Today's motion picture industry is light-years different from even 10 years ago. It doesn't take a genius to see that. With the advent of streaming in addition to the other outlets (Theatrical, cable, and network), up until 2020 or so, there was more work than there were technicians. I turned down as many jobs as I took. There just weren't enough days in a year to do it all. As a result the industry took in a huge influx of people. Suddenly it wasn't that hard to get started and work almost constantly, even if you hadn't developed the skills you would normally need to be successful. Then, with the collapse of the streaming bubble, corporate mergers, strikes, and pandemics, the industry ground to a halt. People with only two or three years of experience found themselves suddenly out off work. For a long time. This would be a normal correction except for the previously mentioned factors. The business has always gone through periodic purges. Work is cyclical and if you want to survive you put aside money for the lean times. Those that don't, that become heady with being in their twenties and making thousands per week, fall by the wayside.The veterans of the business know this and plan accordingly. This time is a little different. Even the old-timers suddenly found themselves unemployed for months on end. As work is slowly beginning to crank back up (notwithstanding the Teamster contract talks) I decided to speak up on a couple of things.
It's not enough to just show up anymore. If you really want to continue in the business you have to be exceptional. For Dolly Grips, this means, if you are still developing your chops, you have to practice. There are a lot of dollies sitting around rental houses gathering dust. It's a prime opportunity to get some practice in. Most rental houses are happy to let you come in and play around (at least they were when I was starting out). Call them. Ask for a couple of hours to go in and mess around with a dolly. Claim a space, put some marks down, and do some compound moves. Get a friend and a chair and practice stand-ups and sit-downs. The moves seem daunting at first. With practice and experience (a lot of it) you will reach the point where the setup of a shot, or finding the best most efficient way to do it is the most challenging part. The moves, you'll just walk up and do. Take some classes from your union local if they are offering them. I teach a couple a year and sometimes the majority of students aren't even Dolly Grips. To succeed in this field you have to specialize. That means you aren't a best boy one show and a Dolly Grip the next and a rigging grip on another. Specialization is something I've harped on for years and you'll probably find another post on it somewhere in the archives. Work towards it. Become a master of your craft. Any decent set grip can lay track and go from one to two. It's the Dolly Grips who can effortlessly do a six point move with two booms and land it by the second take who will be in demand. Anyway, I'll step down off the soapbox. I hope everyone is hanging in there.
The Captain has Spoken,
D
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