THE PLAYERS: RED Cameras Help Cosm Capture Unique Looks for Cosm Venues

Live From THE PLAYERS: RED Cameras Help Cosm Capture Unique Looks for Cosm Venue...

14/03/2025

NWSL Kickoff 2025: League Operations Team Preps for NEP-Driven Remote Productions for CBS, ESPN, ION, NWSL+

NWSL Kickoff 2025: League Operations Team Preps for NEP-Driven Remote Production...

14/03/2025

NWSL Kickoff 2025: Scripps Sports Introduces New On-Air Team for Second Year of Coverage on ION

NWSL Kickoff 2025: Scripps Sports Introduces New On-Air Team for Second Year of ...

14/03/2025

SVG Sit-Down: Marie Margolius on the Thrill of Directing New Prime Video Docuseries For the Win: NWSL

SVG Sit-Down: Marie Margolius on the Thrill of Directing New Prime Video Docuser...

14/03/2025

Live From THE PLAYERS: NBC Sports Tees Up Drone Tracing, Taps Into NEP Compound Connect

Live From THE PLAYERS: NBC Sports Tees Up Drone Tracing, Taps Into NEP Compound ...

14/03/2025

Get a Glimpse of the Epic Battles in First Look at Record of Ragnarok ' Teaser Trailer

Back to All News Get a Glimpse of the Epic Battles in First Look at Record of ...

14/03/2025

Celebrating the Italian Historical Drama Il Gattopardo' Across the Globe

Back to All News Celebrating the Italian Historical Drama Il Gattopardo' Across the Globe The series' creative team speaks at the Rome premiere. Ent...

14/03/2025

The Electric State' Brings Cosmo and The Billbots to Life for a One-of-a-Kind Worldwide Tour

Back to All News The Electric State' Brings Cosmo and The Billbots to Life...

14/03/2025

Thales Delivers the World's First Autonomous Mine Hunting System to the Royal Navy

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Thales has reached a historic milestone by deliv...

14/03/2025

RT 2FM's fresh weekend lineup goes live this Saturday as a host of new presenters take to the airwaves

2FM's fresh weekend lineup goes live this Saturday as a host of new presente...

13/03/2025

You Will Leave Opus Singing the Original Bops Performed by John Malkovich

(L-R) Stephanie Suganami, Tatanka Means, John Malkovich, Ayo Edebiri, and Juliette Lewis attend the premiere of Opus at Eccles Theatre in Park City. (Photo by...

13/03/2025

How Spotify Is Driving Growth, Discovery, and Innovation in the Audiobook Market

Spotify took center stage at the London Book Fair this week, reaffirming our commitment to the audiobook market and showcasing our impact on the publishing indu...

13/03/2025

Spotify Audiobooks Launches a New Publishing Program for Independent Authors

At Spotify, we work every day to lift up new voices, giving creators the opportunity to live off their art. Through Spotify Audiobooks, our in-house publishing ...