São Paulo reopens for filming

The state of São Paulo reopened its audiovisual sector in July 2020 with a detailed safety protocol covering the city of São Paulo, developed by three audiovisual sector organisations including Spcine—a municipal entity that supports and regulates the audiovisual sector (watch our video interview with former Spcine president). The protocol provides guidelines for specific activities such as pre-production, filming, and post-production and details three phases of reopening.

Built on the learning experience of 2020, the third phase—which we are currently in—provides greater security and flexibility for larger projects, both in regard to the size of the crew and the duration of the project. Set crews may be greater than 20 people, as long as safety precautions are observed, including social distancing measures and only maintaining essential team members on set. Working hours may not exceed 12 hours, which includes meal breaks. Currently, these new protocols are in Portuguese only. Once the English version is available, we will update the downloadable PDFs below.

The first phase permitted the production of short films and campaigns produced remotely at actors’ homes. The second phase permitted productions with crews of up to 20 people on set, as long as specific social distancing and safety measures were followed. The current phase permits filming in every space within the state, location scouting is also permitted, there is no longer a crew limit on set, filming either on public health centers and funeral homes is also authorized.

Due to its scale and diversity, Brazil is being affected by the pandemic in drastically different ways: as some states reopen sectors, others follow stricter measures (follow our weekly updates on the impact of covid-19 on Brazil's audiovisual sector).

Each state across Brazil has its own set of safety protocols, which you can read about in more detail here. In some cases, such as in the city of São Paulo, the safety protocols were created at a municipal level. São Paulo's safety protocol is considered to be the most comprehensive in Brazil, and has served as a model for other cities and states in Brazil. São Paulo also has the peculiarity of having a specific protocol for filming in public spaces, as defined by Spcine.

Read the protocols

• São Paulo's safety guidelines [from the audiovisual sector - in English]

• São Paulo’s guidelines for filming in public and private spaces [from the local authorities - in English]

• Our guide to shooting in Brazil during Covid-19
• Safety protocols for filming in Brazil during the pandemic
• The legal implications of filming during Coronavirus
• Traveling to Brazil during Covid-19
• São Paulo launches cash rebate scheme