LONDON – Last Saturday, Nicholas Hulbert, a British director, flew from London to Venice for his latest project.
It was to be a short film based on “The Decameron”, a classic of Italian literature of the 14th century in which 10 people hide in a villa to try to escape the plague.
On Monday, Mr. Hulbert, 26, was shooting at a similar villa in Lugo – a town 80 kilometers from Venice – when he received an SMS. It was from his mother.
“I really hope everything is fine today,” he started cheerfully. Then his tone changed somewhat. “I sent you an email on the coronavirus, which I really think you should take into account,” he said.
“Sorry! Love and lots of hugs,” he added.
He checked the email, which said in part, “This is the last thing you need, but I’m concerned that the coronavirus situation is rather worrisome.”
It was the last thing he needed. His reaction: A simple “Uh, thank you, mom.”
But Mr. Hulbert said the text was the main moment when he realized that making a film about people hiding from a deadly disease suddenly collided with an actual event: the rapid spread and dangerous coronavirus epidemic.
“It was certainly strange,” said Hulbert in a telephone interview on Friday. “This synergy between what we are working on and what is happening in the world, with the quarantine line is getting closer.”
“It is obviously incredibly tragic,” he added of the epidemic that has swept through 56 countries, infected more than 83,000 people and killed more than 2,800 people. “But it was certainly very useful for the actors, I think.”
The actors would all discuss it around the table at lunch, he added. “I look up and someone looks a little worried and you don’t know if they are getting ready or if they are panicking a little,” he added.
In the past week, Italy has become the main European center for the coronavirus epidemic, with 888 cases and 21 deaths. Last Sunday, the day after Mr. Hulbert’s arrival in the country, authorities have started to close cities, close schools and cancel sporting and cultural events in northern Italy in order to control the epidemic.
Hulbert said his production was lucky because it was mostly “self-insulating”, with the cast and crew spending the whole day filming and then heading to an inn to sleep. They only spoke to two people outside of production, he added. One was the owner of the hostel, who was annoyed by the virus as it had led vacationers to cancel reservations. The other was the Italian aristocrat who owned the Renaissance villa where the film is shot.
“He’s a happy guy,” said Mr. Hulbert, “and he doesn’t seem to care.”
Despite the isolation of the film crew, the epidemic is on everyone’s mind, said Hulbert. On Tuesday, the cast was standing in the villa, shooting amidst its frescoes and antique furniture, when a loud alarm began to ring nearby.
“We didn’t know what it was,” said Hulbert. “It sounded like an old Blitz era, World War II, an air raid siren, and the first time we heard that, we said to ourselves,” Oh my gosh, are people going to show up in hazardous materials suit? “”
Everyone thought it could be related to the coronavirus, but it turned out to be the signal for the start of a factory lunch break.
“We started joking around in a way that wasn’t a joke,” said Hulbert, adding, “There were a lot of jokes that weren’t quite jokes.”
Filming ended on Thursday, and the British crew members plan to return home on Saturday.
Rachel Browne, the film’s lead actress, said in a phone interview that she had managed to keep thoughts of the coronavirus at bay thanks to the hustle and bustle of being on a film set.
“You are in a bubble of” Come on, come on, come on, “she said.” I didn’t really have time to sit down and read articles or watch the news. “
But even for her, she said, there were moments that brought the epidemic home, such as the distribution’s decision on Wednesday to panic to buy food, drink and disinfectant for them. hands.
“It was not” window advice and just sending two people into a panic, “she said.” It was more “Let’s be reasonable.” “
The epidemic had helped her prepare for the film, she said. When she landed the role last year, she used her imagination to decide how her character would behave when fleeing the plague, she said. But in recent weeks, she had read about the new coronavirus and realized panic and terror “and the great human vulnerability that comes from not being able to see your enemy”.
Realizing the lack of control of people in such a situation was revealing, she said.
Browne, 28, said she did not think she had the virus but realized that she had “a huge level of responsibility” to isolate herself when she returned to London on Saturday.
“I thought I was going to go home, maybe unpack tomorrow and do my laundry on Tuesday,” she said. “But I can’t go home now and say to myself,” I’m fine. “It would be selfish.”
Hulbert said he was not sure if the crisis would affect his approach to future films. He specializes in making vintage pieces shot in “authentically incredible” places, which could be outside of Great Britain.
“I don’t know what we could change,” he said. “We cannot predict the next coronavirus.”
