Thursday, May 8, 2014

Set Safety, Attitudes, and Disagreement


Richard Crudo, the President of American Society of Cinematographers, has recently put out a letter using the tragic death of second camera assistant Sarah Jones in Georgia as a launch pad for some... page filler about the changes in attitudes within the indie filmmaking community from ASC legend W.A.Fraker's good old days in the 70's when "filmmaking collaborators showed a genuine caring for one another that extended well beyond the workplace" to the current sad state affairs according to the presiding ASC President's POV.

"Have we lost our humanity? Just open a newspaper. For a view closer to home, consider the disdain with which so many people deal with each other on the road, in the supermarket, at the ballpark — and, dare I say, on set. It’s almost as if narcissism and a sense of entitlement have drained some people of the ability to see anyone as being like themselves. Those who make motion pictures for a living work long and hard at jobs we love, sometimes making significant sacrifices along the way. But we’re not curing cancer. We’re not even curing a hangnail. Twisted individuals for whom money, power, ego and prestige are the ultimate goals, however, treat the obsessive pursuit of these superficial rewards as being tantamount to conquering a fatal disease. As sad as this reality is, it becomes frightening when you realize how pervasive the attitude has become."
Maybe, likely, I travel in quite different circles than the President of American Society of Cinematographers. 

I've just returned from dropping off my kids at school, going to the grocery store, and a sell-it-yourself car lot with my elderly father looking to sell his pickup truck and travel trailer. My children and I all work together to get out the door for school as my elderly father waits for us, all the driving parents dropping off their children at school work together in an orderly fashion so that we all can get on with our days, the students are overwhelmingly civil to one another, on the way to the grocery store MOST everyone uses turn indicators and allows some grace to others, shoppers allow one another to enter and exit aisles with pleasant morning greetings and a plethora of "Pardon me"s and "Excuse me"s, employees help my hearing impaired father find what's on his shopping list, the checkout lady is dumb as a stump but transactionally pleasant as the day is long, and people have faith to park their FSBO shiny cars, beaters, and RVs in an unattended lot where they've been selling them for a couple decades just fine.

Professional children.
Professional parents.
Professional customers.
Professional employees.
Professional business people.

All within four hours of waking up.

"Have we lost our humanity?" Uh... No.

"It’s almost as if narcissism and a sense of entitlement have drained some people of the ability to see anyone as being like themselves." Yeah... I'm not getting any of that from where I come from.

"As sad as this reality is, it becomes frightening when you realize how pervasive the attitude has become." Um... Maybe in your world, Mr. Crudo. Not in the world I just saw this and most any other morning or day.
  1. Be safe on your sets. Filmmaking is for entertainment, not lifesaving.
  2. Keep up the good attitudes. Your life is good, and people are good: http://reliefweb.int/report/afghanistan/pakistan-sends-relief-aid-people-affected-landslide-afghanistan
  3. Be strong enough to disagree and wise enough to call BS when you see it.
I am not frightened.
Let's make a good Global Movie XP 2014 film.

http://www.theasc.com/ac_magazine/May2014/PresidentsDesk/page1.php

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/midnight-rider-accident-sarah-jones-death-gregg-allman-685976

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