Statewide Stats
New York City is the last of the state’s 10 regions to enter Phase 1 of the reopening plan, which was laid out by Gov. Andrew Cuomo and other state officials a few weeks back. Outside of essential businesses that are already open, other industries that will reopen within the city include:
Construction Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, and Hunting Retail (Limited to curbside or in-store pickup or drop off) Manufacturing Wholesale Trade
Seven metrics must be met before a district can enter Phase 1. An ongoing monitoring of these metrics must continue to take place before a district can enter its each subsequent Phase.
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Most of the other regions – mainly those upstate – are already in Phase 2 of the plan. The Mid-Hudson Valley and Long Island regions are the only other ones still in Phase 1. However, according to the State’s coronavirus website, they’re on track to enter Phase 2 on June 9 and June 10, respectively.
Filming in NY State
Based on New York State’s Business Reopening Lookup Tool, most production-related fields are not approved for operation in areas that are still in Phase 1 (unless they were already deemed essential businesses at the outbreak of the pandemic). The Association of Independent Commercial Producers gives an easy outline of which businesses (via NAICS codes) are still barred from operation in Phase 1, including Production and Postproduction Services. Distribution is open in some Phase 1 areas but is limited to wholesale trade only. Areas that are in Phase 2 can (re)start principal photography, but only with no more than 10 people on set. Qualified shoots must also comply with industry-specific guidelines and any new state-issued rules that come out in the following weeks. Some companies will likely seize the new reopening opportunities, such as the Liverpool, NY-based American High, located in the Central New York region. Since Cuomo’s initial PAUSE orders went into effect on March 22, the company has shifted to the production of 3D-printed face masks for healthcare workers. But that doesn’t mean they’re not eager to get back into film production. “…[O]nce we can ensure the safety of our cast and crew, we’re excited to get the cameras rolling,” said producer Will Phelps back on June 3.
Filming in the Big Apple
Production in the city will not be so quick to spring back. NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio says the city likely won’t enter Phase 2 until July at the earliest. De Blasio’s mayoral Office of Media and Entertainment has also stated that it will not issue any filming permits through at least June 15. Deadline’s Dade Hayes describes the economic impact this production slowdown will have on the city as a whole: It’s important to remember that all this analysis is just concerning film production, too. Film exhibition is largely considered “arts and entertainment”, which is a part of the state’s fourth and final reopening Phase. None of the state’s 10 regions are even close to entering Phase 4 any time soon. As such, movie theaters will remain closed for the foreseeable future. (The one exception to this rule is drive-in movie theaters, which can open in Phase 2, but are relatively scant throughout the state.)
Novel Coronavirus Update
New York State has been an epicenter of the United States’ novel coronavirus outbreak, with over 378,000 tested-positive cases and over 24,000 related fatalities to date. New York City in particular has had 207,000 of those tested-positive cases. While the number of new cases has been declining in recent days, there are still hundreds of new cases being reported every day. As of this writing, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports just over 1.9 million cases within the United States, including over 110,000 related deaths. The World Health Organization reports over 6.9 million cases of the virus worldwide (124,000 of which are new) and more than 400,000 deaths. Keep abreast on our reporting of the outbreak as it pertains to the entertainment industry here. Stay inside if you can, stay healthy, and stay safe. Leave your thoughts on New York City’s reopening and the state’s slow rollout of film production (via Deadline, AICP, and Syracuse.com) and this article below and in the comments section. Readers seeking to support this type of content can visit our Patreon Page and become one of FilmBook’s patrons. Readers seeking more movie news can visit our Movie News Page and our Movie News Twitter Page. Want up-to-the-minute notifications? FilmBook staff members publish articles by Email, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, and Flipboard.
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