All Rise producers quickly realized their room-based show is perfect for a quarantine episode

Los Angeles Times

In wake of the pandemic, All Rise producers learned from former L.A. County District Attorney Gil Garcetti -- a consulting producer on the series and the father of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti who's famous for prosecuting O.J. Simpson -- that the court systems were grappling with how to navigate operations, including examining virtual trials. So producers began brainstorming the possibilities for a virtual episode, which resulted in tonight's "Dancing in Los Angeles" remote episode. “It was daunting at first,” says creator Greg Spottiswood. “And then, pretty quickly, I think we all realized that in actually a weird way, this was a good format for our show. Our show is about people in rooms, in the hallways, talking, arguing, connecting or not connecting.” According to the Los Angeles Times, "Straight Up Technologies was enlisted to guide producers through the endeavor, and it was decided Cisco Webex — whose picture quality is sharper than that of most other services — would be their primary video-conference tool. A private network was created for cast and crew to dial into; video feeds were isolated and recorded. Producers then used VFX to create the necessary backgrounds — for example, one that mimics an L.A. County Men’s Central Jail cell. Exteriors of a desolate Los Angeles were shot by a cinematographer operating solo from a vehicle." All Rise star Simone Missick says she and her fellow cast members were stunned by the announcement. “We were like, ‘What?’” Missick says. “And then the immediate thought is: ‘Now, wait, how are we going to do this?’”

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• Tonight's All Rise was written to capture how the justice system continues to function despite the pandemic: “I think one of our aspirations of the episode was to capture both specifically and generally what is the vibe of living in this moment and having to find a way to connect and find a way to do your job,” says creator Greg Spottiswood.
• Simone Missick on filming All Rise at home: “It was like shooting a very high-budget indie film with a skeleton crew of one,” she says. “If you could have a spouse move a chair for you, you were winning. It was all about time management. Normally I need about two hours for hair and makeup, because that’s when professionals do it. So how long do I need when I’m doing it? No clue. You have to move the lighting setup and we’ve got these long ethernet cords I’m dragging all throughout the house to make sure the connection is great.”
• Missick on being her own hair and makeup team: “Me, the overachiever, decided to do different hair and makeup for every day,” Missick says with a laugh. “But then I couldn’t remember, what did my eye shadow look like? I have no clue! I actually regretted that part of it. That’s why we have professionals for all of these things. But I’m very proud of myself. The acting, who knows? But the hair and makeup!”