Covid-19 Statement
Between March and May 2020, the nation stood up and did their bit to slow the virus down, protect the NHS and ultimately save lives. During this period, while working from home, 1st Option were in constant communication with our clients and location owners talking through safe ways we could start shooting again once the lockdown was lifted. To help protect lives we decided on measures that had to be taken for people to safely open their houses up to the general public without spreading the virus. The tab Restriction Friendly was created for location owners who were happy to take shoots again with rigorous measures in place to enable a safe working environment. Needless to say we can't advise anyone to to start shooting again, if you feel you aren’t ready, however, we do have a fantastic selection of properties for you to consider that do have the measures in place to enable a safe working environment.
Any cancellations from the client as a direct result of the coronavirus will be exempt from our usual cancellation terms, meaning there will be no charge for a client withdrawing a shoot, even at short notice. We will be encouraging the client to reschedule the shoot when the time becomes appropriate. This will be effective immediately, and if you have any issues with this policy then please contact us.
Restriction Friendly Properties
Due to the government guidelines on social distancing many restrictions have had to be put in place to allow for successful socially distanced shooting. We now have guidelines for clients and location owners that must be abided by on health and safety grounds as well as for legal reasons and implications. All our Restriction Friendly properties follow strict guidelines and laws set out by WHO and the government making sure that when a shoot goes ahead, all hygiene regulations and laws pertaining to crew numbers are adhered to by all. All specific rules and regulations for clients and location owners are set out below.
Booking Info
1st Option puts your health and safety before anything else. Making sure that you achieve exactly what you are after in the safest way possible is, as always, our main priority, especially during these uncertain times. So to achieve this, we have had to put caps in place to stop too many people turning up for shoots. For stills we ask for numbers under 10 ideally, however we will make exceptions for crews up to 20 max. If the crew does reach 20 we must ask a Covid H&S Advisor to be present. For filming, we ask for crews of 25 max, however if a Location Manager and Covid H&S Advisor is present we may consider larger shoots.
Helpful Documentation
https://www.a-p-a.net/2020/05/news/16117/
http://britishfilmcommission.org.uk/guidance/regarding-covid-19-coronavirus/
https://www.firstoption.group/course-catalogue/production-safety/managing-covid-19-risks-on-productions--online-course--
Travel
Travel guidelines as stated by the government are strict and must be completely abided by. If you have travelled to a country that is not part of the UK’s travel corridor or air bridge system, you must, due to Coronavirus regulations, self isolate for 14 days upon arrival in the UK. You may check this government guide to see if you are exempt from the 14 day isolation, however if you have even merely touched down in a country that is not exempt, before moving on somewhere else, the same isolation rules apply. Stay up to date with this list here as the system is fluid and countries are being added and taken off daily.