Monday, June 21, 2010

Another Season Over...

Well, another season of my tv show is coming to an end. I now get about two weeks off and go right into another (yes, at the crappy cable rate, but it keeps me here and the rentals help out). I didn't do the whole six month run this time. I just didn't have it in me and I had made a deal with the boss that if a real paying gig came along, I was going to take it. So I had a three month reprieve while I went to do a feature out of town for a substantially higher rate. Here's the kicker. We worked nine hour days. I couldn't believe it. My checks at the end of the week weren't that much more than they were on the tv show I had just left. So I did that job and then my boss graciously allowed me to return to the show and finish it out (much to the relief of my B Camera Dolly Grip who had bumped up into my spot and looked like he had just about had all he was inclined to take. All in all, another good season with a great bunch of people. As usual, here's what I learned:

Bad coffee is not necessarily better than no coffee.
Beware of actresses offering goodbye hugs.
Pie is hard to get out of your ear.
Sunscreen. Always.
Build the beams.
Better yet, have the riggers build the beams and drop them off.
You don't necessarily need pneumatics.
There is more than one cool Frenchman. (I only knew one before. Frenchman that is).
Make things harder on yourself on purpose if you want to get better. (I knew this one but the cool Frenchman reminded me).
Roundy isn't just for going around things. (I have a previous post about this one).
To quote the song, "I ain't as good as I once was, but I'm as good once as I ever was." (This has really no bearing on anything. I just like that saying and I'm practicing for when I'm old).
Cable shows will save money no matter how much it costs.
Don't drink with the British unless you're off the next day.
If you do drink with the British, the next day will be the longest and hottest of the season.

That's about it. We've got a few more days and then a little time off. I for one could use it.

D
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7 comments:

  1. The Grip Works8:10 PM

    Hey D,
    Glad you're alive and kicking. Poor pay is better than no pay. At least its a guaranteed income, which is rare in our line of work.
    Enjoy your time off - short as it may be.

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  2. GHB2:39 AM

    Congrats on the season's end. It's always nice to finish up and have something to roll onto in a few weeks. Enjoy the time. I think I know who the first only cool Frenchman you are talking about is. I'm dying to figure out who the second is! Say hi to the boys on the show for me.

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  3. D1:08 AM

    GHB- Oh, I'll tell you. It is Jaques Jouffres, one hell of a camera operator. You know who the other one is.
    Gripworks- Thanks. I'll do my best.

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  4. Michael Taylor8:22 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  5. Michael Taylor8:27 PM

    (sorry about the deletion -- there were just too many post-work typos the first time around...)

    "Cable shows will save money no matter how much it costs."

    That's the most perfectly succinct description of the cable world I've ever read.

    Nine hour days sound pretty good to me -- but then I'm at the career/life stage where time has become more important than money. Both are running out on me, but when push comes to shove (and sooner or later, it always does), I'm ready to settle for a smaller check in exchange for those extra hours off.

    The trouble with cable is it wants all your time for so much less money -- a bad deal all around, but it seems to be the future.

    Glad you finished your marathon intact. Enjoy the time off.

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  6. A.J.5:01 PM

    What kind of pie was it?

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  7. D10:09 AM

    vanilla cream.

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