Welfare of film crews gets second billing

Welfare of film crews gets second billing

Nelfi Wibowo, Contributor, Jakarta

With 26 feature films coming into theaters since 2000 -- a bumper
crop compared to the lean years of the 1990s -- glamorous gala
premieres are becoming a regular event.

When the parties are over, however, film workers face up to
harsh reality of being underpaid, putting in heavy overtime and
lacking insurance due to the absence of professional guilds to
protect their rights.

From the top to the bottom of the responsibility ladder, film
workers still cannot earn a decent living.

"There is no standard for payment that producers must follow
if they want to hire film crews," a 29-year-old camera operator
who declined to be named told The Jakarta Post.

He said a one-month production of a feature film could earn
him about Rp 3 million.

"I have to take it because if I asked for more, they would
offer the job to other people who, believe me, would take it for
a lot less," he said.

The fact that film workers have yet to establish guilds for
their profession is exploited by local film producers to slash
production costs to a ridiculous level.

"I once worked for a feature film where the producers had the
goodwill to give film crew a reasonable paycheck. They ended up
being blamed by other production companies for screwing up their
low standard," the film worker said.

Cinematographer German G. Mintapradja said that while it was
understandable that the film industry was finding its feet after
many difficult years, producers should pay more attention to
their crew's welfare.

He said the grips -- crew members who work with the heavy
equipment used for camera movement -- were not insured despite
the dangerous nature of their job.

"Production companies insure the heavy tools but not the
people who handle them," German said.

For their effort in pushing, lifting and pulling heavy
equipment -- definitely harder than working out in a gym -- they
are usually paid Rp 300,000 per day for work that is intermittent
at best.

The same low standard of payment also applies to crew members
from other departments.

With a limited number of films produced every year but many
production companies, chances are a film crew will only work on
two productions in a year.

It's impossible for the workers to make a living simply by
working exclusively for feature films.

To supplement their income, crew members moonlight on the
production of TV commercials and local soaps.

Perhaps even worse than the compensation are the backbreaking
working hours.

Local production companies usually shoot a 90-minute feature
in 30 days -- a very short period of time compared to what is
required to shoot a film of the same length in a country with an
established film industry with standard regulations.

The short shooting schedule forces film crews to work extra
hours. They usually start at 5 a.m. and work through until
midnight to reach the targeted shots that day.

"How do you keep your crew in a healthy mood when they know
they will not get any overtime pay for their extra work?" German
said.

Many filmmakers have to rush completion of the production
while compromising in the creative department.

Film producers argue that at a time when the film business is
struggling to stay alive, some compromises have to be made,
including minimizing production costs, such as the crew payroll.

"Everybody has to make sacrifices for a grander purpose. We
have to keep producing films despite all the limitations," a film
producer who refused to be named said.

"If everybody complains at this stage about a low paycheck and
everything, we will never get off the ground."

Film workers say there are two types of producers. The first
are those who strive to make a movie on a genuinely limited
budget, but the others are those who actually have more money to
spend but cry poverty to keep payments to the minimum.

"The latter type is the one we usually have to face," said the
camera operator.

"I mean, come on. We know when they really don't have money
right? And I don't mind helping them," he added. "But those who
really can afford it, please don't exploit us."