PRIMETIME
rather than having everyone coming to a central location to practice and shoot before returning home each day. A hotel near Elstree Studios was hired
for 40 or 50 people – including 18 dancers, assistants, and wardrobe assistants – at a good price as it would otherwise have remained shut. Then a marquee in its grounds was additionally hired to be used as a rehearsal space. “As everyone had been at home for so
long it was really special that day when everyone moved in,” she recalls. “Everyone had been so worried the show
wasn’t going to happen at all, everyone was extremely grateful – even on the first Zoom calls when I told them they’d have to bubble in couples and some might have to be away from their partners for months to make it all work. I think that first day in the hotel, they almost appreciated their craft more than they ever had before.” All group numbers were shot in-studio
in one fell swoop with care taken to scale- down the crew needed and keep in-hotel and non-hotel people apart. Banking these numbers up front allowed more time and creative focus to “really go to town on them” with bigger set pieces. The series’ first use of Augmented Reality, meanwhile, generated an added wow factor. Then, once the group numbers were shot,
the dancers bubbled with their celebrity partners. Another change was to the audience. “One minute we could have one, then we
couldn’t, then we could, then we couldn’t – it was hard to keep up,” James says. “In
the end, we had members of the team in the audience and distanced tables among them so the couples could watch and cheer each other on for atmos, and because they couldn’t be up in Claudia’s area.”
JUST KNOWING THAT ALL OF OUR PLANNING HAD BEEN WORTH IT WAS OVERWHELMING
Winkelman was provided with a screen
to do video messages and Zooms with participants’ family and friends at home, which proved particularly poignant. “Lots of the changes ended up being really lovely,” James adds. “And some, liking using VTs to
pair the celebrities with their dance partners rather than doing it physically in the studio, worked so well we decided to use them again going forward.” Looking back, just getting through
Strictly 2020 was a standout achievement, she thinks. And the response of everyone involved and the audience at home to the weekly escapism it provided legitimised the responsibility the team felt to keep going to cheer everyone up. “Just knowing that all of our planning had been worth it and all the contingencies we’d put into place had all worked was overwhelming,” James says. “When we got to the final, I genuinely cried all day.”
Dancing and Pointless, Sky’s A League of Their Own, and ITV’s The Chase, Beat the Chasers and The Voice. Elstree Studios is also home to popular high-end Drama shows including Netflix’ brilliant multi-award winning The Crown produced by Sony Left Bank Pictures’ as well as countless feature films, commercials and pop promos. On site Elstree Studios has a production village with production offices, meeting rooms, workshops, dressing and make-up rooms with a comprehensive range of first-class supporting facilities with over 40 specialist media-related companies and a popular catering service and bar. While within the complex is a spacious backlot, regularly used for exterior drama and film shoots.
Elstree Studios’ new stages under construction
televisual.com 11 BD
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