Our Health.

[Bartek]

Hello,

I wanted to find out how you guys are dealing with the issue of one's well being.

I recently did almost 2 months of night shoots straight and a few weeks after, my body still has not propperly adjusted, and this is starting to effect my health. I know that this is an extreme case, but switching from night to day and back again is a common occurance, sometimes multiple times within a week. That alone cant be god for your body!

I also noticed that i get the common colds at a more frequent rate.  On a film set how many times have you had one person infect half the crew? This too puts quite a strain on your body, especially if this happens to you a few times a year (spring/fall). Not to mention the acctual phisical strain you are put under working in film, sleep deprivation, stress, and so on.

I am curious how other are effected by this, and we all are. How have the true veterans dealt with this over their many years, and what are some of the things to look out for? Dont get me wrong here, I trully love what I do, love the struggle, and the satisfaction at the end of the day when you turn to your Boom Op and say "Boy we nailed that scene"! But the lifestyle we all chose comes at a high price, when does it become too high?

love to hear your opinions on the matter,

Bartek

[Philip Perkins]

The best boom op I ever had, the estimable and now retired Gary Dowling, had MUCH more experience on long-form shows than I had when we started working together.  One of the major things he taught me was that on a long show (ie feature or a series even more so) ENDURANCE was a major factor and goal for crew people.  It was the best arguement against show-boating, doing unnecessarily complex setups, getting in pissing matches w/ other crew members and for getting your rig VERY together.  Whatever it was we were doing, we were going to do it for a long time--a movie is a marathon not a sprint.  Being in good shape helped, vitamins and supplements helped, and making sure that crew partying didn't cut into your sleep seemed to help a lot too.  On a location set it's not easy to wash your hands frequently, but it's a very good idea to do it if you can.  Think about what you are doing when you eat off the crafty table--did the over-worked crafty person wash their hands?  Did you before you put whatever that snack was in your mouth?  I've been on crews wracked by colds, flu, impetigo, pink eye, food poisoning, sunstroke, dysentery and even malaria.  You have to try and think for your health a lot more closely than you do in "civilian life", and once sick be very vigilant about trying not to pass it on.

Philip Perkins

[Jeff Wexler]

I recently did almost 2 months of night shoots straight and a few weeks after, my body still has not propperly adjusted, and this is starting to effect my health.

I learned more than I really wanted to during the course of helping my father with "Who Needs Sleep?" documentary. There are literally hundreds of medical studies that have been done that document exactly what the effect is on the body when the normal waking / sleeping rhythms are disrupted, something we all know happens ALL the time working on movies. This, along with the volumes of data that show that sleep deprivation and what is called "sleep debt" weakens the whole immune system and makes it impossible for even typically very healthy people to fight off infection and disease. Brent Hirshman was killed quickly in a car accident but we are all at a much higher risk of developing debilitating or ultimately fatal diseases brought on by chronic time shifting, long hours, fatigue and sleep deprivation. The crucial thing about "sleep debt" is that you can't pay it off --- the effects of this sleep deprivation takes its toll even long after you are off the job and may be getting a good nights sleep (at night, of course).

See the movie if you can --- there is a lot to be learned about how our work affects the quality of our lives (of course it is obvious that if you work a lot of long hours you will be able to buy a bigger boat, retire sooner, and maybe live long enough to enjoy life).

Regards,  Jeff Wexler

"Who Needs Sleep?" available at:  www.whoneedssleep.net

[Noah Timan]

But the lifestyle we all chose comes at a high price, when does it become too high?

