Unrelated to any of that though, I got a call from a friend wanting me to cover for her on a shoot tomorrow. Things are starting to look better I believe. Everyone I've talked to has had problems like this starting out, where the work is too slow to be worth it and it would probably be better just quitting. It's a really odd set of job skills that we have in this business. When I was applying for other part time jobs, I think part of the reason people didn't hire me is because it seems that I have a pretty good thing going working in this business and they couldn't understand why I was trying to do something else. Whether that's true or not, it's hard to explain to someone why we do what we do and the way and how and reasons why we do it. It's certainly not money. It's certainly not because I particularly like having to get up at 5:30 in the morning or earlier and working for 15 hours or more at a time. Maybe it's a combination of the excitement and stress and extreme pressure, I dunno. Maybe those of us who choose this life are gluttons for punishment? Who knows.
In other news the Oscars are this weekend. Golden Age of Hollywood or not, I'll probably not watch them. Reading the results in the morning will be about the same. Some people really get into placing bets and trying to guess who is going to win what. It's fun and I've done it before but it's not really for me. All told, last year was a great year for the movie business and hopefully this year will be even better--depending on who you are. For those of us production assistants at the bottom, it will pretty much be the same-ole same. We'll see, as the saying goes: "It is, what it is."
Maybe you do it because you wish to do something different and work towards something you love?
ReplyDeleteI definitely buy into your sentiments on the Oscars. It's fun to predict, but it's also fun just to sit back and let things unfold. I just find predicting such a blast.