Film industry update: How a shot-in-B.C. show will resume production safely

Film and TV production prepares to resume Shawn Williamson, producer of The Good Doctor, joins us as the film industry in B.C. is given the green light to restart production.

Vancouver — After months of COVID-related closures, B.C.'s film and TV industry has been green lit to resume production. But how will the industry ensure thousands of workers back on set stay safe?

CTV Morning Live spoke to Shawn Williamson, producer of "The Good Doctor," about what will be different as the cast and crew reunites.

The show, which airs on CTV, is shot in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, and Williamson said preparations are underway for a restart next month.

Williamson said Tuesday that the preparations started about three weeks ago, "but the protocols are entirely different to what we're used to."

Provincial agency WorkSafeBC has issued guidelines to the industry. Each studio is taking a different approach, Williamson said, but cast and crew on "The Good Doctor" are screened as they arrive at work each day.

A nurse checks their temperature, and asks questions about their health.

Masks are worn throughout the offices and stages, and hand sanitizer stations have been installed in the area.

Sets are being altered to allow more room for physical distancing, and camera operators are using cranes to get further from the show's cast.

Williamson said the quarantine rules are likely the biggest challenge.

Anyone travelling to B.C. from outside the country is required to quarantine for 14 days. During that time, they cannot attend work in person, though some are able to work remotely.

The show's cinematographer just finished his two weeks of isolation, and the lead, U.K. actor Freddie Highmore, is currently in quarantine in B.C., Williamson said.

"It is workable, it's just it creates new challenges. Some of them are financial, and some of them, of course, are mental health issues," he said.

"Somebody in a small hotel room stuck without any real connection for two weeks presents challenges," he said.

Highmore is here with his partner after leaving a cottage "somewhere in the middle of England," Williamson said, and is in touch daily with colleagues.

"He loves Vancouver, they're both happy here, so that isn't tough."

Watch the full interview above for more from Williamson's interview.