So thankfully, getting back to work isn’t as easy as it first seemed for the folks intending to resume filming in the C-ent industry. Many of us were pretty concerned about the unnecessary health risks the major filming studios were taking when they first announced that it will be business as usual once work resumed a few weeks ago.
Turns out Hengdian Studios was pretty serious about the measures they were taking to ensure the cast and crew’s safety while on location. So aside from the crew having to resume work in batches and being quarantined for 14 days upon arrival in Hengdian, they are also required to pass an online examination with flying colours before they can even be vetted. And by flying colours they mean that you have to score a perfect 10 (in this case a 100) in the Coronavirus test before they let you loose in the studios. According to industry insiders, the way things are set up, Hengdian requires ALL cast and crew to take an online test with a total of 25 questions about the epidemic. These include multiple choice questions as well as situational questions that test your judgement. If you score 100, your name will then be included in a control list which management will submit to the government for assessment together with pertinent materials versus the actual situation on the ground.
Truth be told I’m not quite sold on how passing a test will work – sure it will be able to assess how much you know to prevent spreading the virus as well as how you’d react in certain situations. I guess that’s a good step in the right direction. But then say the stars of the drama failed the exam, what happens next? Do they get to take another test with X number of tries only. And what if they fail all the retests? Does this mean the drama can still go on filming all the scenes that don’t require the leads or will they just stop filming altogether? I’m kinda stumped on this one. But then it looks like the number of cast and crew returning back to work is still pretty small, let’s wait and see.
