Jurassic World: Dominion films with strict safety protocols

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has completely upended Hollywood practices, yet the blockbuster production for Jurassic World: Dominion may have found a way to survive.

New behind-the-scenes photos show how the dinosaur thriller is trying to create a safe environment for its cast and crew.

The thriller’s safety procedures are outlined in a 107-page safety manual covering ‘everything from the infrared temperature scanners the cast and crew encounter upon arrival to the vacuum-sealed meals provided by masked workers standing behind plastic partitions in the takeout-only cafeteria.’

One of the first safety measures instituted was separating the crew into two groups.

Workers that construct sets or build props aren’t essential on set and are kept off, while a smaller group called the Green Zone is made up of director Colin Trevorrow, the camera and sound crew, and the cast.

Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard are both reprising their lead roles, while Jeff Goldblum, Laura Dern and Sam Neill will return to the fold.

Part of the strategy for Jurassic World: Dominion revolves around frequent COVID-19 tests, and all crew members in the Green Zone are test three times per week. 

The set is fogged with an antiviral mist before each scene is filmed, and social distancing is encouraged by orange cones laid out on set and between chairs. 

Multiple sinks have also been installed, and cast and crew members are required to wash their hands every time they return to set. 

The constant testing and safety procedures don’t come cheap, and the production is spending $9 million just on coronavirus measures, which could account for the entire budget of an independent film.

‘We are able for this little moment to be in the world that we’re creating and leave the rest of the world behind,’ Trevorrow said over the phone.

Early images from the set showed Chris Pratt and another actor walking into the forest while a microphone operator held a boom microphone at a distance while wearing a mask.

Another set photo showed a masked worker as she carefully adjusted an animatronic Compsognathus, a tiny dinosaur that was used to chilling effect in Steven Spielberg’s 1998 sequel to Jurassic Park, The Lost World. 

An image of a white tented entrance revealed how workers arrive on set every morning, and large signs instructed them to sanitize as they arrived.

The doors were also divided, with one going straight to set for Green Zone members and another taking everyone else away from the set.

Though much of Jurassic World: Dominion was filmed in Hawaii, large sequences were shot in London, as the current surge in coronavirus cases in California and much of the country makes it difficult to film in the US.

The production took the unusual step of renting out an entire hotel for the cast and crew, who initially had to quarantine in their rooms for 14 days.

But once their quarantine ended, everyone was allowed to roam the hotel as they pleased, and masks weren’t required. 

Jurassic World: Dominion is currently scheduled for a June release next year