cameragod
Well-known member
Edward Lawrence posted some great advice for those of us still working out there
CORONAVIRUS – my personal advice for shoot/ edits and video journalists.
Hello everyone, I'm one of the BBC's China camera journalists and I've been covering the coronavirus story on the ground here since Jan - including a trip into locked-down Hubei province on the frontline. I've outlined some of my thoughts below. These are the precautions my team and I have been taking. I must stress that this isn't any sort of official BBC guidance or advice (I don't want to be quoted in any tabloid media). This is purely my personal thoughts on the precautions I've been taking. I'm three months in...
By no means has our coverage or work stopped at any point (I was even cutting in quarantine). Despite the virus, we’ve still been out on the road when we can, we’ve voxd people when we can and when we think it’s safe to do so, and we’ve been producing pieces as much as we can. It’s just that we’ve had to think differently about how we do things – and in some instances find different ways to tell the story or even conduct interviews.
For those of you who've also been covering the virus, feel free to add thoughts/ chat below. It's important that we all (staff or freelance) have open discussions about safety. Most importantly, it's nothing to panic about.
PRE-FILMING.
- Our policy in China has been to monitor temperature every day. Temperature checks won’t detect all coronavirus cases but you may show a high temperature if you have it. We’ve run a policy that if your temperature is high or you feel unwell, don’t travel into work and monitor yourself and symptoms. That has been our strict policy to avoid potentially spreading to colleagues. It might also be a good idea to monitor those you live with too. You may also wish to think about where they have travelled to, or who they’ve met too. The last thing you want to do is carry an infection into work.
- If using public transport, in China, I’ve been wearing latex gloves, a facemask and most importantly washing hands. I carry hand sanitiser and sometimes anti-bac wipes too. I’m not saying don’t use public transport. We have all done so throughout this period. Don’t be scared but just think more about what you touch and droplet infection. Keep distance if you can. Some of you may be able to take work vehicles home? Be cautious of putting bags or kit on the floor.
- Some of you may even be able to deploy directly from home rather than the office? We need to think about how we can still operate if the work building suddenly shuts down, but for many of you in large offices, you may wish to deploy from home and limit social interactions.
FILMING ADVICE –
Heading out on location -
- Who are you interviewing? Do you need to actually head out/ interview the contributor? Can it be done via Facetime or Skype? You may want to avoid contact with people who’ve potentially been in touch with people who may have the virus – doctors and medical staff on the frontline etc. If you’re not comfortable, just say. But definitely take the extra time with your team to consider who that person is, and the potential risks.
CORONAVIRUS – my personal advice for shoot/ edits and video journalists.
Hello everyone, I'm one of the BBC's China camera journalists and I've been covering the coronavirus story on the ground here since Jan - including a trip into locked-down Hubei province on the frontline. I've outlined some of my thoughts below. These are the precautions my team and I have been taking. I must stress that this isn't any sort of official BBC guidance or advice (I don't want to be quoted in any tabloid media). This is purely my personal thoughts on the precautions I've been taking. I'm three months in...
By no means has our coverage or work stopped at any point (I was even cutting in quarantine). Despite the virus, we’ve still been out on the road when we can, we’ve voxd people when we can and when we think it’s safe to do so, and we’ve been producing pieces as much as we can. It’s just that we’ve had to think differently about how we do things – and in some instances find different ways to tell the story or even conduct interviews.
For those of you who've also been covering the virus, feel free to add thoughts/ chat below. It's important that we all (staff or freelance) have open discussions about safety. Most importantly, it's nothing to panic about.
PRE-FILMING.
- Our policy in China has been to monitor temperature every day. Temperature checks won’t detect all coronavirus cases but you may show a high temperature if you have it. We’ve run a policy that if your temperature is high or you feel unwell, don’t travel into work and monitor yourself and symptoms. That has been our strict policy to avoid potentially spreading to colleagues. It might also be a good idea to monitor those you live with too. You may also wish to think about where they have travelled to, or who they’ve met too. The last thing you want to do is carry an infection into work.
- If using public transport, in China, I’ve been wearing latex gloves, a facemask and most importantly washing hands. I carry hand sanitiser and sometimes anti-bac wipes too. I’m not saying don’t use public transport. We have all done so throughout this period. Don’t be scared but just think more about what you touch and droplet infection. Keep distance if you can. Some of you may be able to take work vehicles home? Be cautious of putting bags or kit on the floor.
- Some of you may even be able to deploy directly from home rather than the office? We need to think about how we can still operate if the work building suddenly shuts down, but for many of you in large offices, you may wish to deploy from home and limit social interactions.
FILMING ADVICE –
Heading out on location -
- Who are you interviewing? Do you need to actually head out/ interview the contributor? Can it be done via Facetime or Skype? You may want to avoid contact with people who’ve potentially been in touch with people who may have the virus – doctors and medical staff on the frontline etc. If you’re not comfortable, just say. But definitely take the extra time with your team to consider who that person is, and the potential risks.
- Are you a risk to that person? Are they more vulnerable/ susceptible to the virus? Do you need to stay away from them?