Robert Rodriguez Brings His Next Project Back to Austin to Trailblaze Safe Production Protocols
Troublemaking in the time of pandemic
By Richard Whittaker, Fri., July 3, 2020
Robert Rodriguez laughs at the suggestion that he bursts into flames when he crosses the Texas state line. Yet he's become so synonymous with Texas film, and most especially Austin, that the idea that he would shoot his next film, Hypnotic, in California seemed almost absurd. When filming was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic shuttering all production, the film's future seemed shaky. Now, not only is it back on for a July 27 start date – making it one of the first features to go into production under new pandemic shooting guidelines – but Rodriguez has convinced the studio to relocate everything, including star Ben Affleck, to his Troublemaker Studios in East Austin for the two months of principal photography.
Rodriguez and production company Solstice Studios had planned to shoot in Los Angeles, starting April 27 – a huge change for the director, whose career has been defined by shooting in Austin. "It was a tough decision," Rodriguez said, "but there were a lot of factors that made it something we had to do." Part of that was to do with his lead actor, and a personal draw with which the famously family-centered Rodriguez could empathize: "Ben had just been away so long from his family, doing a bunch of stuff, so it just seemed that for us to get him in that time period, making it easier by shooting in L.A. made it happen."
However, with the film industry on lockdown that date and location was impossible. That's when he pitched the idea to Solstice to move Hypnotic to Austin.
Rodriguez always saw this as an Austin project, right back from when he first conceived of it in 2003 when he was editing Spy Kids 3: Game Over, and watching a lot of Alfred Hitchcock films. He became intrigued by the director's use of one-word titles: "He did Psycho, he did Vertigo, and I tried to come up with a name that fit that, and I came up with Hypnotic. Well, what does that mean, though? And then within an hour the story came to me."
"I loved the story, and I held it back forever, thinking I would write it as a spec script and sell it later." The problem with that plan is that later tends to become never. "You always have paid gigs that you've got to get to, so finally I went, 'I'm going to sell this idea, because then someone will be paying me to write it and I'll be forced to write it.' So I sold it a few years ago, and sure enough it took me two months to write it."
Selling the script meant Solstice controlled the production, thus the move to California. However, the pandemic delay dramatically changed the economics of the situation. The producers soon realized that trying to get production up and running – finding stages, hiring crew – in California was going to carry a multitude of costs that they wouldn't have at Troublemaker, which Rodriguez has spent years building as a one-stop production shop. He said, "I knew at some point they would look at the budgets and know that Austin would be more natural."
As Hollywood begins to work out how to pandemic-proof sets, many scripts are being revised to take out location shoots and crowd scenes. Bringing Hypnotic back to Austin meant that Rodriguez could undo one change he'd made when he sold the script. "It actually said, 'Austin, Texas' and I had to take that out when we were prepping it in L.A. Now I can put it back in."
But the big challenge hanging over all of this is ensuring that there isn't an outbreak on set. The first step is reducing the risk of transmission by reducing crew interactions, and that's a natural step for Rodriguez. He's always run a lean set, often acting as his own cinematographer, and his crew regularly wear multiple hats. There will be no inessential personnel on-set, and that stretches even to Solstice executives. Dana Belcastro, Solstice head of practical production, said, "I've been dying to shoot Austin for years, but I won't be allowed to visit the set."
However, that's only the beginning. Belcastro said that the team is working from what are seen as industry best practices in this fast-evolving situation. She said, "We have medical consultants who will be working with us, we've spoken with medical services, and we've developed a protocol that we believe will allow us to proceed safely." The set will be paper-free, shooting days will be firmly capped at 10 hours, and all meetings will be virtual. Crew members will receive personal protective equipment and a 17-page production guide: Once on set, they will be broken into groups and split into zones, with no crossover, "so the immediate crew around the actors will not interact with any other crew." Vitally, she added, "We're going to test, test, test on a regular basis."
The protocols are derived from the Safe Way Forward production guidelines, developed by the trade guilds and unions, but Belcastro said she's also been in regular contact with other executives across the industry, as well as medical professionals, to ensure that the set will be as safe as possible. "One of the ways that I've been able to have as much confidence in the plan we have is that I've been able to talk to a lot of people."
Will it make life complicated? Inevitably, but for Belcastro that's just part of the job. "We always strive to create a safe environment," she said. "This is an additional safety requirement." Moreover, she sees a benefit in the community that has built up around Rodriguez and Troublemaker. "The loyalty that he inspires from the local crew and the Austin community is really helpful."
As for Rodriguez, it's hard not to hear a degree of excitement in his tone – not just about being able to start filming again but in having a brand new challenge. "I've always been dabbling in new stuff. Digital cameras before anybody here, digital green screen, the first digital 3D movie ever done. So our crews are so versed in new technology, and from the very beginning they've been cutting edge and experimental." At the end of the day, he said, "We really think that there's a way to follow all the guidelines [and] innovate some of our own."
That's a vital component, because any protocols will be a work in progress. That's why the producers are hoping for crew feedback and suggestions, even setting up an anonymous hotline for anyone with concerns. Moreover, Belcastro plans to share what they learn with the rest of the industry, so that set safety across the industry only improves. At the end of the day, she said, "We all have to help each other."
