Filming of Season 2..?

[DEWLine]

When your star is high-risk, you've gotta be extra careful. They should just move it all to Canada. It's safer there.

Flattered by the implication, but we're starting to see some new spiking in our infection rates in several provinces. Including BC and Ontario, where CBS would likely prefer to set up filming if they were to move PIC up here. Let's make sure we're secure at my country's end of things before we bring this cast and crew up here, okay?

 

[Danja]

Flattered by the implication, but we're starting to see some new spiking in our infection rates in several provinces. Including BC and Ontario, where CBS would likely prefer to set up filming if they were to move PIC up here. Let's make sure we're secure at my country's end of things before we bring this cast and crew up here, okay?

I doubt they'll do it. Moving sets is an expensive proposition (Birds of Prey did it and it sank the show).

I trust Secret Hideout is smarter than that.

 

[Lord Garth]

In the Disco Forum, @MrPicard said he heard the cast and crew for DSC had to self-quarantine for two weeks and then wouldn't be able to leave the studio until filming was complete, so they'd be living in temporary housing. Link to the thread in question.

It might turn out to be the same case for PIC.

 

[Danja]

In the Disco Forum, @MrPicard said he heard the cast and crew for DSC had to self-quarantine for two weeks and then wouldn't be able to leave the studio until filming was complete, so they'd be living in temporary housing. Link to the thread in question.

It might turn out to be the same case for PIC.

It might explain why it's taking so long to get back up and running.

Finding temporary housing for 50+ people certainly adds a new wrinkle to things.

 

[Alexander Corrino]

I didn’t say it was DSC’s cast, I just read that this how filming is sometimes done in general now because it’s basically the only way to make sure no one gets infected. Sorry if I was unclear.

It does make sense to me tho - I mean if you have your entire cast and crew coming and going as they please and attend parties or other events and whatnot after work, the risks of infection are huge. I would assume this rule is being enforced by making people sign a contract (complete with a “we will sue you for millions of dollars if you endanger anyone” paragraph) or something, but this is entirely speculation on my part. I still wouldn’t trust this tho. All it takes is ONE person not being careful. ONE. I’m also not sure if Sir Patrick would agree to this whole thing. Especially not if they move production to Canada - one reason why they shot PIC in LA was because he wanted to stay in LA and go home after shooting (which is why he bought a house in LA not too long ago). He’s 80 years old, he needs stuff and things and he himself has said he needs help with some things and I’m just not sure he’d be happy with living in a hotel room for months on end.

 

[The Wormhole]

I remember reading somewhere online that something like that was being done with the Jurassic World movie currently being filmed, the studio rented an entire hotel for the cast and crew to stay at during production, in which they are basically sequestered within when not filming.

Indeed, I can see this being a very popular option for TV and movie production during the pandemic. Tourism is not a thing anymore, so these hotels face very real financial threats because of the pandemic. So, productions commandeering the hotels for their cast and crew basically provide the hotels a means of staying in business, and there's practically no chance of inconveniencing tourists, since there are no tourists anymore.

 

[Llywela]

Sequestering the cast and crew is fraught with complications, though, over a period of potentially months - especially for those with young families.

 

[Danja]

Sequestering the cast and crew is fraught with complications, though, over a period of potentially months - especially for those with young families.

It's one thing if you're filming a feature film (once the shooting's over, that's it).

Doing it with a TV show is something else entirely.

 

[Alexander Corrino]

It sure sounds like a very exhausting experience to me, especially since the production would be very rushed in order to reduce hotel costs and they’d stuff each day as full as they can in order to finish ASAP and whatnot. Sir Patrick definitely can’t do the weekly hours anymore that he did on TNG. (He now needs a nap in the afternoon, for one thing.) This is yet another reason why I have a difficult time imagining him saying yes to this whole idea.

 

[The Wormhole]

Sequestering the cast and crew is fraught with complications, though, over a period of potentially months - especially for those with young families.

Oh, indeed. I can also see it being problematic for productions with child actors, since in that case they also need to provide accommodations for at least one parent and a tutor. And in the case of TV shows, who knows how they'd sort things out with one-off guest stars.

 

[jackoverfull]

Other shows are filming with the actors not being six feet apart. I assume with rigorous testing.

