
Julianna Lopez | Oct 13, 2020
After being in business for 20 years, we thought we had seen pretty much everything when it comes to commercial video production. However, filming on-location during COVID-19 in New Jersey and New York City provided a unique set of challenges for the GSF crew. Recently, due to COVID-19, we’ve conducted a lot of virtual productions, and smaller, more local productions. In early September, we had one of our first larger productions since the onset of the pandemic. We faced the challenges with vigor and were thrilled to be back on set. Additionally, filming in New York City on September 11th was one of the most surreal experiences the Grey Sky Films team has had on location. It was certainly humbling, and we were grateful for the experience.
One of our large healthcare clients in the New York City area has opened two new locations in lower Manhattan, and they enlisted us to create a video campaign promoting their new locations and also to encourage people to be proactive about their health and schedule appointments, either in-person or via telehealth. During this project, we learned that many people have canceled, or delayed, necessary routine check-ups due to the pandemic, which can lead to more severe healthcare outcomes down the line. It’s an important message that we’re eager to release to the public.
We filmed over the course of one week — one day in Buttertree Studios in East Hanover, NJ — and two days on-location at the healthcare centers, one on William Street and the other on Worth Street in Tribeca, both in lower Manhattan. We originally scheduled a fourth day for shooting, but we had to cancel due to impending rain. In typical Grey Sky fashion, we rose to that challenge as well, splitting crews on both days in Manhattan so we could accomplish two shoots in one day.
We also wanted to proactively minimize the number of people on set and were grateful to utilize the studio’s remote login capabilities to enable the client to view the set live as we were filming. While they may not have been physically present, they were able to contribute as if they were. We were able to communicate with them in real-time so they could make comments on, and contribute to the overall creative vision of the shoot from the comfort of their homes.
While this wasn’t our first time out filming during the COVID-19 pandemic, this was a tricky commercial video production for the GSF crew to tackle because of the following challenges:
We thoroughly enjoyed being back on set, and even though there were some bumps in the road during this commercial video campaign, we rose to the challenges and overcame them. Everyone at Grey Sky Films is passionate about what we do, and we focus that passion into creating amazing video productions for our clients. We’re back on set and ready to go — contact us to discuss your next commercial video production!