ScreenSkills Safe Return to Set Seminars - Shooting during Covid-19: Pirates

Join the production team from Hillbilly Films as they discuss filming Pirates,  Reggie Yates' feature directorial debut.

Having originally started shooting in late February,  Pirates was forced to shut down production three weeks later due to the coronavirus pandemic. After a six-month hiatus, production resumed in early September, eventually wrapping on 1 October.

This session will explore the challenges of having to suspend filming midway through production and then implement Covid safety measures before shooting could finally resume.  

Speakers will include:

Polly Leys, producer. Polly is the co-founder of Hillbilly Films and Television and has produced or exec produced all of Hillbilly’s output to date. Prior to setting up Hillbilly she co-produced The Full Monty, one of the most successful British films of all time as well as working on films including Palookaville and The Crying Game.

Kate Norrish, producer. Kate is the co-founder of Hillbilly Films and Television. She has produced or exec produced all of Hillbilly’s film and television projects. Before this Kate worked at C4 as managing editor programme support, at Maverick as head of development and as Women in Film and Television’s executive director. 

Dylan Rees, line producer. Dylan began his career as floor manager in live tv, before moving into film. He was the line producer on films such as Blue Story, Perfect 10, After Love and an assortment of other indie films. 

Jeroen Bogaert, 1st AD. Jeroen is a London based 1st AD, known for independent features such as Make Up, Days of the Bagnold Summer, After Love, Mogul Mowgli and many others. Originally from Belgium, Jeroen has previously gained credits in a variety of filmmaking departments and directs his own short films. 

Roxanne Holman, Covid supervisor. Roxanne  is a professional short-form video producer through her production company Joker’s Pack. She has produced many drama shorts and is now working on her first features, and recently also began working as a Covid Supervisor.

The session will be chaired by John Maidens. John is a profoundly-deaf award-winning TV and film director.  He is also an executive producer for the British Sign Language Broadcasting Trust, member of the RTS West of England committee and co-chair of the Directors UK Disability Working Group. John is represented by Sara Putt Associates.

Time will be allowed for Q & A.

Pirates, which was also written by Yates, is a comedy focusing on three friends driving from North to South London on New Year’s Eve 1999 in search of tickets to the supposed hottest party in town. Production took place on location in London.

Who it's for

This one-hour session focuses on the practical ramifications of the coronavirus, and is aimed at those working in film who are either back, or gearing up to return to production.

This ScreenSkills Safe Return to Set Seminar is part of a series designed to complement the Working Safely During Covid-19 guidance produced by a working party for film and high-end television convened by the British Film Commission (BFC) as part of the BFI’s Screen Sector Task Force. The session is supported by ScreenSkills using National Lottery funds awarded by the BFI as part of the Future Film Skills programme.

This session will take place online via Zoom. Click ‘get ticket’ to reserve your place: you must login or register before you are able to get a ticket for this event. A booking confirmation with a joining link to the session will be sent to you via email.

If you are no longer able to use your ticket, we ask you to please contact support@screenskills.com so that we can release your place. Our sessions are often oversubscribed, so we’d like to give other freelancers the opportunity to fill available spots. Thank you for your consideration.