Have you ever wondered why it's most commonly referred to as an
industry, not a business, a service, or as information technology?
Motion pictures: (the idea of creating the illusion of actual
events through taking lots of pictures really, really fast and
then showing them really, really fast) first became popular around
the turn of the century in the heyday of the industrial era. Back
then, in general, work conditions were poor, work hours were often
inhumanly long, and workers were often treated like crap.
Today, most 'industries' have humane work hours, tolerable work
conditions and enough labor laws and union pressure in place to
ensure severe repercussions if workers are screwed around with.
Also, wages, despite many complaints to the contrary, are much
more equitable.
The film industry is lagging behind on most counts. While the
pay is high for workers on most union shows, the conditions still
suck. It's common, especially on TV series, to have 14 to 16 hour
work days and moronic work conditions. Let's take the example
of Gordy (not his real name) who works on the film crew of a current
TV series. In a recent week, Gordy worked five 14 hour days with
shifting times. That is, he began work Monday at 8:00am and worked
to 10:30pm (half an hour for lunch). The next day began at 10:00am
(to give Gordy enough turnaround time) and went to 12:30am the
next morning. The week progressed in similar fashion until Gordy
staggered home Saturday morning at 8:00am. During the week, he
had some choice conditions. On Monday and Tuesday, he froze his
butt off in an abandoned office building. The temperature was
below freezing outside and because there was no heat, it was below
freezing inside. Also, ventilation was poor and the bathroom was
at least a 10 minute walk (Gordy didn't get any 10 minute breaks).
On Wednesday, Gordy was warm, really warm. He worked in an enclosed
space which housed an elaborate Medieval castle set complete with
torches. Too bad the set was built from a flammable toxic plastic.
To add insult to injury, the artificial smoke (for an eerie effect)
that everyone breathed in came out as black dust whenever Gordy
blew his nose. On Thursday and Friday, it was back to being frozen
again. This time, outside. Actually, this is one of Gordy's easier
weeks.
Why does Gordy put up with this? The money's good. But lately
he's beginning to wonder. The sight of their smelly, hairy, and
barely coherent father having a beer at 8:30 on Saturday morning
is not a pleasant sight to Gordy's children.
Situations vary but there are lots of Gordys out there. Who knows?
Maybe working conditions like this are the only way to satisfy
our demand for entertainment. But, it seems awfully stupid to
me, that with so many labor-saving devices at our disposal, that
hardly any attempt is made to improve things. It doesn't make
sense that an industry that provides entertainment and enjoyment
for people should provide such drudgery and misery for the people
who work in it.
Until next time, be happy and don't take no crap!
Yours truly,
Happy.
