Film Editors United chalks out plan for video editors to resume work 

The Maharashtra government and the film industry have set-up guidelines to resume shoots of film, television serials, web-series and advertisements. But not much attention has been given to the process of post-production, especially editing. 

So, the Producers’ Guild of India, the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE), the Indian Motion Pictures Producers’ Association (IMPPA), the Western Indian Film Producers’ Association (WIFPA) and Marathi Chitrapat Mahamandal (MCM) have shared detailed guidelines and safety measures for video editors to resume work during lockdown 5.0. They have been formulated by the Film Editors United. 

Some of these guidelines include, working from home, maintaining high level of cleanliness, keeping commercial editing studios as the last choice of work space, providing pick-up and drop facilities and food, health insurance, sanitization and PPEs, etc. They also mentioned that the above rules apply to even those who are not members of any association. 

The guidelines have been appreciated by filmmaker Hansal Mehta. He wrote on Twitter, “Sensible guidelines from the Film Editors United for a phased and safe resumption of work in the film industry, particularly editing and other post production departments. This document lists out practical ways to resume work while ensuring safety for professionals. I endorse it.” 

We spoke to Pramod Naidu, who is into video editing and direction, and asked if he would be willing to join work if editing and post-production begins this week. He said, “Definitely I will. They had to open it because two and a half months is a lot of time. One thing is confirmed, if you are taking precautions personally and the other person is also doing the same, I am sure it will not spread or affect. If a person is sitting three-four feet away from you, it is possible to work,” he said. 

Naidu feels a major issue regarding COVID-19 is misinformation. “I have done research regarding WHO (World Health Organization) and other doctors and I have realized there is a lot of misinformation, like it spreads through air,” he said. “If a corona patient is sitting some distance away with a mask and you are also wearing a mask and gloves, it is very difficult for that molecule to pass through your nose or hands.”

But he believes it’s a different ball game for actors. “It can be a problem for actors. They can’t stay far all the time and they can’t wear masks as well,” he said.