SET- UP | TAKES FROM THE BUNKER
LIFE AFTER LOCKDOWN I NTERV I EW What does the future hold for productions post-Covid-19? Jeremy Braben, DOP and founder of Helicopter Film Services, looks ahead
QUEST IONS JUL I AN M I TCHELL
DEFINITION: Hi Jeremy, with the lockdown in the UK ongoing, what impact is this having on your business? JEREMY BRABEN: Well, there’s not much happening to be honest. Like most businesses, we were shut down pretty much overnight. A 100% of the productions that we were on – and those that were coming up – were all cancelled. DEF: Where does this leave you? Have any of the films and productions promised to keep you on? JB: We’ve had a few discussions. Some productions have said that as soon as they can get up and running they will. Others have been a little less positive, but are saying that they are committed now to making the film. Some of the problems might come when productions are back up and running, whenever that might be. What happens to those staff, including the principal actors, who are already engaged on contracts going forward? So, are the productions that are currently stalled, because of Covid-19, going to be able to just pick up as soon as the threat of the virus is gone? Or is there going
ABOVE A Typhon2 six-camera array mounted on to a Helicopter Film Services’ helicopter
DEF: I’m sure you’ve read about the emergency fund that has been announced for freelancers, what is your opinion on that? JB: I did hear about it and I’ve tried to decipher what’s going on. It’s great that freelancers are now recognised; that was a big worry for a lot of my crew. But they are a lot of people who, although freelance to me, are directors of their own companies who pay themselves a tiny salary with the rest paid as dividends and, of course, dividends are not compensated for. So, there has to be some recognition for small business owners, of which I am one, where we only pay ourselves what the business
to be a lag while other productions call on the actors and DOPs and whoever else, but have contracts rolling on from their current one? DEF: What do you think will happen if this is the case? JB: I’d like to think it’s going to be as simple as picking up where we left off. Part of me wants to think that those productions yet to start haven’t gone into their prep time, which they will need. I’m hoping that it will be a hiatus of around three months and then everything will just slot in and carry on from that period – it’s probably wishful thinking.
06 DEF I N I T ION | MAY 2020
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