love to hear your opinions on the matter,

Bartek

Everyone has a different threshold for pain and abuse.  There's no "one size fits all" argument, or cause and effect chain, to point to.  Ultimately, it's got to be your decision, as no one knows you and your specifics better than you.  Beyond the physical tolls of lack of consistent schedule and too many hours, there are combined emotional tolls with consistently having your work and goals and purpose dismissed by the higher-ups, disagreements with other departments, and so forth.  These, combined with the hours and schedule issues, can take a worse toll on the human condition than lack of sleep alone, since the health compromises make one particuarly vulnerable to emotional distress -- they tend to manifest themselves in other ugly patterns like ridiculous amounts of unhealthy stress, chain smoking, alcoholism, poor diet, and general but seemingly irreperable emotional insecurity.  I've been witness to a lot of train wrecks over the course of my career -- from young folks who were not really ready to play the game, to folks who have been in the business much longer than I who never found stability and never knew when to pull the rip cord -- and the resounding message seems to be that if something in you says, "when", you have to say, "when".  The consequences make it very complicated, but it's really a simple matter, in the end.  If, when all is weighed, it's not rewarding, it's time to shake yourself off and move along to one of life's many other opportunities or possibilities.

.02 nvt

[jason porter]

Keep your hands clean.

Eat healthy (and take vitamin supplements) , even if you have to buy or bring your own food.  I did a story on a major player in the movie catering business in Toronto...I haven't eaten a catered meal on a filmset since.

Take it easy on the coffee/caffeine.

Drink lots of water.  Once you begin to feel dehydrated, you ARE dehydrated!

Take time to deflate and relax after the day is done, you will sleep better.  Learn some basic yoga stretches (this will increase bloodflow and help you relax)

Don't party every night...it isn't worth it!

[old school]

I wrote a reply last night when I got home after a 12 hr day that was 14 plus with drive time. It was not as good as the ones I'm reading today so I am glad I went to bed instead. This is a hard biz in a lot of ways, as the days roll into nights, into weeks and years and the price we pay is hefty with regards to our health and family life. I try to seek balance in my nonworking life with family, food, fun, and projects for myself and no one else. So far it seems to be working, of course if you saw me in person you might question this last statment.

old school

[Jethro_S]

Great replies everyone. I agree a lot with Jason Porter - Water is the fluid that will keep you clean. Learn about keeping the blood pure with good food. Stop going to the doctor. No one in my immediate family goes to a doctor, and it's been that way since before I was born. I'm named after Jethro Kloss, author of Back to Eden, a very famous health book.

I eat and assimilate good food 24/7, with occasional fun times thrown in for good measure. I use products from Richard Schulze, who has his store in Santa Monica. He's got the purest and most potent herbs I've found, and I've been around this stuff since forever. It's expensive, but the best. Order online. http://www.dr-schulze.com/abp_1024x768.asp

During a show use his:

Superfood

SuperTonic

Echinacea+

Cayenne

I use this stuff whenever in high demand situations...toured Europe for 8 weeks and worked very hard...no sickness.

Wash your hands often especially when people are sick around you.

Get a juicer, and use it at home when you are not working. I remember Peter Devlin joking with me about my juicer I took on the road for a movie in Utah. Temperature extremes, many exteriors, and long hours; never got sick once, always had energy. I'd juice up the carrots in my room at the end of a day and go to bed. Wonder what the person next door thought (strange sawing sounds?). Now I use a Champion Juicer, the best simplest juicer there is. Got a used one Ebay for $60.

Old School has it right with family, food, fun, and projects for thyself. Jeff's got the sleep in check, for sure that's needed.

cheers,

J

[tim apter]

Theres a lot to be said for budgeting on when to sprint your ass off and when to run the marathon - sometimes its worth it to break your back to make a scene work as a crew, and sometimes its worth it to make a couple small compromises that mean the work to come AFTER this scene is not hurt... I'd rather shoot 20 competent, good scenes than 10 great ones and 10 that end up looped because I was too tired to give a scene what it deserved.

Im not saying slack off, no way - I love what I do, and Im a perfectionist (probably like most sound people!) - but pacing your workflow is, to me at least, a key factor in maintaining a consistently high standard. but im young and naive, so what do i know?

tim

(2 months, 9 days into a show - one month remaining, plus contingency days! egad...)