A few years ago I was involved in a motor vehicle accident while at work with four other crew members.
We were maybe two blocks from the studio and couldn't have been more excited to have been going home when we were. We were working on a big beauty spot with a movie star spokesman and had been putting in 17 hour days minimum for over a week. That day we were getting out at hour 15 and it was (almost) still light out - that counted in our books! That might not sound like reason enough to be excited, but any one who works in production will agree that it was worth celebrating.
We had just stopped at a stop sign in Brooklyn and were half way through the intersection when we were suddenly t-boned by an SUV. Our car was completely totaled and we had to call 911. Three of the four of us had to be taken by ambulance to the hospital and the driver of the other car was rushed to the ER with severer head trauma. Thankfully, none of us had lasting life threatening injuries though we were banged up pretty good. Later the driver of the other vehicle sued us and tried to say that it was our fault. For two years we were embroiled in a pretty ridiculous legal battle that eventually went to court. While I was on the stand and being interviewed by the prosecution - who by the way was a Nick Nolte looking attorney with a super bad attitude - I was asked to describe the day to the best of my ability. The attorney asked me if I thought we were overtired from having worked 15 hours that day. I jokingly replied that any day a production team has less than a 15 hour schedule its considered a short day and means we were going to have some free time to do the things we didn’t normally get to do. He asked me what I had planned on doing and I told him sit in my underwear on my couch without having to talk or listen to anyone.
)I'm telling this story because I find that it helps to give some background into the world of production. (Side note, the case was actually thrown out as it was determined that the driver of the other vehicle was not only not paying attention, he was speeding and driving without his lights on.) With the many perks and bonuses that we are given in this field, there are also some pretty big negatives. An average of 15 hours on any given day is certainly one of them.
As a production manager and line producer, I'm often asked to build budgets around a 12 hour work day. While to some of you that is shocking enough, I must point out that when a job is billed as a 12 hour day you can be sure that at least part of the crew will be working for closer to 15 hours if not more. And those of us that are in charge of the crew have to begin work even before that as we need to be available and working before the first crew member arrives and well after the last crew member leaves. The days can be long and tiring and more often then not those of us that have those ridiculous hours are not compensated with any form of overtime.
I recently came across an interesting article by Gavin Polone called The Punishing Hours of a TV Crew that discussed the plight of the average TV Crew member and it got me thinking. He argues strongly for the twelve to twelve rule (12 hours on, 12 hours off) and I agree that it would be great to have a standardized practice for the television/film community. (It should be noted here that even some union rules don't have this requirement and are able to avoid it by being paid small penalties.) He discusses the case that all production people know of a crew member who was killed on his way home after a long day and even goes as far as to point out studies that show the level of people's productiveness after 12 hours. He has interviews he's done with a few different department heads discussing how the hours effect them both personally and professionally and talks about how actors too have grueling schedules but have days that they are not shooting so they have the ability to rest whereas crew members get no such breaks.
>I am in no way arguing that money and free rides compensates properly for the hours that these crew members work. Their jobs are tough and tedious and most of the time very unglamorous despite popular belief. But they are in many cases coddled compared to those of the production team, most specifically the production assistant, and all of those that comprise it. Not only are they all most likely getting paid the least amount of money, they are generally unable to take proper meal breaks, they start their days off before call with answering phone calls and texts about information that was clearly given the evening before and their day ends well after the last crew member has gotten home.
There are of course exceptions to every rule and I am certainly not trying to take away from the hard work that the other departments are doing. A 14 hour day is a long day regardless of how much you get paid and absolutely effects all aspects of simple tasks like driving home or eating properly. My argument is for the fact that a scheduled 12 hour day is not really a 12 hour day and therefor not the solution to the problem.
A 12 hour day for someone in production is really 15 hours and rarely are their turn around hours taken into consideration. It is my belief that a crew member's rate (and by default schedule) should be based off of a 10 hour day. Not only for the fact that most state laws require OT on anything over a 40 hour work week (so really an 8 hour day) but in order to protect all of those crew members that are often considered below the below the line members. A 10 hour scheduled day for a grip or electric will still easily be a 12 hour day for a production assistant if not more.
I argue not only for the production team, as obviously I am somewhat biased in that regard, but also for just the plain decency of all working crew members. No matter how much you like your job, no matter how much fun you are having making the art and having a story come to life, the life of a crew member is physically and emotionally draining! Most of us don't drift off to sleep at the end of the work day, we pass out from shear exhaustion. We are constantly asked to hit that wall that everyone hits around 3:30pm and then expected to have another full day after it. Polone discusses that the schedules are typically set by studios who are basing them off of the budgets they've set for the project. You’d think that studios would want to avoid overtime, but when it’s all calculated out, it’s more expensive to add an extra day to the shoot than it is to add a couple thousand dollars into overtime expenses.
