workplace comraderie; day-playing & social media touchpoints

[Janice Arthur]

Hi all;

 

One thing I've noticed over the years that as a decades long freelancer we have brief/or fewer long term relationships at work.

 

Traditionally we were mostly day-players who would show up, learn the personalities as quick as we could and hope to thrive. Now, many shows long term work involves Steadicam ops. a different dynamic exists.

 

The idea that you are a vagabond worker who travels around and only occasionally runs into the same crew members is hard on the worker and makes this an oddly harder business because of it.

 

I have lots of great friends in the business but may only see some months and years apart.

 

Work is often a source of comfort and involvement in our brains that makes our sense of well-being different. We know when people are sick or hurt; how their kids are; where they're going over the weekend and a million other things.

 

So as a discussion point here as we get both more day players with all these little rigs out there and as social media becomes a larger and larger part of every life I think it would be fun to think out loud about this very point.

 

The newest statistic I've heard is that by 2020 40% of the workplace will be freelance/contract workers so its growing at an amazing rate.

 

Janice

 

have a good weekend.

[Osvaldo Silvera SOC]

Hi Janice,

I work quite a bit in the reality TV world where I work with the same crew for as little as 2 or 3 days to sometimes 16 weeks straight, you form bonds and friendships and then.....you may not see those folks again for months or years, On some of the shows, everyone is from a different city, sometimes folks from a few countries are on the long run. It's great to meet so many folks, but sometimes sad when you don't see them again for a long time....At least that's how it used to be, but as you mentioned Social media, you can peer into their lives without even speaking or seeing each other, so when you see them again, your all caught up on their lives, depending on how much they share, which I like.

I live in Miami, always have, but sometimes I'm away for many months at a time, folks ask where I'm from, I tell them and then they ask "And they flew you out?", I respond with ..."Where are you from?" That usually settles that one since they're never from where we are.

We are a family of Nomads, Just going where the work is.

 

Producers are always trying to cut costs, Studios want more for less, Unions are GIVING away more just to stay in the game, So the Contract workers and Independent contractors are more and more popular. It also limits liabilities for the companies.

More than half the crew on most jobs I do are their own LLC's. Invoicing, instead of being on the payroll. The world is spinning faster.....

 

PS. The great Eric Toline sends a big hug and hello from Sunny Florida!

 

Ozzie