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Coping skills.


MiRrorTwo

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How do you cope with the pressure, the long days, the travel, the exhaustion, the headphones, the hearing fatigue, the harness, the diet, the grind.

Music helps soothe the hearing fatigue for me, I think the change from concentrating on the dialogue and trying to listen to the little bits in the background between the words, to nice flowing, relaxing music is good for the brain.

As for the rest, I always remember that if I hadn't been particularly fortunate to end up doing a job I love, I could be skinning chickens or making nails in a factory, or worse still I could be working in a call centre.

That usually does the trick.

YMMV

Good luck!

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I think of the military.... always.... 130 degrees in Afganistan, dust, 17 hr days, people trying to kill you... on and on....

I think how fortunate we are to do this instead, no matter how bad things get.... and when I feel like whining about the situations I am forced to do my job in, I again, go back to the military thought... and suddenly, i don't feel so bad... in fact, I feel like an idiot for not toughing it out without complaining... even internally...

As for others around me, if I hear whining and complaining about the rough day.... yep, back to the military, I think "glad I am NOT in a foxhole with that person"... Tough it out and shut up...

I read a few books about the Second world war, "Helmet on my pillow" Robert Leckie was one... Pacific theatre, and I can tell you one thing.... I never feel like complaining again, about anything work wise... After reading what those guys went through, day after day I think... What a Pansy, just shut up and work...

Read that book, I loved it by the way , to cure you of any complaining or feelings of being down and out about the tough job we do.. Read it at work and kill two birds with one stone...

It's all perspective...

Works for me and keeps my chin up and moving forward... with a Marine attitude... ::)

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Well there's some stuff that I just won't do anymore, as with ENG shoots: If the producer asks for a soundguy/cam assistant, I will tell them where to find a good cam assistant. I will lug my stuff around all day without a hint of complaint, but not also strap on an extra backpack with 3 fat battery camera packs, a ton of tapes and disks and do mind reading about when to wipe the camera lens or change media and go running for the tripod. I'm always glad to help here and there, but I will not let extra burdens get in the way of doing my job anymore (which I really love btw). I'm always trying to improve my harness and stuff, keep things as lightweight as can be, and I don't mind wearing headphones all day. I guess I can deal with the stress and everything as long at the end of the day, I have good audio.

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Regardless of the comparative ease of sound work compared to other work, you have to live in your own life. (For a lot of those WWII guys, being in the army was a step up from the hunger, homelessness, fear and exploitation they'd been experiencing in the Dust Bowl era etc..) If you find that you are often exhausted and pissed off while working then you might want to consider changing what you do. I've been a location soundie for a very long time, and many years ago discovered that there were whole sectors of this business, including some of the more glamorous-seeming ones, that I just didn't have the temperament for. Be honest with yourself about what you are really good at, what you enjoy doing, and what you are comfortable doing. This isn't an excuse to not stretch yourself when the opportunity arrives, but for what you do in the main, think carefully about what works for you, really.

phil p

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also I generally have fun on set, even if the production is a nightmare :)

A good plan, I spent two days this week shooting outside in torrential rain, the talent were bickering, the producer and director stopped talking midway through the first day, luckily for me, there was a very funny good natured Jib operator who made the whole thing fun, despite many kit problems because of the rain, we kept laughing and smiling till the end.

To paraphrase Ben Folds 'I could be bussing tables, I could well be pumping gas, but I get paid much finer for pushing faders and kissing ass' :)

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nature of the beast... I've noticed that even when I do several jobs in a row where I get totally peeled and feel like selling all my gear and going into landscaping, I eventually wind up on a gig that really balances all that out. There's a definite ebb and flow to it... try to implement the (Sam Elliot) perspective from Big Lebowski...

~tt

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Agreed to all the above. It's difficult to maintain a positive attitude all the time, so it becomes my internal mantra when things get tense on set.

As for diet, I struggle with that too. I do my best to make the majority of my plate green at lunch, and have been substituting fish and chicken for that huge hamburger my body is craving. That has helped a bit.

