Episode 151: How COVID-19 changed the Vancouver film and television industry

The YVR Screen Scene Podcast

One year ago this week, COVID-19 shut down the Vancouver film and television industry. On March 12, 2020, The CW suspended production on Riverdale when a crew member was reported to have been exposed to COVID; by March 15, cameras had stopped rolling on every single production in the province. By summer, the cameras were rolling again, but production looked and felt more than a little different. Gone were buffet lunches and a free-for-all at craft services. Daily temperature checks were expected, as were regular COVID testing and PPE. COVID seemed to touch every aspect of production, from how scenes were written to auditioning to waste management. And yet, cameras rolled – but at what cost? In this special episode of the YVR Screen Scene Podcast, Sabrina speaks to Zach Lipovsky, film and television director and caucus representative with the British Columbia Branch of the Directors Guild of Canada, actress Sharon Taylor, and Zena Harris, founder of Green Spark Group, about the ways that COVID-19 has transformed the Vancouver film and television industry. Episode sponsor: Jules Sherred’s DisabilityAndFood.Art exhibit