Published on: 28 October 2020 in Campaigns

Directors UK releases Working Under COVID: Advice for Factual Directors

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Today Directors UK is proud to release Working Under COVID: Advice for Factual Directors, a new framework designed to support safe working on factual productions under COVID-19 conditions.

Factual directors frequently have responsibilities beyond those encountered in drama or scripted production, and this means the challenges they face are multifaceted and unpredictable. On top of this, factual directors have often had to contend with unsafe working conditions that affect both physical and mental health. 

COVID-19 has only exacerbated these risks, and the need for structured advice is clear. That’s why Directors UK have produced Working Under COVID: Advice for Factual Directors — in collaboration with working factual directors, Directors UK Board Member and factual director Nic Guttridge, legal counsel Prash Naik and safety consultants First Option — to offer factual directors a structured approach to decision making that helps ensure their own safety and that of their crew and contributors.

Find out more about Working Under COVID: Advice for Factual Directors.

Speaking today, Nic Guttridge said: “Even under ordinary conditions, stories about excessive hours, painful schedules, and a lack of adequate support on location make it clear that safety standards have not always been met within factual production. But this pandemic gives us an opportunity to reset the dial and build a better industry – one in which our ‘new normal’ is kinder, more inclusive, and more human-focused. And in which safety for all is unquestionably the highest of priorities.”

The advice equips directors with the right questions to ask in order to interrogate their editorial vision, production planning and the practicalities of filming through the filter of COVID-19. 


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