" I can assure you it ’s not glamourous . "
We all know that on the outside, Hollywood brings about shiny images of movie stars, red carpets, fame, wealth, and that iconic Hollywood sign. But as with most beautiful things, things are not always as they seem.
From grueling working conditions and long hours to demanding directors, and all the rewarding moments in between, here’s what people in the film and television industryhad to sayabout what life is really like behind the scenes:
1.“I worked as a teacher for child actors on film sets. Unless you’re a major star, I can tell you it’s not glamorous. Only certain jobs require the production to even provide a space for you, and depending on the budget, it might be makeshift AF. I worked on a production shooting in the dead of winter, and our ‘classroom’ was basically a shed with a space heater. People like makeup artists, PAs, ADs, etc, bring their own chairs to set.”
2.“Working on comedies isn’t always fun, but it’s way easier than working on one-hour dramas. Especially those procedurals with action sequences. You’re looking at 16-18 hour days with two units, and both units are behind.”
— Anonymous
3.“We have to do a lot of takes for each scene, and it might take an hour or we’re up until midnight filming. All the while, we have to get there at six o’clock in the morning!”
4.“We achieve insane things every day. I mean INSANE. We pull off the absolute impossible because someone (usually the director, producer, designer, sometimes a cast member) changes their mind at the last minute. Pre-internet/mobile phones, this wasn’t nearly as much of a problem, but these days, everyone expects you to be able to get hold of or create anything they can dream of instantly. In addition to this, budgets are being squeezed, but expectations are the same, if not higher, and the crew is bearing the stress of that.”
5.“It’s sooo BORING!! I worked on a few movies, and could not stand how bored I was. You have to wait for other set decorations to be set up, then wait for props to be set up, then wait for camera set up, then wait for hair and makeup to finish. You wait for them to do a million retakes of the same shot in order to adjust the camera. It’s wait, wait, and WAIT! I’m so glad I now work in live television, where anything can happen because it’s live and unpredictable.”
6.“Low pay. Long hours. Great people in the crew. Celebs are hit or miss. I found that the bigger the celebrity, the nicer they were.”
7.“The weird politics of positions on set. As talent, having a crew member be actually scared to talk to you because you could get them fired. Not doing anything for yourself, even though you could get that water or walk those 10 feet on your own. And having to be careful what you say because saying you’re craving gummy bears sometimes means you’re given a 2-lb bag of gummy bears in all of your dressing rooms, and then they send someone to get more anytime you might run out.”
" I ’ll also say C- and D - list actors are the WORST , most unkind people to sour with . group B - leaning actors are always a joy . Overall , it ’s a lot of citizenry coming together to make art . It ’s a hatful kind and more merriment than you might imagine ! But definitely much less glamourous than hoi polloi opine , too . A lot of rush up and hold off on long 10 - 16 hour days that wreck your body . "
8.“They chew you up. I work as a VFX artist, it’s mostly freelance, where studios hire per project. You’re expected to show up and work till the deadline, 24 hours if needed. Usually, the project is behind schedule cause they tried to get it done with the core staff or junior artists. We also don’t get a credit roll; that’s mostly for staff. I’ve been on Emmy-winning projects that I did the bulk of but got no credit, while the creative lead got credit but didn’t work on the project outside the launch meetings.”
9.“It’s like dating someone who doesn’t care about you, but keeps you around because you provide something for them. They’ll string you along, give you little signs of hope, then, when you can’t take it anymore and leave, they just move on to the next younger person who looks at them with wide eyes. BUT, there are definitely some really great times. And you’re fed well.”
10.“Design producer here. Lately, I’ve been working on home renovation/makeover shows, and most of the time, the ‘designer’ you see on screen is not the actual designer. The production designer and the design producer do all the work behind the scenes, and the person you see on camera gets all the credit.”
11.“If you want to feel underappreciated and be treated like a POS, this is the industry for you. I earned a master’s degree in entertainment business and production management, and I spent eight years of my life perfecting my knowledge, only to find out quickly that your insight, education, and experiences aren’t of any consequence whatsoever. You’ll have people snap in your face, expect you to dedicate your entire existence to whatever project you’re working on.”
