Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1277960
Summer 2020 – LOCAL695.ORG 41 Back to School Season: How to Prepare for the Return to Work in Hollywood by James Delhauer Our industry has changed. A disease that would have felt right at home in a dystopian sci-fi fl ick brought the world grinding to a halt and Hollywood stopped right alongside everything else. The soundstages, sports arenas, and production sets where we make our art have been quietly empty for months. Debate continues to revolve around new safety etiquette and protocols to be implemented on set and while strict regulations have yet to be codifi ed. It has become apparent that all of our jobs will have been changed by the pandemic by the time we return to them. For 695 Video Engineers—whose responsibilities can include media playback, on-set chroma keying, off-camera recording, copying fi les from camera media to external storage devices, backup and redundancy creation, transcoding with or without previously created LUT's, quality control, and syncing and recording copies for the purpose of dailies creation—our role is going to become critical. With what time remains before a full-scale reopening, it is highly recommended that industry workers take advantage of current learning opportunities and endeavor to prepare themselves to meet these new challenges. The fi rst and most important priority going forward is safety. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) advisories regarding sanitation, wearing masks, and social distancing are still in effect and should be adhered to strictly. Beyond that, it is imperative that workers familiarize themselves with the industry white papers and documentation being compiled by the IA, DGA, SAG-AFTRA, the AMPTP, the Teamsters, and the studios. These protocols are for the protection of everyone and must be followed consistently and correctly if they are to be effective. To do this, everyone on set must have a thorough understanding of what these new protocols entail. Moreover, it would be wise to look up local city, county, and state health guidelines for any production on which you are hired as different regions present different degrees of risk. On an equally important note, the coronavirus has either created or exacerbated negative mental health issues across the world. After months out of work, civil unrest, and seemingly unending uncertainty, emotional burnout is a growing problem. As we strive to navigate this brave new world, it is crucial that personal well-being and care be taken into account. Depression and anxiety, which have become pandemics in their own right, impair executive function and will make returning to work more diffi cult for many. Fortunately, there are many mental health resources available. Mental health services are available through the MPI Health Plan, the Motion Picture and Television Fund, Optum Health Services, and many private health insurance plans. Optum Health, in particular, is the mental health service provided through the MPI and should be taken advantage of by those to whom it is available. If you do not qualify, services such as BetterHelp and TalkSpace work with individuals to match clients with a licensed counselor at a price that they can afford. There are also public and private agencies available to help those in need of low- or no-cost mental health services that can be found by searching for "Federally Qualifi ed Health Centers" within a local community. For daily guided meditations and assisted relaxation, the app Headspace is currently available for free for those who have lost their jobs as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.