Working In Film: Stereotypes Vs. Reality

Hint: it's not all that fabulous.

1. Stereotype: It’s very glamorous.

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Reality: If glamour consists of a lot of sweat, being constantly too cold or too hot, working in pouring rain or inches of snow, having to show up to work while being sick, or being permanently tired, then YES - working in film is very glamorous.

2. Stereotype: It’s really easy.

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Reality: Does an average of 12h/day with only one break for lunch, often 6 days a week and in extreme conditions sound easy to you?

3. Stereotype: You get paid a lot of money.

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Reality: Sure, if you're Angelina Jolie. Or Tim Burton. Or if you work on big, multimillion-dollar productions like The Pirates Of Caribbean or The Amazing Spider-Man . Small, independent films that make up most of the film industry don't pay that well at all!

4. Stereotype: It's a very fast-moving environment.

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Reality: On average, a 12h working day results in 3 minutes of actual footage that will end up being used in the final project. Also, there's A LOT of waiting. For the crew set up for a next take. For the actors to get ready to step on the set. For the sun to come out from behind that one big cloud that suddenly appeared out of nowhere and broke light continuity for the scene...

5. Stereotype: You get to be BFFs with a lot of famous people.

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Reality: Sometimes, and only sometimes. And most of the time only if you're an actor yourself. The rest of the crew is so busy making sure everyone's on the schedule and stays on the budget that often they don't even get to interact with the actors all that much, let alone become BFFs with them.

6. Stereotype: It’s all fun and giggles, much like the blooper reel.

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Reality: It's extremely stressful and the giggles are more often than not a sign of a nervous breakdown and being tired.

7. Stereotype: Film festivals and premieres are exciting.

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Reality: Yes, for like the first 45 minutes. Then it's just a lot of waiting around, being forced to clap and smile when you don't necessarily want to, and wondering when you can finally leave and go get some pizza.

8. Stereotype: A film crew is pretty much just a director, a producer, the actors, and maybe a couple of more, random people.

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Reality: A professional film crew is around 40 people, if not more. You have the director, the cameraman, the producers, the script supervisor, the boom operator, the sound recorder, the costume, prop, and makeup designers, gaffers, sparks, runners, various assistants to every department, and other, miscellaneous people like e.g. work experience students. The list goes on and on.

9. Stereotype: The director can do whatever s/he wants.

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Reality: Yes, but as long as the producers and those who are funding the film agree. And more often than not, they don't. Making a film is a constant struggle.

10. Stereotype: Once you decide you want to make a film, you just grab a bunch of people and do it.

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Reality: It is never that simple. Preparation can take years before you even start filming. You need to figure out a budget that often is cut halfway through pre-production, forcing you to quickly change your entire plan. You need filming permissions that sometimes get revoked. You have to sync crew and actors availability. You basically need to constantly convince others that what you're doing is worth the struggle.

11. Stereotype: It takes only a couple of months to make a film.

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Reality: To shoot, yes. To make a film, it takes ages. The post-production process (editing, colouring, sound edit) alone lasts for months. Also, see number 10.

12. Stereotype: You shoot the film in the order it is scripted.

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Reality: You almost never shoot a film in the order it is scripted. The reason for this is time and money efficiency. For example, if an actor has only two lines in two different scenes in the whole film, it's cheaper and faster if s/he comes to the set and shoots both of the scenes on the same day!

13. Stereotype: You always film in cool locations.

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Reality: You sometimes film in cool locations. And they often turn out to be not as cool as you thought they would be. That amazing, all-day shoot at the Golden Gate Bridge? Well, you'd enjoy it way more if it wasn't for the wind...also, where are the toilets again?

14. Stereotype: Everyone has their own trailer.

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Reality: Sometimes. Sometimes not. Sometimes there's only a mini bus available that doubles as a mean of transportation and a place where actors can change between scenes.

15. Stereotype: The food on set is amazing and you get it for free everyday.

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Reality: The food is mostly terrible, but you get it for free everyday.

So just remember, making films is a lot of hard work.

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But at the same time, it's an incredible adventure that's very rewarding. Especially once you get to see your film on a big screen!

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