Made me smile to see the sled dogs knowing the Iditarod got underway this weekend!
The thing about moving up the ladder is the North American cultural demand that you constantly move higher and achieve more. If you have the kind of brain that focuses on small details with expertise and joy, and you know you're not happy having to multi-task and do paperwork and manage people, it's still unpleasant managing the shame of choosing to remain on the third rung from the top, even if you know you're happier.
But good on the folks who find their happiness on top... as long as they are good!
Deb -- good point. There really is pressure in this culture to climb as high and fast as you can, whether you want to or not ... and if you lack that turbo-charged ambition, many around you just don't understand. Still, we live and work on shifting sands in the film and television industry, where sometimes moving up is the only way to stay employed: situations can arise where either you move up or you're out in the cold ... and then you just do the best you can and hope if all works out. I'm just glad I don't have to face those decisions anymore.
Nailed it again, Mike. It was always an interesting dynamic to see best boys move up to Key Grip or gaffer. How many times did you say or at least think I don’t care for this best boy, and this best boy has a bad attitude, doesn’t seem like they give a shit and next thing you know, for whatever reason, they are in the key position and they seem to be a totally different person, and in a good way. Of course, the total opposite did happen from time to time. Hi for one is a key. Grip made sure that at least half of my crew was smarter than me. (A low bar for sure)
Yeah, BBing and gaffing/keying are very different skill sets, and not everybody can pull it off. I sure as hell had difficulties making the transition. The best advice I got was from the late, great Jim Bogard, who told me “Always hire people who are better than you.” Whenever I did that, it worked out well … and when I didn’t, it didn’t.
In my case, the irony was that by the time I became a halfway-decent gaffer, all the commercials — my clients, at least — began heading north chasing the money from Canadian government subsidies, so I was back to juicing again. The Gods of Hollywood have a real sense of humor…
Nice writing Michael! I sometimes think about the difference between what you learn in a regular job and what you learn when you day play. You obviously found a nice balance along the way.
Thanks, Andy! It’s certainly true that scuffling through the down times of day-playing requires a flexibility in attitude and physicality that pays off later. Walking onto a strange set with a crew I didn’t know was always a challenge — trying to fit in and become part of their team as fast as possible. There’s a fair bit of musing on that in the book … which is coming along, however haltingly.
Thanks -- but I never really felt "successful" during much of my time in Hollywood. Every now and then when things seemed to be going really well, yeah ... but those were peak experiences that didn't last. Mostly it felt like I was stumbling along trying not to trip and fall -- which I did a few times. Still, I survived and endured to make it across the finish line, so I suppose that counts.
Made me smile to see the sled dogs knowing the Iditarod got underway this weekend!
The thing about moving up the ladder is the North American cultural demand that you constantly move higher and achieve more. If you have the kind of brain that focuses on small details with expertise and joy, and you know you're not happy having to multi-task and do paperwork and manage people, it's still unpleasant managing the shame of choosing to remain on the third rung from the top, even if you know you're happier.
But good on the folks who find their happiness on top... as long as they are good!
Deb -- good point. There really is pressure in this culture to climb as high and fast as you can, whether you want to or not ... and if you lack that turbo-charged ambition, many around you just don't understand. Still, we live and work on shifting sands in the film and television industry, where sometimes moving up is the only way to stay employed: situations can arise where either you move up or you're out in the cold ... and then you just do the best you can and hope if all works out. I'm just glad I don't have to face those decisions anymore.
Nailed it again, Mike. It was always an interesting dynamic to see best boys move up to Key Grip or gaffer. How many times did you say or at least think I don’t care for this best boy, and this best boy has a bad attitude, doesn’t seem like they give a shit and next thing you know, for whatever reason, they are in the key position and they seem to be a totally different person, and in a good way. Of course, the total opposite did happen from time to time. Hi for one is a key. Grip made sure that at least half of my crew was smarter than me. (A low bar for sure)
Yeah, BBing and gaffing/keying are very different skill sets, and not everybody can pull it off. I sure as hell had difficulties making the transition. The best advice I got was from the late, great Jim Bogard, who told me “Always hire people who are better than you.” Whenever I did that, it worked out well … and when I didn’t, it didn’t.
In my case, the irony was that by the time I became a halfway-decent gaffer, all the commercials — my clients, at least — began heading north chasing the money from Canadian government subsidies, so I was back to juicing again. The Gods of Hollywood have a real sense of humor…
Nice writing Michael! I sometimes think about the difference between what you learn in a regular job and what you learn when you day play. You obviously found a nice balance along the way.
Thanks, Andy! It’s certainly true that scuffling through the down times of day-playing requires a flexibility in attitude and physicality that pays off later. Walking onto a strange set with a crew I didn’t know was always a challenge — trying to fit in and become part of their team as fast as possible. There’s a fair bit of musing on that in the book … which is coming along, however haltingly.
All the best!
Superb. No wonder you were so successful for forty-odd years working at the dark heart of it all.
Thanks -- but I never really felt "successful" during much of my time in Hollywood. Every now and then when things seemed to be going really well, yeah ... but those were peak experiences that didn't last. Mostly it felt like I was stumbling along trying not to trip and fall -- which I did a few times. Still, I survived and endured to make it across the finish line, so I suppose that counts.