As soon as the COVID-19 pandemic started back in February, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, took the necessary measures to keep people safe. This was done in a wonderfulway that allowed the economy to continue without suffering a drastic drop. This included putting movie productions on hold among other measures.
After all, the shows must go on, and in New Zealand, producers have taken some interesting safety measures.
No Live Audience Allowed
First of all, many shows in New Zealand use a live audience to make shows more interactive and responsive. Unfortunately, this has to stop, at least for the time being. However, show recording has continued making sure of all the safety measures recommended by the WHO and New Zealand’s government.
Shows like TVNZ’s Have You Been Paying Attention? and MediaWorks’ The Project, among other magazine-type shows, have ditched live audiences too. However, a few morning shows, including The AM Show are still inviting outsiders to the recordings, offering people a cleaning station with sanitizer, tissues, and such.
Completely Shut Down Productions
The Lord of the Rings TV show in Auckland has stopped its production for the foreseeable future to avoid coronavirus spread among production team and artists. In the UK, Australia, and the US, the production of The Walking Dead, The Handmaid’s Tale, and even The Amazing Race has also stopped for now.
In Other Parts of the World
In other parts of the world, handshakes have changed, leaving elbow bumps and bows a clear way as the preferred way to say hi to anyone. In the US, presenters like James Corden, Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, and Stephen Colbert have stopped recording in front of live audiences and now do interviews via Zoom.
New Zealand takes safety very seriously and although not using live audiences may make shows seem a bit duller, it’s best to be safe than sorry later on. Don’t worry, as many NZ-based shows are currently running on TV while you wait for new content to drop.