In the article Polone mentions that it is normally not the overworked and underpaid crew member that complains of these conditions, but those people that are much higher on the pay scale. I cannot even begin to tell you how many times an agency producer or client complains to me about how early they must arrive on set or how long of a day they had sitting behind the monitors, while being catered to of course, though those stories are for another article… Many crew members never mention the hours they are putting in or how tired they are after shooting multiple days in a row.
Crew members constantly discuss with me how they are supposed to make sure they are properly compensated and taken care of when the bottom line for them is they just want to work. They feel that they are consistently being under cut with their rates and are now being offered the lower rates at the higher hourly schedule. I’m in a unique position as someone who is not only directly effected by this issue, but as a person that helps to set budgets and schedules. On the one hand, I personally see how budgets are figured out and how in order to get enough money to make the shoot happen we have to look at any way to save money. And when it comes to having enough crew members versus giving them a lower rate, I’m of the opinion that giving enough people to actually do the work is more important than two hours of over time. But on the other hand, I find it disheartening to actually figure out what my hourly rate is… (Another thing to take into account is that while there are crews in most cities, the majority of us live in places like Los Angeles or New York where the price of living is even higher than average.)
To me, there is no easy solution. Well I take that back, there actually is. We should all be compensated fairly for the work that we do and treated like humans instead of cogs in a machine. Ta-dah! Problem solved. But since I see that happening on the off chance of no way, I’m somewhat stymied as to what the next move should be. I’ve spoken to multiple crew members about refusing to work for anything less than a 10 hour rate and while some of us are able to make that demand, most of us aren’t. I’ve talked to others about the benefit of joining a union – though as I mentioned the unions don’t solve all of the problems either and if I’m honest can cause their own set of problems. No one person seems to have all of the answers.
So I’ve come up with my own solution or at least a short term plan. If all of us in the industry, crews, actors, producers and even family members of the before mentioned people bring light to this, perhaps we can start the discussion with those above the line people that Polone mentions in his article. If more people like Gavin Polone spoke with the crews and then spoke out about what they had learned, maybe we could get studios and agencies and unions to come to some kind of reconciliation. It might not be the newest plan in the books, but at least there would be more discussions. And more discussions lead to more outrage and better people than me coming up with ideas.
I feel a bit as if I should end my article with the chant to take up pickets and a draw to arms! I think I sound a bit like someone trying to force unionization or someone who wants to shut down the industry completely. None of which is true. I’m simply looking for there to be more acknowledgement for the hard work put in by everyone that works on a set and looking for away to properly compensate us all for the work we are doing. It shouldn’t be that hard, right?!
Oh I believe it, I see the way crews have worked on multiple movies and its crazy
The truth is, most of us do the work because we generally love it. There are so many bonuses for us and we normally get to work with people that become like family to us. But oy the hours!!
You're kidding me about the long hours with no time for friends... I've worked on many Motion Pictures, TV Series, Commercials and even some Music Videos and for the most part, only a few people in the Crew are working at any one time... Most of the time, we're just standing or sitting there, talking, drinking coffee, juice or water and smoking cigarettes... lol... We're all waiting our turn to work... Lots of Unions involved in Film Productions... Yes, the hours can be very long... We're all so Spoiled... Craft Services are always close by with enough snacks to make us fat... The money is good... We get to work with New Crews all the time... It can be quite a challenge at times... Anyway, I figured I'd give the readers an example of all the fun we have at work... We are a very informed group of people for sure...
@pocketechange
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I really appreciate what you are saying @pocketchange. I've written a few other articles on steemit about how much I enjoy my job and how there are definitely many perks that we are afforded, so on one hand, I absolutely agree with you! Some of my most favorite things about working in this industry are the people and the fact that each job is different than the last. However, I also feel very strongly that production - specifically production assistants - have hours and wages that can be absolutely ridiculous. And I'd also like to point out that the spoiled things that make the crews have fun times like you have pointed out above are all there because part of production's job is to make sure the rest of the crew is happy (not to mention that when anything goes wrong they have to be there with multiple different ways to make it right). I've said it before and I will say it again, the mark of a really good production team is to not even notice that they are there and doing anything. There is so much that goes on behind the behind the scenes that some crew members either aren't aware of or have forgotten. And unions are great when they do what they are meant to do, but having worked with them closely for many years I can also say with certainty that they can also cause their fair share of problems. And the production assistants are very rarely able to be unionized and while there are some production jobs that are union there are tons of ways to get around having to be a union member and be on the job. I appreciate your points about the good sides of production (and I agree with them!) but there hours are definitely a major negative for a lot of us. Thanks for reading and supporting my post. I look forward to hearing more of your opinions on this and other posts! :)
Boy oh boy @ekpickle and @pocketchange sign me up for the gigs that I'd have the luxury of standing around, chatting, smoking and enjoying craft service treats. I'll give you there is down time but specifically in the commercial world the work is steady and the days are long. I can't name a job that I got to eat with the rest of the crew or hit the bathroom more than once while on set. Not very glamourous if you ask me. I did laugh when @ekpickle mentioned she was scared to see what her hourly wage really was... on my latest tampon spot I made well below minimum. I'd say with the hours I put in no union could afford most p.a.'s or a few folks in production. The bank would be broken. That being said, no matter how difficult the schedules are or how hard the days have been it has afforded me a lifestyle to raise my family. The flip side? So many crew members health including mine has suffered in the long run. Again I say balance is the answer... solid hours and enough turnaround for all.
