KUALA LUMPUR, June 5 ― Malaysian filmmakers heaved a sigh of relief when the National Security Council signalled recently that they could resume production shoots from June 10.
After all, it had been three months since the entertainment industry, like so many others deemed non-essential services, shuddered to a halt with the government’s movement control order (MCO) to curb the spread of the highly infectious Covid-19 coronavirus.
The National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas) has also issued a letter calling association representatives for a briefing session today to discuss the next steps related to filming processes.
Actress Lina Teoh expressed relief that Finas was finally engaging industry players.
“It is important for us all to work together to make sure that everyone remains safe during filming.
“The wellbeing of crew and casts are responsibilities of a producer and that is why we need a good set of SOPs that address all layers of production and all forms of content production nature,” Teoh, who is also executive director of The Malaysian Documentary Association (MyDocs) told Malay Mail when contacted.
Several other filmmakers also saw the announcement that they could resume activities positively, but were anxious that there had been little information with regards standard operating procedures on activities at production sets from now on.
“There are many things involved in a production ― there is scheduling, planning, pre-production and post-production ― and with the MCO in mind there could be a need to rewrite scripts to accommodate the SOPs set.
“But without the availability of the SOPs, there is no way of knowing how to plan accordingly and be absolutely prepared with health safety as Covid-19 is still out there,” Sabah-born filmmaker Nadira Ilana told Malay Mail when contacted.
The independent filmmaker behind the documentary received a message that Finas is holding a briefing session today for association representatives.
The invitation letter that was sighted by Malay Mail was undersigned by Finas' Corporate Communications Unit stated that the SOPs and other questions in relation to the resumption of filming would be made available on June 9 on Finas' website.
Nadira expressed concern that there was still no guideline on filming SOPs on official channels with less than a week to resumption of filming activities despite a prior announcement by Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
On May 20, Ismail Sabri announced that filming could resume after Hari Raya Aidilfitri, without giving an exact date.
However, he said there would be SOPs to follow, including capping the number of people (crew and cast) involved in a film shoot to 20, making sure makeup artists wear face shields while working and barring meals from being served buffet style on sets. Castings were also to be conducted through online platforms.
The long wait
Nadira was puzzled that the government had taken so long to come up with the SOPs for the filming industry, comparing Malaysia’s situation to its neighbours and claimed that their governments had engaged industry players long before filming approval was granted.
“It took more than 60 days since MCO began for the government to announce that film productions can resume after Hari Raya holidays and this announcement was made before the finalisation and release of filming SOPs.
“Who is writing these SOPs if Finas' new chairman and new board of directors were only announced last week?” she asked, adding that the lengthy wait had resulted in confusion and anxiety for industry players, with rumours and unofficial versions of supposed safety guidelines circulated through informal channels.
“These miscommunications may have caused stalls in production plans.
“It also resulted in several associations coming up with their own SOPs which could be health risks if they are not in accordance with what is approved by the Health Ministry,” Nadira added.
The appointment of the new Finas chairman, businessman and community activist Zakaria Abd Hamid, and his deputy, Yayasan KRU president Datuk Norman Abdul Halim, was announced on May 24.
Nine other new board members were also appointed and will serve until May 22, 2022.
Fed-up of waiting
Another filmmaker based in Sabah who goes by the name Katak Chua said he has been focused on collaborating with filmmakers abroad as there has been no clear SOP or guidelines from the government throughout the MCO since it was first imposed in March.
“It is frustrating because we cannot plan our shoots as we do not know how many people we can involve in a production, especially when there is an element of social distancing that we need to follow,” he told Malay Mail.
Chua who is also Kota Kinabalu Film and Video Association president added that he could only work on small scale productions that require fewer than 10 people.
“But if I want to shoot a short feature film, it involves about 40 people at one time.
“If the SOPs set does limit the number to 20, I won't be able to carry on with my shoot. But now, we know nothing.
“On top of that, I also could not obtain a permit to shoot a short feature which I have planned due to regulations set under MCO,” he said.
Insurance
Wayang Works' Muhammad Bahir said there is a need for a set of SOPs as soon as possible to ensure that safety of production crew and cast are taken in account.
Mo, as he is better known in the industry, said production insurance does not cover incidents that are related to Covid-19.
“So if one of our crew or cast falls sick due to Covid-19 the insurance does not cover this.
“But without a set of SOPs, it is hard for insurance companies to even revise the insurance package.
“This is another concern that we have and right now, we are all in the dark,” he said.
He added that to resume filming is not as simple as picking up a camera and shooting.
“The government doesn't really understand how the industry works because if they did, they would know that it takes some time for us to prepare before we can resume shooting,” he added.
No impossible SOPs please
The maker of Rise: Ini Kalilah Nik Amir Mustapha said that the government releases the SOP in the next few days, filmmakers will have time to prepare the requirements.
He hopes the SOPs will not be too tough, such as requiring all cast and crew to be screened for Covid-19 prior to starting a shoot.
“For me, I'd be filming a drama, there will be about 50 people involved. It will cost about RM20,000.
“That's additional cost and I would have to think about how to get that covered.
“And if the SOPs do not allow me to have so many on set, I'd have to rewrite the entire script to accommodate the SOPs,” he said.
Nik Amir is sceptical that local filmmakers will be able to begin shooting immediately on June 10 even if the SOPs are given in the next few days.
“At the rate things are going, I am already prepared to postpone shooting until September.
“But what about the filming crew? Many of them live on a daily wage. What is going to happen to them if the majority of film producers decide to postpone filming as well?
“What is the government doing to help this group of people?” he asked.
