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In Reply to: Re: film production posted by SR on February 26, 2003 at 13:50:58:
Steve---Interesting, most of those jobs pay around what Building Tradesmen make in a town like Chicago. Good dough but not getting rich. But cleaner and safer than construction. And it IS Hollywood.A couple of our Boilermakers worked on permit with the Stagehands for a movie here in Chicago, building a device in a swimming pool to simulate a plane crash or something. Big articulated arms that needed welding together. Stagehands were out of welders and called our hall for guys. Our guys got a couple of weeks work out of it, money was good and so were conditions.
Follow Ups:
Yes sir I drip glamour. There was a time when we were way ahead of most workers in most industries. Not anymore. My minimum work week is 48.6 hours, my average is 52 hours. The current and next contract offer no sick pay and no paid personal days. I think we are the only workers in America(union anyway)that get zero paid sick days. Our vacation benefit maxes out after 8 years at 3 weeks per year. Not one single day of that can be carried over from year to year.I have a friend who works at CBS in a NABET job that makes $1 an hour less, but gets similar medical and dental. He also gets 5 weeks per year vacation, 2 weeks sick pay and 2 weeks personal days. Any or all of that can be collected at year end or carried over. A couple months back he told me he had enough time saved up to take off for 9 months and never miss a check. Of course he only gets to do soaps and game shows. He's not into the big glamour lifestyle that I have.
Steve
Steve---You're doing allright. In the Building Trades sick days and personal days are unknown. "Put it on the check" is the way we think. No vacations either and they would be hard to implement seeing as I usually work for over a half-dozen contractors every year. My Local does get an extra 5% of what we made when we're laid off, vacation pay. But most trades, or even other Boilermaker locals, don't have such a thing.Do they have to buy you lunch every day?
TB,I find movie making endlessly facinating as it's so similar to a military operation but (hopefully) no one is injured.***
As you say, there are definite perks to the movie-making scene besides the money, safety and the nice weather of LA. The conditions are very careful and the mood is generally positive and friendly- only directors and the Nicholson-level are allowed to scream. A substantial time is spent waiting so you meet and talk to some interesting people who have been called. Teh food is surprisingly good and I notice set caterers are now credited.
As you say, there are definite perks to the movie-making scene besides safety and the nice weather of LA. At the set of Dr. Doolittle I watched from the back where a fellow was sitting with a wild red-tailed hawk on his arm! He was hanging around with it to acclimatize it to being around people. That does not happen often in my regular work which involves construction. I have met quite a few lead feature actors but I remember that hawk more vividly!
My friends that are crew and PP do not get rich but instead work about 6-8 months per year and go to Bhutan, Nepal, or the Amazon for a month ot two. The suits have high incomes but have to work 80 hours per week year round and worry about the right table at Mortons and whether Range Rovers are out now and Mercedes G500s are in. A friend in studio business affairs mistakenly bought a Jaguar XKR convertible and was soon moved to an office that was 1'8" smaller.
I think I would rather join the Bhutan touring crowd with 6 months off!
K
***[Cameron is absolutely a nut about safety and in all those complex shots of explosions, drownings, shooting, fire, alien mauling, and killing there is virtually nothing beyond a Band-Aid cut or scrape. He refused to use those small remote-control helicopter cameras because he considered them unsafe.]
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