According to John Hislock of Los Angeles reported in The Telegraph, a number of leading actors, fed up with the excessively long hours worked making movies, have added their names to a 10,000 signature petition demanding shorter working days on film sets.
The petitioners want producers to abolish working days that can last up to 20 hours and end the practice of filming until the 'shot is in the can'.
"No other industry would consider a 12 to 14 hour day normal, let alone countenance a work span of 12 to 18 hours" said Richard Masur, President of the Screen Actors Guild.
The growing demand for a maximum 14 hour day (whatever became of the old Hollywood Studio 10 hour day?) is called 'Brent's Rule' after Brent Hersman, a cameraman who was killed in a car crash when he fell asleep driving home after a 19 hour working day. Added to this is the case of script supervisor Bertha Medina who also fell asleep at the wheel of her car after a 20 hour day on Titanic. She wasn't killed, she only suffered severe brain damage.
"It's reached the point where it is accepted that we can work 19 hours a day" said the chief electrician on Pleasantville, the film Hershman was working on. "Something has to be done to implement some limits".
The crew of Star Trek - Deep Space Nine TV series have sent a letter to the producers emphatically requesting the working day to be limited to 13 hours. The letter reads "Star Trek themes have always dealt with humanity and positive hope for the future. Yet we, the crew of Deep Space Nine are often faced with excessive and exhaustive hours. The cumulative result has been mental, emotional and physical fatigue".
Long hours causing mental, emotional and physical fatigue are not limited to production crews, post production crews suffer similarly. Rerecording crews often work all night and sound editing crews are stressed with ever shortening schedules necessitating 7 day working weeks.
It's not only in Hollywood. Here in the UK, production and post production crews are expected to work similar long and unsocial hours. The attitude is 'if you want to work in movies, you have to put up with the conditions'.
When will producers realise that long working hours are counter productive, let alone dangerous with respect to health and safety? Perhaps the adoption of the full Social Contract will bring relief but whispers are that the film industry will get special dispensation. Why should it? Film workers are social beings too.
BOB ALLEN