A producer’s guide to filming in Lviv during air raid alarms

Lviv offers a distinctive production environment: historic architecture, strong local crews, sophisticated post-production talent and a cultural setting shaped by wartime experience. For an Australian producer, however, a shoot there requires more than arranging locations and transport. The schedule, budget, insurance, duty of care and creative approach must all account for air raid alerts and changing security conditions.

The safest production is one designed around interruption. That means building a local risk system before cameras arrive, agreeing who can stop work, planning shelter movements and making sure the story does not place Ukrainian contributors under unnecessary pressure. Lviv can support ambitious drama, documentary and commercial work, but reliability comes from preparation rather than optimism.

Build a local safety structure before the shoot

Appoint a Ukrainian line producer or production manager with current knowledge of Lviv’s security environment. A fixer who has worked on international productions may also coordinate location permissions, translators, drivers, accommodation and contact with municipal authorities. Their role should be operational, not symbolic: they need authority to pause filming when an alarm sounds or conditions change.

Create a written emergency plan for every department. It should cover the nearest approved shelter, transport routes, head counts, medical contacts, communication methods and procedures for cast or crew who become separated. Share a short version with everyone in Ukrainian and English, and rehearse it before the first shooting day. Avoid publishing precise shelter locations or sensitive travel information in call sheets that could circulate widely.

Use official Ukrainian alerts and local authority notices as the basis for decisions. A production should never rely solely on a messaging group, social media post or a distant office in Australia. Assign one person to monitor alerts continuously, with a second person as backup. The director, cinematographer and production manager should know in advance that safety instructions take priority over a shot.

Treat the alarm protocol as part of the schedule

The moment an air raid alarm sounds, filming should stop unless local authorities and the designated security lead have expressly approved a different procedure. Crew should move calmly to the agreed shelter, with department heads checking names and essential equipment only. No one should be asked to remain outside to capture “real” reactions, atmospheric sound or a final take.

Build realistic buffer time into the call sheet. A brief alert can still create a substantial delay because people may need to travel to shelter, remain there, return to set and reset lighting, sound and continuity. If a location is difficult to evacuate, such as a basement-free heritage building or a crowded public square, shorten the working block and keep a nearby alternative ready.

Plan the day around flexible material. Shoot inserts, interiors, close-ups, wild tracks, stills and non-linear scenes when the team may need to stop quickly. Keep essential camera, sound and lighting notes organised so a resumed setup can be reconstructed without relying on memory. A second unit should never continue independently unless its own safety plan, transport and communications are fully staffed.

For productions operating across Ukrainian time and Australian offices, define one shared clock in every schedule. Sydney and Melbourne teams may be working several hours ahead, with daylight-saving changes adding confusion during a long shoot. Put the local Lviv time beside every alarm update, call time and remote approval deadline.

Choose locations with evacuation in mind

A visually attractive location is not automatically a workable location. During a recce, assess the route from set to shelter, stair access, lighting during a power interruption, mobile reception, crowd movement and whether vehicles can leave without blocking emergency services. Record the walking time at the pace of the least mobile crew member, not the fastest scout.

Ask location owners about basements, generators, toilets, accessibility and capacity. Confirm whether the proposed shelter is officially designated or simply a convenient underground space. Keep crew numbers within the safe capacity, and do not assume that a metro station, car park or private basement can be used without permission.

Historic Lviv streets can create additional production constraints. Narrow roads, tram lines, pedestrians and heritage façades may limit lighting trucks, cranes and parking. Obtain written approval for road occupation, signage, generators and amplified sound, and use a local coordinator who understands the difference between a municipal permission, a property owner’s consent and a security restriction.

Never film military facilities, checkpoints, critical infrastructure or security procedures without explicit authorisation. Be careful with background details that could reveal troop movements, defensive measures, damage assessment or sensitive public services. Remove identifiable geotags and delay publication of material when immediate release could expose contributors or locations.

Protect people, consent and working conditions

War-related production can place unusual emotional demands on contributors. Explain the project, distribution plan, editorial purpose and risks in plain language before recording. Documentary participants should understand that an interview may be viewed internationally, translated, clipped for promotion or kept online for years. Written consent is essential, but a responsible producer also checks whether consent remains freely given after an alarm or traumatic event.

Give crew a private way to raise concerns, especially freelancers who may fear losing work if they decline a task. A production should not make participation conditional on ignoring an alarm, carrying unsafe equipment to a shelter or working beyond agreed limits. Allow time for rest, food, transport and psychological support, particularly for people directly affected by the invasion.

Use interpreters who understand production vocabulary and local sensitivities. Translating a call sheet is not enough if instructions about evacuation, medical care or consent remain ambiguous. Keep emergency contacts in Ukrainian, and make sure visiting Australian personnel know basic words for stop, shelter, danger and medical assistance.

