Got a random call yesterday from an old producer who wants me to go to Atlanta to shoot a feature film.
"Hey man, being on set sucks."
He understood. And pressed on.
Either he thinks my rate is affordable, or here's the thing...people work with people they feel comfortable with. Even if it's a middle aged curmudgeon who gripes about being on set.
A few are probably thinking "if you hate being on set, why are you even in this business, idiot?!" First, that's rude. Second, you can dislike something greatly but still like the end product. And to be able to fine tune your skills for other projects you like being on set for.
Who am I kidding...I hate being on my own set.
It's inner turmoil, because here's the problem...I care about it.
I have a few friends who get on set and go through the motions and they're done. If you care, it hurts. Everything. And I'm never happy. The standards I hold aren't for no budget. They are for high budget (regardless of how you see my projects now). So it's disappointment upon disappointment. Nothing is ever how you envision it. And it hurts much more for someone else's project. Because they put so much in on it, and you HAVE to figure out what was in that person's head.
I think that is the main reason why I hate being on set. While there are these moving parts moving all the time, my brain is juggling so many things. Which culminates in making it the most cinematic it can be. And it never comes out that way. Because every movie has a little bend. My brain does overheat when it does. And I don't eat on set because of the sickness of ruining a day's work because nothing seemed to work. It is a coordination of everything at once.
If you are on a fast shoot, it doesn't seem to matter to people. Just get it done. And move on. Yes, that's Corman school of making flicks. He had it down to a template. I guarantee you the people making them cared, and get gut punched for what they didn't get.
So why go? He is also a friend.
And here's building on what I wrote earlier.
Don't be obnoxious.
Be professional.
This is mostly towards actors, because you're born to be the center of attention. Those people who are "on" all the time...you're obnoxious. If you are a crew member who is "on" you're fucking obnoxious. It's fine for the keys (cinematographer and such) but if you're a grip who openly cracks wise and buddies up to talent and so forth...no one likes you.Yes, we're all trying to stave off boredom, which is what a set really is. People who like being on set...you have nothing better going in your lives. And like to get away from home. Seriously. It's irritating.
I DO, however, understand...that making movies...the actual making where things are being done is pretty damn cool. That's amounts to maybe 15 minutes to 20 minutes a day. So 12 hours with only 15 to 20 minutes of watching something being shot. I recently read that in a typical televised NFL football game...if you take out the commercials, the team huddles, the timeouts and the challenges and all that junk, it amounts to about 5 to 7 minutes total play time. I calculated the actual live play, QB snaps takes 3 step drop should have the ball out in 4 seconds and the ball whizzes to receiver who is tackled on the spot (or sometimes not). Yep, probably less than 8 seconds of total play for one play. Multiply that by how many plays. That's disgusting.
Any way, people who like you like you regardless and want to work with you for their own reasons. Like I mentioned in a past post, Werner Herzog worked with Klaus Kinski who was notorious a shit bag.
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