Check your enthusiasm at the door.
This was an interesting debate started by a bunch of old and new film people.
“Oh those guys are just a bunch of whiners! Let me get on set and show you how it’s done!”
“I could camp out doors during the whole movie and never complain!”
When I was young, I wanted to be on every set, doing anything I could, to be able to join a crew on the next set. Long hours, no pay, sign me up. But as I learn and become good at my job, my first instinct to an article like this is “Well... why is no one listening to all these people?”
You have a current report on at least 20 people quitting the film, an IA rep on set to make sure that the wellfare of the crew is being respected, and the accounting stating that the film is at least $40 million over budget. We can all agree that something is wrong. But suddenly my feed is lit up with all the kids saying “But I would do this and survive! I’d do it for free!”
I’m not jaded. I’m experienced. I know what filming on mountains is like, what going into the wilderness is like. What it takes to film in -25 degree weather. So while everyone jumps at the chance to work on, what they’re certain will be the next Oscar movie, check your enthusiasm at the door and say “Why are the veterans of my industry pausing at this, or warning me to be safe?”
Because while you’re talking about how much fun it’ll be to get that perfect shot no matter what, we already had a film crew do that last year. And it didn’t end very well.