Please find
attached the IPO Executive Committee response to the current COVID-19 situation
and current developments within the industry. We wish to ensure you that we are
working collectively with industry stakeholders during this time, and are
mindful of the impact this is having on our businesses, crew, cast and
suppliers.
Many Thanks,
IPO Communications
Committee on behalf of Exco
IPO Response to
Coronova Virus (COVID-19) Emergency
Dear members and
colleagues,
As the spread of
COVID-19 in SA and around the world continues, the IPO executive committee held
an emergency meeting yesterday (via videoconference) to discuss our response to
the current crisis with specific regard to our screen industry.
Many of our members
are battling to formulate the right action with regards to projects already in
production or about to start production. We are all mindful of the fact that we
are potentially putting a large amount of people at risk by continuing to
shoot, and that we might participate in the exacerbation of this national and
worldwide health disaster by not containing the spread of the virus. At the
same time, we, as producers, are responsible for the jobs of thousands of our
freelance cast and crew, and are also very mindful of the economic implications
of suspending or cancelling a shoot.
In addition, in the
vast majority of cases, legal liability would ordinarily rest with the
producer. We are therefore the ones bearing the brunt of the risks – financial
and otherwise, if we continue with a film or TV shoot in order to honour our
commitments to broadcasters / clients despite the current pandemic, or if we
suspend it to protect the lives of our people and find ourselves in breach of
our contractual obligations. We are therefore caught between a rock and a very
hard place.
Since the President
declared a National Disaster, we have engaged with broadcasters to obtain
guidance from them, since in most local productions we are dealing with
commissions where they ultimately have the final word on anything we do, but so
far they have not come back with a clear policy. It seems some of them are
actually keen to hear from us, the IPO, on how we, as an industry should deal
with the current crisis with calmness, clarity, unity and responsibility.
Heeding our
President’s call to do everything in our power to stop this pandemic and save
lives, acknowledging what the rest of the world is doing and the ensuing
suspensions of all foreign productions in the country, the IPO ExCo has decided to recommend that all our members suspend
their ongoing production or delay any imminent production, and
inform and consult with their lawyers, their channel CEs and Business Affairs
as to the best way of implementing their decision. Action is required TODAY to reduce the exponential risk in virus
spread.
We have also
decided to write an urgent memorandum to all the broadcasters, as well as the
department of health and the presidency to outline the specific challenges
faced by our industry and to call for an urgent all industry response. All
broadcasters have the same anxiety. This is that they won’t have enough
material or new material to show and this would cause them a drop in ratings
and consequent financial harm. But we believe the industry needs help to do the
right thing, to protect the cast and crew’s health, their loved ones and
minimise the impact on their financial well being. We will recommend that
broadcasters must take responsibility for cushioning some of the economic impact
by providing support on halted productions to cast and crew during this
unprecedented crisis.
We are immediately
calling for urgent meetings (telephonically or video conference) with all
stakeholders, including SABC, eTV, Multichoice, other broadcasters and
platforms, as well as NFVF, DTI, IDC, DAC, etc. to coordinate our actions, with
the aims of limiting the immediate impact of this crisis, and allowing our
industry to come back stronger when this national crisis is over.
We will also reach
out in the next few days to the relevant Minister in the National Command
Council that was created by the President, and ask for urgent and meaningful
support measures to soften the huge blow that our screen industry is about to
receive.
We are in the
process of reviewing terms of trade, standard commissioning and co-production
agreements (incl. force majeure and insurance
clauses), as well as our agreements with the various guilds, and will share
with you our findings as we go.
We are also taking
steps to secure the pro bono services of labour and entertainment lawyers to
assist our members as they have to face these huge and never-seen-before
challenges.
We appreciate that
these are uncertain and challenging times and are doing – and will continue to
do – everything we can to support IPO members and their businesses.
For the latest
government guidance relating to COVID-19, visit: https://sacoronavirus.co.za
Please contact us
if you have any questions or matters you wish to discuss with the IPO executive
committee at ipoexco@ipo.org.za
Please stay safe.
IPO Executive
Committee
