Lopez I

Ryan Lopez

Professor Beadle

English 115

5 October 2017

Monstrous Spaces

Within the space of a movie set there are many opportunities for monstrous errors,

monstrous not in the fashion of a stark Hollywood picture or a novel, but monstrous in the lesser

form of hurting others chances for productivity. In the following, I discuss the ways which lack

of sleep, overall inexperience, and lack of dedication can have monstrous effects on a film sets

productivity. In turn, this reveals that a good strong work ethic is highly valued on a film set. In

addition, articles from Monsters, a collection of written works are used to draw comparisons

from those who drain resources both in life and within the space of a movie set, to zombies.

From my personal experience, specific errors which can occur on sets include but most

certainly are not limited to breaking something of vital importance, coming unprepared, or just

blatantly not doing your job. In my experience, a strong cause for mistakes such as these are a

lack of sleep. For example, my hours for this weekend were as follows: Friday 4AM-4PM,

Saturday 2PM-2AM, and Sunday 4AM-3PM. The sporadic and irregular sleep schedule tends to

have an effect on an individuals functionality and motivation. You are often given a twelve hour

turnaround between times you wrap and begin production again, however when you take into

account the time required to get back to your home and actually prepare for bed and provide
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yourself with enough time to eat and commute again the next morning, you are unfortunately left

with an average of five hours of sleep. An average of five hours of sleep mixed with a twelve

hour work day is not precisely ideal; and some allow the intense fatigue to get to their heads,

causing them to either hold up production or damage important property due to negligence.

There is of course also the factor that not everyone on a set is being paid, and this in my

personal experience causes most people to feel as though they are free to do as they please,

showing little to no respect to other authority figures. The most visible place to see this is with

Production Assistants, the lowest position on a Production Team. Since they are often not

provided with financial compensation at all, they mainly see it acceptable to goof off while

others do the more labor intensive work. However they are instrumental in making production go

by in a quicker and smoother way. The mindset of those who are not one hundred percent

committed is, in my eyes, monstrous to those who seek to create and showcase their artistic

vision accurately.

In addition, seeing as how most people who work on sets around my age range are quite

inexperienced, they are unprepared for the extreme dedication that is required of them in order to

perform the tasks needed for the day. A common misconception among people is that the

creation of a movie or a short film is quite a simple process which is not at its base, very

difficult. This is unfortunately not true and you will find yourself beyond stressed out, this is a

very clear alarm for those who can not prepare themselves properly. Should you find yourself

stressed out and in a state where you are holding up the productivity of the film, and you

deliberately choose to do nothing to change your attitude, you will find yourself in the eyes of
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your superiors as someone who is monstrous to have on set. Personally, I can stress the value of

a strong work ethic with a story of the shoot I was on last weekend. On day one, I knew none of

the other filmmakers, I was only there due to the fact I had gotten a referral from one of my

previous superiors who admired my work ethic. However through a series of myself constantly

doing all I could to help out I was able to climb through the ranks within a weekend, starting off

day one as a Production Assistant, and by the end of the shoot working my way up to being

credited as a Key Production Assistant; which is the leader of the department and showing how I

took initiative. I believe it is with my work ethic that I was able to surpass others who were

known on set, and I find it is with that story we see proof of the extreme value of working hard,

or the possibilities for being overlooked should you not seek to fully exert your potential.

The idea of differing actions and ideals that are poor being considered monstrous is not a

new form of thought, nor is the direct comparison to actual monsters. In the article My Zombie,

Myself by Chuck Klosterman, direct comparisons between actual problems in life and the

monsters of make believe are elaborated upon. This is our collective fear projection: that we

will be consumed. Zombies are like the Internet and the media. (Klosterman 42). In this quote

Klosterman makes the comparison of Zombies to those who are enslaved to technology. My

personal comparison for those who are monstrous in halting that of Film Production are also to

that of Zombies. Of course my mentioning of Klostermans comparison of Zombies to those

enslaved to technology are due to my similar belief of those who are monstrous on a set to be

Zombie like. Should you not be giving your full effort on a set you would most likely find

yourself standing idly by, draining resources much like a zombie. On a far more superficial level
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however, when someone is lacking an extreme amount of sleep, their eyes begin to bag, their

body becomes limp. This can be a somewhat lighthearted look at how someone can resemble a

zombie when they are in an extreme state of fatigue on that of a Film Set.

However on the reverse side of the coin, should someone exert themselves to their

extreme constantly, their hard work will almost never go unrecognized. I believe this is a

testament to how much hard work is valued within the Film industry. Now while I can not speak

for the widely professional industry seeing as how I have very little experience within it; the

Independent Film industry, seeing as how most people are just starting out, they give forth their

maximum gratitude when they notice your full efforts are being shown. This type of work ethic

is the epitome of values for film sets. With these chances for appraisal comes the chances for

intense scrutiny should someone make a fatal error. It is these errors which are so fatally feared

that the true angst of the film industry is revealed.

The single purpose of creating a film is to have it be released widely on a market and to

give a profit to a Production Company. For every second someone is working on a Film set,

whether it be a Director or a Production Assistant, money is being drained from the well of the

Producer team. The greatest fear of working on a film is to create something which will not

create enough exposure or even worse on a commercial level, the film will not be profitable. For

each moment someone is not doing all they can for their wage, they are taking money from said

Production team.
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In conclusion, in the specific space of a Film Set, there are a plethora of opportunities for

monstrous errors, but I have observed that the most critical errors the average person makes are

on a more analytical level as a direct result of the negative effects an unfit state of mind can have

on someones work ethic. A categorically complacent mindset on set is very monstrous due to

its effects of halting overall productivity, affecting overall professionalism, and wasting

financial resources. Direct comparisons made from those who are extremely sleep deprived and

drain resources and zombies were also examined which expose the resulting fear and ideals of

the film industry at its core. The comparison of those who are habitually lazy on set to zombies is

furthered by Klostermans article in which he states that the fear of endless consumption by the

internet is a metaphor for zombies. What I seek for you to understand with this is the extreme

value of a strong work ethic and a proper, focused mental state. This dedication is appreciated on

a movie set, however I ask for you to take these ideals of holding a strong and solid work ethic

and to apply it to everything you do in your life which you hold near and dear.
 Works Cited

Chuck Klosterman. My Zombie, Myself: Why Modern Life Feels Rather Undead Monsters,

edited by Andrew J. Hoffman, Macmillan Education Imprint, 2016, pp. 40-45