Jurassic World: Dominion has resumed shooting in the United Kingdom, making it one of the first blockbusters to do so. The New York Times has now shared an in-depth piece exploring what that means for the production, speaking to director Colin Trevorrow and star Bryce Dallas Howard.
Howard and the rest of the cast were given the opportunity to grill producers and studio executives about the safety precautions they were taking through a series of Zoom calls and emails. After a 107-page safety manual was shared with cast and crew, some of those precautions were revealed to be infrared temperature scanners and "vacuum-sealed meals provided by masked workers standing behind plastic partitions in the takeout-only cafeteria."
The production has also been split in two, with those who don't need access to the set during filming, and the "Green Zone" which includes the director, cast, and essential crew members.
The latter group receive COVID-19 tests three times a week, while sets are cleaned down with an antiviral mist before being used. Actor's chairs are surrounded by orange cones to remind people to social distance, and there are plenty of sinks to remind people to wash their hands. A hotel has also been rented out for the entire cast, and will remain theirs for the duration of shooting.
"For Laura Dern, Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum and all our actors, they were very cautious," Trevorrow explains. "But knowing that we would all be safe together is what really moved the needle. If they hadn’t been willing to come, nothing could have happened. We rehearse on Sundays...every scene that we’re going to shoot that week. We work dialogue together."
"All of those questions that usually come up on set — ‘Why would my character say this?’ — all of that is addressed before," he concludes. As Howard notes, "[In] order to get any of us on a plane, we had to thoroughly understand the protocols, who was involved and hear second and third opinions. We are the guinea pigs who are going to take the leap."
Once filming in the United Kingdom is done, production moves to Malta, the Mediterranean island, for eight days before returning to Pinewood for seven more weeks.
The site also shared a behind the scenes photo showing what a socially distanced set looks like: