EXCLUSIVE: Elisabeth Murdoch, Jane Featherstone and Stacy Snider’s Chernobyl producer Sister has hired an in-house Covid Supervisor for at least the next six months to oversee protocols on set.
Neil Chordia, who runs Urban Hymn producer ChorMedia but has been Covid-supervising on various productions since the pandemic started, commences with an initial six-month contract having performed the role as a freelancer on the third series of Sister’s BBC1 drama The Split.
The Covid Supervisor’s role is to ensure the UK’s stringent set of protocols are implemented successfully.
All productions are tasked with having a Covid Supervisor but Sister’s move is rare in that indies tend to either give the role to an existing staff member alongside their pre-existing duties or engage a supervisor on a freelance basis.
Chordia has developed expertise in the area, having performed the role on Pablo Larraín’s big budget biopic Spencer and a CBBC show before moving to Sister. His initial contract will run for six months and he will continue to run ChorMedia, which has a number of projects in development.
The UK protocols are highly-respected and, along with the £500M ($684M) Film & TV Production Restart Scheme, are credited with allowing the production sector to get back to work again following last year’s production hiatus.