Tuesday, April 19, 2005

Can you tell this is a sore spot with me?

There's a post on LAist today about someone who's had a film crew in her neighborhood and is unhappy about it:

http://www.laist.com/archives/2005/04/18/heights_of_resentment.php

Having a production in your neighborhood can be horrible, I'll agree.

What I do not agree with is blaming the crews for this. This person's post (and one of the comments) talks about how arrogant the crews are and how we're all assholes for not being mindful of the neighborhood, take up all the parking, and behave like shitheads in general. (I'm paraphrasing, of course).

This is not my fault.

I get a call to come and work. I say yes, because I have to pay my bills. I show up at work, fill out my paperwork and do what I'm told to do until it's time to go home. I have absolutely nothing to do with when we're shooting where, how late we're shooting, how much parking we're taking up, whether or not we block the street, or how many lights are aimed where.

I've been screamed at, called names, threatened and shot at, all because neighbors were pissed off that the producers and the location manager chose to shoot in that area at that time.

Granted, having a movie shoot in your neighborhood can be annoying, and I've cursed production companies more than once for complicating my drive home at 4 am, but screaming at me (or any other crew member), and blaming the chaos on me (in person or via the internet) does no good. I can't change anything.

Anyways, I got wound up enough about it that I posted my own rant in the comments section.


No work today - they're not 'carrying' a rigging crew (which means we're there all the time), but only calling us in when we're needed - but we're back tomorrow - I've got a 6 am call, which is fairly civilized after Monday's O-dark-thirty adventure..

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