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what doesn't kill you makes you stronger

Not true, I have several friends with permanent back problems due to repetitive excessive load bearing, talking well over a hundred pounds, often over 150. Even though the Marines was a positive experience in my life, it does promulgate some myths or partial myths, like "What makes the grass grow? Blood, blood, blood!" Nitrogen content in blood is highest in athletes and bodybuilders and others with high protein intake, but unfortunately hippies do not generally fit either of these two categories. The Marines are trying to deal wih the ramifications of this scientific factor and have thus far rejected modifying the chant to "What makes the grass grow? Non-hippie blood!"

In all seriousness, though, the military is a "service industry" as in service to one's country. Although it can sometimes resemble a job, it is not a job and entering into this service does in fact deprive the individual of many rights enjoyed by other citizens (although you don't have to be a citizen to enter service - an admirable way of acquiring citizenship). It is ok to apply some of the attitudes from military service to one's personal life if you so wish, but I don't think it would be appropriate to develop such a culture of thought for a civilian industry. Asking a service member to perform a forced entry of an enemy perimeter asks that person to stretch the envelope of personal comfort, mental endurance, and ultimately sacrifice one's life in the service of country. Requiring a crew member to lift an unreasonable amount of gear, have too short turnarounds, experience undue stress, are all side effects of illplanning, under budgeting, logistical incompetency, and crew members shouldnt be asked to bridge this gap on a consistent basis. A service member that sacrifices his life is awarded and respected for his duty, a civillian that dies or is injured on the job, there are no rewards, only fingers to be pointed, quite uncountiounsable if it could have been avoided. Of your getting grumpy because someone won't move your cart for you or you get insulted by a screaming AD, well then maybe you could learn a few new coping skills.

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What pain?..This business will take you into extraordinary situations and give you opportunities to meet people you couldn't hope to meet in 10 lifetimes...being there ..experiencing the moment...and getting paid for it....enjoy your life...

BVS

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This business will take you into extraordinary situations and give you opportunities to meet people you couldn't hope to meet in 10 lifetimes...

BVS

I find this to be very true. I had the biggest crush on a certain star several years ago. I always wondered what it would be like to have a conversation with her, as I'm sure most guys do when they see a gorgeous lady on tv. Late last year I received a call from a Producer I do a lot of work for. They were doing a commercial for a product in which that star was the spokeswoman for. I finally was able to meet her in real life and it was an experience I would never forget. In fact, she actually preferred working with me and since that day she has requested me to take care of all her sound needs. I still can't believe it sometimes when I get a call from her assistant asking if I'm available to record the star. Had I not got into sound I would still be like everyone else, dreaming of what its like to meet the girl on the cover of most magazines.

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The trick, William Potter, is not minding that it hurts.

What pain?..This business will take you into extraordinary situations and give you opportunities to meet people you couldn't hope to meet in 10 lifetimes...being there ..experiencing the moment...and getting paid for it....enjoy your life...

BVS

My first day on set was as a intern with the locations department. I got to stand on a stage with a full orchestra playing while being filmed for a IMAX film. I still talk about that as being one of my favorite moments working. There have been so many more since then. I have also ( when I was a production assistant) worked 24 hours straight and just finished a movie that might have had the worst scheduling in my almost 20 years in the industry. Three weeks of nights on a stage, shooting 14 to 16 hours a day. There will be great moments and some really crappy ones. Like others mentioned you have to love what you are doing. Then you can deal with all of the other crap that goes along with what we do.

Brian

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Hey MiRrorTwo:

FWIW, I find that earplugs work really well to alleviate hearing fatigue. Put them in at night, either just before sleep or even earlier if possible. I don't suffer from tinnitus though... I wouldn't recommend earplugs to anyone suffering from tinnitus. It will only increase ones awareness of the ringing. If you're suffering from tinnitus, check out [CAUTION: SHAMELESS PLUG AHEAD] "Natural White Noise for Sleep" on iTunes. It's a step up from electronically generated white noise, and (even at a low volume level) will help alleviate the symptoms.

As to spinal compression, gravity boots and/or inversion tables have been known to help. Of course, not taking a job that will harm you is the best solution, but we all know that sometimes one is forced to make sacrifices in order to provide for his/her family. Hang in there -- better jobs will materialize.

~tt

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