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The Ugly Side of Media Production
Six months of strikes from Writers Guild of America (Writers Guild of America, East), and SAG-AFTRA apparently didn’t make the message clear enough to production companies to stop the abuse in the production industry.
Last night I apologized to a 1st AD, Diana E. Trejo, for miscommunication. I should have clarified, I didn’t mean I miscommunicated. My apology was said in empathy, not remorse. I was sorry their miscommunication between her and their other top level crew members, caused any issues.
I was exceedingly transparent from the jump. My van is not fully functional and I will not work as Set Production Assistant. The pay is too low, and the work is too intense. I told them this before I was hired, asking if it would be an issue. They said no. First shoot day, I told them the second location was problematic due to distance, and asked what they wanted to do. It was settled on that I would be given a ride to the second location with other crew, then a ride back to my vehicle at the end of the day. By the end of the day, I no longer had a ride back. The producer was visibly irritated when ordering me an uber.
I was hired for the art department and the Art Director was told 3 times by me alone, and at least once by other crew, that I was her assistant, yet she kept asking who her assistant was, and then rejected most help from me…