Actually, filming Commercials are a favorite of mine... They're usually short in the amount of Days Worked, and you make a ton of money... Even with all the Hours, they can't Kill you in just a few days...
@pocketechange
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I agree that PA's seem to do the most hours around the Sets, starting before most of the Crew and working long after Wrap... They pretty much get paid the least amount of money for their time... If there was a way for them to all stick together and never agree to a Flat Pay Rate, things would get better for them... Too bad there wasn't a way for them to read my PC Theory... That could help their Purchasing Power after the Reset and Transfer of Wealth...
@pocketechange
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I'm curious, how long have you been in the union (I'm assuming of course that you are) and what department you work? I'm going to guess your g&e. I actually made the decision to specifically do commercials - though other projects get thrown in too - after doing 5 years in features. My favorite thing about them is that no matter how bad or good they are there's a definite end date. Unlike film and to some extent television where the schedule can suddenly be weeks longer than you expected. But for guys/gals that work commercials on the regular I'd say they might disagree about not getting killed hour wise. Most commercial shoot days are one or two days ish? You have to therefore book multiple shoots in a week - meaning you're not grabbing that 6 or 7 day pay bump and turn around time is not considered because you're working for different companies. It's by no means always heinous! But for those of us that aren't sitting by the craft service table or smoking, it can lead to very long tiring weeks. PA's aren't allowed to be on flat rate days any more, though I understand there are ways to get around it. They are however based on a 12 hour day and when given OT it's normally at only time and a half equaling about $21 an hour after 12 hours. And since they're first and last on set on every job they go from shoot day to shoot day constantly working the longest craziest hours making at most around $400 (if they put in a double day) for the day. Even the lowest man in each department makes more than that, usually without OT. I'm not saying all gigs are terrible, in fact I feel lucky I'm able to do what I do. I'm just saying there's plenty of people on set that a 12 hour day doesn't apply to and many of them get paid the least. I've enjoyed the back and forth @pocketchange. I think positive change can only happen when people are willing to listen to all sides!
@pocketchange your statement about "hours not killing you" made me reflect how many crew folks I've lost in the last few years. In the short term you are so right it's no harm no foul but most of these folks have literally worked themselves to death (both union and non union). The hours, short turnaround (even on union gigs), wear and tear.... I really think you and @ekpickle are both right. Love what you do but not so much it destroys you. There has to be a better way. It's fantastic that you are posting and bringing another informed side to this post. Thank you.
I don't work in the Grip or Electric Departments... I actually deal with most all Departments... I get paid by the Hour, along with Fringe Benefits and all the other possible Penalties and Forced Calls, that spoil us to the core... I've worked in the Motion Picture Industry for a very long time... I try to remain invisible as to my identity whenever I'm on line, so I never reveal exactly what I do... I do work on Location, in Multiple Cities and States... Oh, and I've heard all the Complaints associated with the industry on pretty much every Project... Thanks for commenting back... Do yourself a favor and read a few of my Posts... I have a PC Theory concerning the Reset and Transfer of Wealth...
@pocketechange
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Wow sign me up I want to do what you do. Fringe benefits, forced calls, being spoiled to the core? Sounds glorious ;)
It's really not the easiest line of work to get into, but it is possible... You can't rule it out... Oh, and if you go past 6 hours without eating, you get what's called Meal Penalties for every half hour, until they break you to eat... It's insane for sure...
@pocketechange
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The European Court forces companies to report their employees if they are monitoring their e-mail accounts
https://steemit.com/technologie/@aminfaqiri/the-european-court-forces-companies-to-report-their-employees-if-they-are-monitoring-their-e-mail-accounts
I'm with you @ekpickle there should finally be standard hours across the board. Finally the state of New York is looking at inforcing over time after 8 hours. As you know production companies, advertisers and crew all know the way to work around it. There has to be a better way... I've given my life to this industry and it crushes me that folks are treated so poorly.
It's really sad. Most everyone I know just wants to work and do the best they can. But we are constantly being put into situations that push us harder than is safe and healthy.
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STOPJust wanted to po up and say hello. Your hours sound crazy!
thanks for jumping over! and hello back to you :) thanks so much for supporting! our hours are crazy and honestly not always bad. i count myself lucky almost every day to be afforded the ability to live my like the way that i do. if you want to hear about more craziness in our industry you should check out my new post about a lawsuit pa's recently had partially over pooping in their own cars! looking forward to seeing posts on your blog
They don't have access to bathrooms?! I'll read it. As for me, I've been commenting, but yeah, I need to do a new post soon.