Monday, October 04, 2021
Behind the scenes, film and TV workers want less drama
Film industry | The Guardian: I woke up this morning feeling sorry for Bond, which was a new one for me. Poor Bond, though, delayed for months, Daniel and his little weapons suspended in the jelly of Covid during lockdown, now opening under a new and curious weight of pressure as the world watches to judge if cinema’s still a thing. Feeling sorry for a multimillion dollar movie is a side-effect, I think, of currently following negotiations in Hollywood between the studios and IATSE, the union of people who work behind the scenes in the entertainment industry. In the evenings now I’ll watch TV, and while I’m watching TV, I’ll watch the hashtags, too, one eye on the work, the other on the workers.
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This was a conversation I was having with people from my high school, where I would wake up before 6, do homework on the way to school, be there from 8 to 3 and then stay there for crew from anywhere from 5:30 to 7:30, pretty similar on weekends as well and I have no idea how I thought that was healthy or managed to do that for multiple years. There was also this point where it got normalized in my head as something that was super okay. The pressure of needing work to get done and having enough responsibility to feel like it was on you to get it done creates even more of an idea of not even getting enough work done in the time you are there, which is a vicious cycle. This was for high-school theatre as well, where this attitude is extended into children by people who have worked professionally.
This article highlights many issues with the workplace conditions of people who work behind the scenes for film and TV. One of the main issues mentioned is the fact that workers must compromise their health for their job. I do not think it is a coincidence this issue is being spotlighted right after a nationwide pandemic not only because Covid-19 is especially dangerous, but because when the industry was put to a halt, these workers were able to see what it is like to take care of their bodies and will not put up with the abuse any longer. This directly correlates to the theatre industry as the hours are just as bad and the acknowledgment of work is just as minute. For people who aren’t in these industries, it is easy to overlook when a certain light changes and what it changed to and when, so it is important for us to educate the world in what goes on “behind the scenes” or at least make sure they know that it isn’t magic, that when something changes in front of them, a person had something to do with it.
Whenever I see “IATSE” I always read “ISATE”. Useless comment I guess but I am dyslexic so if you ever hear me say ISATE or type that now you know why. Anyway, the schedules of the entertainment industry know no bounds… Yo, CMU take a hint! You are no better. How about CMU takes a hint and starts changing that culture of over working students??? Hm, strange concept. I like how the article says “People burned out in their 40s” CMU is ahead of the ball burning out students in their 20s, congrats! (is anyone liking my sarcasm?) After a pretty rough school year last year I have found that by taking less classes has help my productivity greatly, but we are still pressured to take more, do more, and do better. It is a culture that is going to burn out the individuals within the school for the gain of the program. I get the “show must go on” mentality that produces great theater and work but at the same time is the cost worth it. I struggle to answer that sometimes. What is work life balance? Reading about the industry can help us understand what is going on within our own organization. How about at CMU we start adopting a culture that we want to see the industry grow towards?
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