#Hollywood reopen plan stops short of sacrificing ‘intimate scenes’ #BusinessNews

Hollywood wants badly to reopen — but not enough to give up the hot-and-heavy make-out scenes.

In a 22-page document provided to the governors of New York  and California on Monday, Hollywood studios made their case for restarting TV and film production. And while the report is mainly filled with no-brainer recommendations, including that cast and crew members wear masks, wash their hands and social distance when possible, it also includes some headscratchers.

For example, while acknowledging that certain activities “such as fight scenes or intimate scenes increase the risk of transmission,” it stops short of vowing to put those activities on hold. “Whenever possible, performers shall practice physical distancing,” the report says.

And immediately after filming such scenes, “the performers shall put on their PPE and/or physically distance themselves.”

It also recommends keeping unruly children away — unless, of course, they are filming. And warns against the petting of cute animal actors when the camera is not rolling.

“As minors may have difficulty adhering to physical distancing, wearing PPE, and practicing hand hygiene, when not working, they should be relocated to a secure off-set location to the extent possible,” the report advises before turning to animal performers.

“Animals should not be handled by others except those necessary for shooting a scene (i.e., no petting, cuddling, feeding). All those involved in touching animals should perform hand hygiene before and after.”

The white paper — penned by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, a group comprised of Hollywood studios, as well as Dr. Daniel Uslan, an infectious disease specialist at UCLA Medical Center — was meant to be submitted several weeks ago. But it was held up several times by unions representing Hollywood directors and actors, sources said.

The white paper is considered an important first step for Hollywood studios to get back to work as stay-at-home orders begin to lift in the US.

“The white paper is the result of an industrywide collaborative effort made up of production companies, unions and guilds to provide governments with a set of guidelines and principles to safely resume production,” said  AMPTP rep Jarryd Gonzales. “The next step is for governments to review the set of guidelines for their consideration.”