There was a time when I didn’t care how long I worked every day. How many hours I clocked in, I was young  and I was convinced that if I worked harder than anyone else I would be successful.

I was captivated by the rat race business side of filmmaking. As you get older you start to understand that creative work is still a job, and that you are still human. A 70+ hour work weeks is tough!

When I worked on film sets (10 feature films) I average 75 hours per week.  Film sets run on 6 day work weeks. A 12 hour work day is to be expected. Which would be all possible it wasn’t for overtime, an organised 12 hour work day can mean some crew members will be working up to 2 additional hours or more. For example, when I worked as a Script Supervisor this meant an hour of extra work at the end of every day to get my notes in order and sent off to the Editor.

If film set work is organised, plays by the rules and respects their cast and crew’s health then everything would be ok. In the UK there are guidelines in places for all employers:

UK Employment Guidelines

• A worker must have a break of at least 20 minutes after every 6 hours of work

• A worker must have 11 hours of rest between working days

• A worker must have 1 day off after a week’s work or two days off after a fortnight of work

• It is recommend that workers do not work more than 48 hours per week

• Workers between 16-18 must have 2 days off a week. And are entitled to more breaks.

However, film sets don’t play by the rules.

A problem is the majority of film set workers fall under a self employment contract and so are not entitled to any of the guidelines above. Due to the high volume of people wanting to find work in the film industry the eagerness and enthusiasm of young people is often exploited.

UK Union Guidelines

BECTU is the major union for filmmakers in the UK. On their site they have a list of recommended rules for film set work as well as pay rates. BECTU lists a basic work day on a film set as 11 hours of work with an hour lunch break in the middle. However BECTU’s guidelines can be difficult to understand as they only start applying their guidelines on film sets with budgets of 1 million and over.  Around 43% of films shot in the UK have budgets less than £500,000 (Facts via stephenfollows.com).  So it seems that a huge chunk of film sets in the UK are not protected by either the government or the union.  

The punishing hours of film set work has caused controversy over in Hollywood too. In 2006 the documentary Who Needs Sleep was completed. A personal project of cinematographer Haskell Wexler looking at how the long hours of film set work has even caused fatalities in LA. The documentary focuses on the death of a cameraman who was killed from falling asleep at the wheel of his car after working a 19 hour day on set.

During the documentary many crew members from all over the world are interviewed. They talk about how crashing cars from driving home after a long work day is the norm, and how they have suffered from illnesses brought on by the tough working conditions of film sets.  Throughout the nineteenth century workers fought and protested for the 8 hour work day. The film industry is the only industry in the world fighting for a minimum of 12 hours a day.

As one producer in the documentary put it - The problem with the movie business is it does seem glamorous, so there are a lot of people who say I will do anything. At least in the beginning of their careers. I will do anything,  I will sweep the floors, I will work ridiculous hours and so it is a business where there is a lot of opportunity to rip people off.

A few years back I was on a shoot and we were going over a 16 hour day. The 1st AD announced that we will be continuing to work throughout the night, a handful of crew members left but I stayed there. As a Script Supervisor I felt like I had no choice but to support the Director. That night by the time we got back to the hotel there was only a 4 hour rest until the next work day began.

If you are on a set and are unhappy with the hours worked, talk to your Head of Department, the Production Manager or 1st AD.  You do not have to work long hours on set, as workers within the film industry we should stick together and support each other. Sometimes these problems can be avoided with better organisation. I now refuse to work ridiculous hours and put my health at risk.

We might work sporadic lives, set to set, location to location, but we must also stand up for ourselves in the workplace.  Film set work, no matter how unlike a 9-5, is still a job.