A reader tipped me off to a basketball court being built on a parking lot on Market St, about 15 days ago and a sign that said Netflik. Every day I would drive by to try and figure out when it would be an active film set. If you were following my new social media name @hughe_dillon you would have seen me post clips of the bball court on various days. Sure enough someone in the know did and told me the filming days, which were then pushed forward because of Tropical Storm Delta. What I found observing them filming, is Covid Safety is the key. They’ve thought of everything to keep everyone safe from catching the virus, right down to quarantining actors, NBA players, crew, and extras for the duration of the filming.

Safety: Netflix is taking COVID19 very seriously. They have created a COVID19 Bubble. One of the things I noticed on set is it’s divided into at least two categories, Red and Yellow. In RED all the actors, extras, crew are limited in their bubble on set, as they are transported from holding to the set and most notable they are quarantined in a hotel for days leading up to the shoot of a scene, and everyone is rapid tested everyday before heading to the set. Temperatures are taken as well. Masks are worn at all times when a scene is being filmed. I hear they are being treated very well, are comfortable, feel very safe, and are enjoying this new level of treatment. It’s not easy to be an extra, it’s a lot of waiting around, being patient, but they are passionate and do it for the love of the process (as I do observing them and sharing it with you).

The Yellow area folks can’t go into red, but they might go into the public areas. Then there’s another level probably called don’t even think about going in the yellow or red area. Those would be some of the crowd control folks, the lighting equipment operators, drivers of the trucks, some security, production assistants. Those would be the people who interact with the public the most as they are working on the outside perimeter of the COVID19 Bubble. For example the past two days the extras were staying in a hotel. Note the people with the Yellow and Red Vests on. The transportation vans all have a plastic sheet protecting the extras/actors from the drivers.

In this shot you can see NBA player Juancho Hernangomez filming a scene on the left, the camera man has a mask on as does the sound guy. When Juancho is done he goes to the Covid Safety person, who in the right photo is carrying a blue container. In the container is a bunch of masks (The guy with the mask containers mom contacted me to say she hasn’t seen her son in a month as he’s been quarantined well before filming started).
I noticed that those people are right there when the actor is done filming a scene, to give him a mask. There’s a different person who takes the discarded masks as well.

In this scene on Market Street in front of the Loews Hotel, Adam Sandler valets his car. The shot on the left is during rehearsal, everyone wears a mask during rehearsals. They’re not taking chances and minimizing risks. I didn’t see one person without a mask over the 12 hours I was on set observing.
Only when they filmed the scene did the actors take off their masks.

Standing nearby was the Covid Safety Mask Provider, surrounded by extras. Everyone wears masks until the director shouts “Rolling,” and filming resumes.

The Covid Safety person is there to collect his mask as he enters the car to shoot the scene again, so he’ll be maskless for the big screen.

Wednesday night Sandler and crew filmed two scenes on Market Street, I’ll talk more about them at another time. It was so cool to watch, and Sandler was fun on the set. He’s so funny with his dancing, and pretending to shoot hoops. (Other sites with placements PhillyVoice, CBSPhilly online and on screen, WXTU , Philly Inquirer, my Instagram and Philly Chit Chat )
One more thing very Philly about this film, which is actually set in Philly.

PS Philly don’t even try to get on the set. So many people wanted to get photos with Adam, but just because it’s a friendly atmosphere, don’t confuse that with security not being on top of their game. Don’t break the Covid Safety Bubble, you will be taken away, off the set and maybe arrested I’ve been told. Please don’t yell during the filming either. Now that you know when that happens, ie no masks on actors. Thanks. Thanks to the Greater Philadelphia Film Office, and Heery-Loftus Casting for assisting in bringing these productions to Philly, and employing so many of our neighbors, as well as supporting our local economy. If you want to be an extra, the best way to do so is to contact Heery-Loftus. Don’t ask people on the set, they don’t cast, and they’re busy. This is the first major movie being filmed in the USA during the Covid Pandemic. Don’t F it up, LOL!!

And this great story by Alicia Vitarelli on 6ABC
(How did all these stories get in the press, I was hustling this week. Thanks to my friends at these media outlets for getting out the word that Phillywood is back in business. Support the Greater Philadelphia Film Office.

Here’s a shot just released by Netflik. I shot if from across the street at a different angle. The filming now heads out to the burbs for a few weeks. Hope they make it back into Philly in mid November.