I've been on a film set in July, the only differences from usual were that we all had to be tested (I got tested on a Friday, the shooting was on Wednesday, got my results on location but had been told that I would have been warned on Monday had I been positive) and everybody was required to wear masks while indoors at all times unless you were actively working (either in a scene, or you were part of the crew and doing something…To summarise, you had to wear a mask while waiting, basically).

The scene was set in a huge ballroom with a lot of ventilation, but I don't think this was strictly because of the Covid-19 issue, probably just a lucky coincidence.

This was one of the firsts productions to resume in Italy after the lockdown, the security personnel were very strict on masks in the beginning, starting with a recap of the Covid-19 safety precautions first thing in the morning, but I noticed things were way more relaxed after several hours.

I'll be on set again in a week or so, it will be interesting to see how things have changed in the past couple of months.

Please note that this experience concerns a single production in Italy, other productions may do things differently, especially in other states.

 

[Noname Given]

When your star is high-risk, you've gotta be extra careful. They should just move it all to Canada. It's safer there.

Patrick Stewart doesn't want to film in Canada he wants to film close to home. <---- CBS would probably love it if the show switched to filming in Canada because it would be a lot cheaper for them. And let's face it Patrick Stewart doesn't need the job - and they had to do a lot to talk him into reprising his role in the first place.

 

[Alexander Corrino]

Patrick Stewart doesn't want to film in Canada he wants to film close to home. <---- CBS would probably love it if the show switched to filming in Canada because it would be a lot cheaper for them. And let's face it Patrick Stewart doesn't need the job - and they had to do a lot to talk him into reprising his role in the first place.

I wouldn’t be surprised (or unhappy) if things fell apart in some way over something. It wouldn’t be the first time - he almost walked away from Nemesis back in the day because negotiations were becoming incredibly tedious. His patience has limits, especially since he indeed doesn’t need the job/money. AND he wants to do theater work again at some point, before the virus hit he was planning on playing Lear. He’s not gonna shove all his other work aside just because someone from Star Trek calls. (I know there are contracts and whatnot but I’m pretty sure they didn’t take this virus into account.) I would also not be surprised if CBS shelved the entire show and said it’ll be continued in novels or comics or whatever. They have a lot of other shows coming up, they don’t HAVE to continue this one.

 

[Danja]

I would also not be surprised if CBS shelved the entire show and said it’ll be continued in novels or comics or whatever. They have a lot of other shows coming up, they don’t HAVE to continue this one.

The show has been renewed for a second season.

It wasn't uncommon for fans of The Sopranos to wait TWO YEARS between seasons.

 

[Alexander Corrino]

I know they renewed it. But it wouldn’t be the first show that turns into a victim of that virus. I believe there’s a series called Stumptown or something that was also previously renewed for a second season but has now been canceled due to current circumstances. It’s not unheard of. I’m not saying it’s going to happen to PIC (there are others in the fandom who enjoy banging this particular drum), I’m just saying it wouldn’t totally come out of the blue if it did.

 

[RAMA]

I've heard 2 things: filming in January, and more recently a 2020 start instead. I'm trying to get a better confirmation of this.

RAMA

 

[The Wormhole]

IIRC, Jonathan Frakes has said he's been contacted about directing an episode in January, lending more credence to that than a 2020 start date.

 

[Danja]

IIRC, Jonathan Frakes has said he's been contacted about directing an episode in January, lending more credence to that than a 2020 start date.

Ryan has supposedly mentioned January as well.

 

[Sci]

I would also not be surprised if CBS shelved the entire show and said it’ll be continued in novels or comics or whatever. They have a lot of other shows coming up, they don’t HAVE to continue this one.

Star Trek: Picard is one of the signature programs of CBS All Access. This is a streaming network that is banking on Star Trek shows being its workhorse that draws in enough subscribers to keep afloat and finance the production of other series. I promise -- I promise you -- CBS All Access will move Heaven and Earth and drive however many dump-trucks full of $100 bills onto Sir Patrick's front lawn it takes to meet his demands and keep him aboard for Season Two.

A season he has shown no reluctance about participating in, mind.

 

[Danja]

Star Trek: Picard is one of the signature programs of CBS All Access. This is a streaming network that is banking on Star Trek shows being its workhorse that draws in enough subscribers to keep afloat and finance the production of other series.

CBSAA is slated to convert to Paramount+ early next year (all of their online outlets -- Nickelodeon, BET, Comedy Central, Showtime, etc.) are going to be merged into one online portal.