" The remuneration is n’t a live remuneration , and your ethical motive will be constantly tested . This diligence is soulfulness - crush . I ’m confident you ca n’t be a comme il faut human being AND do this for a living . Your remote guest does n’t have mascara on for B - roll ? Prepare to be skinned alive by producer in your next Zoom call . "
12.“It is not glamorous at all. You know that scene in the forest? Yeah, we spent 15 hours in that forest dragging our gear around. That blazing rock quarry? We spent 8 weeks in the blazing hot sun filming in it. You know that actor you love? Yeah, he’s just acting nice. So many amazing, creative people are involved, but also so many people with personality disorders. You don’t agree with nepotism? Don’t work in film. It’s the land of make-believe, and everything is fake. Film is incredibly hard work.”
13.“I’ve been working as an extra (background actor) for the last 10 years, and here are some things that people often don’t know. The hours are terrible and completely unreliable; sometimes you’ll be working 16- or 17-hour days for weeks, and sometimes you barely get a few hours here and there. It’s definitely not as glamorous as people think. I’ve filmed in terrible conditions with no heaters, shade, rain cover, etc., all while wearing the most uncomfortable outfits known to man (like 30 pounds of combat gear on the hottest day of the year, rip).”
(Cont’d) “Despite all that, working in film has been the best decision I ever made. It’s what I love to do, even if I can’t do it as often because of my other job. The work is so interesting and has helped me develop some key skills. Things like being more social (a given considering I spend most of my day miming to other people), networking, how to style clothing/hair, improving memorization skills, etc. And, it has helped me meet so many great people (funny considering I’m a hugeintrovertwith social anxiety) and do some pretty cool stuff. I highly suggest trying background acting at least once in your life because it is such a unique experience.”
And lastly:
14.“I’ve worked in writer’s rooms and on set for many years. Each show you work on is a brand new experience — you never know if it will be 12-16 hour days of hell or if it will be somewhat smooth, and the people you work with will be an absolute joy. Long nights, bizarre requests from talent, constantly wondering if some interaction will be what makes an impression that leads to a promotion. The sheer thrill of seeing something you wrote make it into a script, the bitter feeling when someone above you takes the credit for it.”
(Cont’d) “It’s constantly wondering if your job will last until the end or the studio will shut down the whole thing. Crossing your fingers that your show gets picked up for another season, that they bring you back, and that you made enough of an impression to get more responsibilities and move up the ladder.”
" There ’s also ' fraturdays , ' where you have to shoot for so long on Friday Night that you knead until like midday on Saturday to make your hebdomad . However , there are so many perks like accession to surface area most hoi polloi can only dream of , random conversation with talent , or ascertain a human connection that can ground you when you ’re in an elevator with a Brobdingnagian asterisk and they ’re anxious about take up off their shirt in a conniption .
So much food . Like an sinful amount of solid food . Everywhere . All the time .
Some things be an absolute insane amount of money that producer and people higher up than you will fight tooth and pinpoint for , spew in each other ’s side over , and then the piece of glass or special item or whatever that they NEEDED to be in the scene they will decide to cut off from an edit weeks later like it was no cock-a-hoop deal . "
(Cont’d) “Some days you’re standing around counting the seconds and hoping someone needs ANYTHING, and other days you run around like a chicken with its head cut off for 15 hours and collapse on your couch as soon as you get home. You legitimately NEVER know which day will be which. You will meet some of the most driven, kind, brilliant, funny, anxious people and toil alongside them day in and day out and by the final weeks you’ll be like the survivors of a sunken ship willing your ship (show) to just drift to shore so you can get off and kiss the sand.”
" You will sit down in your car at 3 in the morning in a haze and gaze at the Hollywood sign , smashing your fist into your steerage wheel and whisper - shouting , ' Why the $ # ! + am I still doing this ! ? ' And then two week later on , you ’ll get a call to hop on another show and execute around your mansion with glee that you ’re working on THAT show with THAT writer and THAT conductor and MAYBE , just MAYBE this is YOUR SHOT . You will never , ever , ever draw a blank what you experienced , and despite all of the trauma , painful sensation , frustration , etc . , you will always be able to appear back on it and call up , ' Yeah , I made that . ' "
— Tony Perez
