Movie and television projects have started filming in the region again, but the sets, rules and routine have changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s been working. We’ve had a few [coronavirus test] positives, but for the most part they’re catching them and contact-tracing,” said Dawn Keezer, the Pittsburgh Film Office’s director, during an appearance Thursday as part of the Pittsburgh Technology Council’s virtual “Business as Usual” series.
“Most importantly, our union folks are back to work.”
Two Netflix shows are now filming in the Pittsburgh area: the horror series “Archive 81” and the Sandra Oh dramedy, “The Chair.” The Showtime series “Rust,” which shut down production last March, is in pre-production mode and set to start filming again almost a year after it was forced to hit pause.
“The Chair” has begun production in the area around Chatham University in Squirrel Hill, according to signs in the neighborhood. It has been searching for extras since January, and every Mosser Casting call details the strict quarantining and on-set health protocols put in place.
During her “Business as Usual” chat, Ms. Keezer discussed how entertainment companies and unions nationwide have worked together to craft safety rules that would allow them to return to work. She said that in terms of air-tight filming environments, Netflix has “set the gold standard, so we’re thrilled they’re the ones that are here.”
She said Netflix has its own team of COVID-19 safety officers and does its own on-site testing. Its crews enforce red, yellow and green zones while on set — slightly different terminology than what has become the industry standard during the pandemic.
The red zone — the area closest to the camera and filming — has the strictest protocols because of the number of unmasked actors there at any given time. The yellow zone is larger and less restricted, although anyone with yellow-zone credentials cannot move into the red zone. The green zone is the most relaxed area on a set, and it is the place where crew members can remove their masks to eat.
Ms. Keezer said she will do whatever it takes to keep as many of the region’s approximately 5,000 entertainment-industry workers employed as she can. About 1,000 are currently working on various productions, she said.
Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and other streaming services have shown increased interest in bringing projects to Pittsburgh, she noted. TV and film work usually generates between $100 million and $150 million for the local economy, Ms. Keezer said, but that number dipped to somewhere near $85 million for 2020 because of the pandemic.
Thanks to the state’s film tax credits and other amenities on hand for filmmakers, she expects to see Hollywood doing its thing in the Steel City for a long time to come.
“People are running out of content,” Ms. Keezer said. “There’s so much pent-up demand, and they love coming here. ... If you don’t need a beach or a desert, we’re your place to be.”
Joshua Axelrod: jaxelrod@post-gazette.com and Twitter @jaxel222.
First Published: February 4, 2021, 8:20 p.m.
