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Supernatural finished the final episode of its 15-year run. Here’s how they completed filming during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Supernatural Season 15

Production for The WB’s Supernatural shut down on March 13 because of the coronavirus pandemic. They were one day into filming the series’ final episode. This week however, filming completed despite quarantines and lockdowns. Here’s how they did it.

Production restarted in earnest in July and filming began in British Columbia on August 18. Working up to 12 hours per day, the final episode was shot in 9 days vs. the usual 8. The extra day was planned to allow for potential delays. A large crew was on hand because those used to day calls were kept on-sight during the filming. Still, anyone who could work from home was required to do so.

Everyone involved in the production, around 360 people, were tested three times each week. To help enforce social distancing, the production was divided into seven isolated “pods”. And any actor flying in from outside BC was quarantined for 14 days before being allowed onto the set. Equipment was cleaned religiously and of course, everyone wore masks when not on screen. Only one scene had to be changed – a scene involving too many extras was cut down to involve a smaller number of people. The crew followed the guidelines to T.

“It would have been shutting down production and putting people out of work again, so everybody was more careful than they were required.”

A typical day went like this: A crew member arrived on set. They logged into a Warner Bros. app on their phone and completed a questionnaire. They then made their way to a tented area had their temperature checked. According to directors, there were no unexpected delays in production.

Variety explained how Executive Director Robert Singer approached the day:

Singer would then go to stage what he was filming. He would work with the actors’ stand-ins to block the scene, and then leave so the crew could set up the lights. When they were done, he’d return to check everything — and the crew would leave. Finally, the actors would come in to rehearse and film. “Once we were ready to shoot, no one was allowed on the actual shooting set other than the actors and me and the director of photography.”

The seven-episode final run of “Supernatural” will premiere on The CW on Oct. 8.

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