Australian producers will recognise the duty-of-care principle from workplace health and safety practice, but local compliance cannot be outsourced to an Australian template. Australia’s model WHS laws are implemented differently by each state and territory, so a Sydney-based company should check its own jurisdiction’s obligations while also meeting Ukrainian requirements and the host production’s local advice. Public liability, workers’ compensation, travel cover and war-risk exclusions need specialist review before departure.

Budget for interruption and continuity

A wartime schedule needs a contingency line that is larger than a conventional weather allowance. Budget for cancelled locations, additional accommodation, standby crew, duplicate transport, shelter supplies, security advice, translation, data backup and replacement shooting days. Include costs caused by power outages, fuel shortages, curfews and border or rail disruption.

Consider a split schedule. A compact principal unit can capture the most location-sensitive scenes, while interiors, post-production preparation and controlled pickups are handled by a local team. If the Australian production company is financing the project, make payment milestones flexible enough to support Ukrainian partners when a shoot pauses through no fault of their own.

Protect continuity with a detailed visual record of every setup. Photograph lighting positions only when appropriate, log lens and exposure information, record wardrobe and make-up changes, and back up rushes in separate secure locations. Power resilience matters: carry charged batteries, offline copies of schedules and redundant storage, while ensuring that backup methods do not create a data-security risk.

Travel and payment assumptions should be checked against current conditions. Australian cards may not work everywhere, international transfers can take time, and local transport availability may change quickly. A Ukrainian production accountant can advise on currency, invoices, taxes and compliant contracting more accurately than an overseas spreadsheet prepared in isolation.

Design the story around the place, not the danger

Air raid alarms should never be treated as a convenient dramatic device without considering the people who experience them. If an alarm appears in a documentary or scripted scene, establish why it belongs in the narrative and whether recording it could expose a participant. The strongest work often conveys wartime reality through routine: interrupted rehearsals, revised travel plans, darkened streets, family calls and the quiet return to work.

Give contributors editorial control where appropriate. A review process cannot promise that a broadcaster will remove every difficult moment, but it can identify medical information, addresses, children’s identities and security-sensitive material before delivery. For international distribution, prepare accurate subtitles and context notes rather than relying on sensational framing.

Ukrainian audiovisual organisations can help a project find the right cultural and professional context. The Ukraine Content Club connects international industry people with Ukrainian media companies, drama projects and documentaries, making it a useful starting point for producers seeking legitimate partnerships rather than treating Lviv as a backdrop.

Look beyond immediate crisis imagery when developing the visual language. Lviv’s music, architecture, food traditions, religious spaces, contemporary art and multilingual public life can carry a story with greater depth. International examples of sustained audience engagement, such as the Assamese film club story, show how local screening cultures can influence the life of a film long after production.

Manage legal, insurance and information risks

Secure a written production agreement covering ownership, credits, fees, cancellation, force majeure, travel disruption, confidentiality and use of archival material. Clarify who is responsible for permits and whether a local producer is signing as a co-producer, service company or authorised representative. These distinctions affect tax, rights, insurance and delivery responsibilities.

War-risk cover is often restricted or excluded from standard production insurance. Ask a broker to specify cover for equipment, evacuation, medical treatment, cancellation, civil unrest and hostile acts, rather than accepting a general policy summary. Cast and crew should know what the policy does and does not provide before they travel.

Protect personal information carefully. Call sheets may contain phone numbers, addresses, passport details and travel plans, so distribute them through secure channels and remove unnecessary data. Australian organisations handling personal information should consider the Privacy Act 1988 and the Australian Privacy Principles, while also respecting Ukrainian data-protection requirements and the higher risks created by a conflict setting.

For Australian financing, consider whether the project involves Screen Australia, state agencies such as VicScreen or Screen NSW, broadcaster requirements, guild agreements or Australian tax documentation. A grant or market partner may require evidence of insurance, chain of title, local expenditure and ethical production practice. Get specialist legal and accounting advice before committing funds, especially where Ukrainian and Australian entities share rights.

Build a resilient international crew culture

Remote decision-making works best when authority is clear. Name one executive producer for budget and rights, one local producer for day-to-day operations and one safety lead for immediate stoppage decisions. The director should not be forced to negotiate every evacuation, while the security lead should not be expected to rewrite the creative plan alone.

Use short daily briefings. Cover the alert status, transport, location changes, weather, power, sensitive content, health concerns and the day’s stop-work threshold. End with a debrief that records what happened, what needs replacing and whether anyone requires support. These habits reduce rumours and help Australian stakeholders understand why a seemingly small disruption can affect an entire day.

Respect local expertise in the room. Ukrainian crew members may have different assessments of risk based on their family responsibilities, previous experience and current information. Visiting teams should not pressure them to appear calm for the sake of production. Pay fairly, credit properly and allow local departments meaningful creative input.

A well-prepared Lviv shoot can produce material with international relevance while supporting the people and businesses who keep Ukraine’s screen sector alive. Start with a local partnership, document the safety system, insure the real risks and design the schedule to stop without argument when conditions require it. Then take those safeguards into every recce, call sheet and production meeting.