Go drinking or go sleeping?

[Dominic Gruenberg]

I just read this blog post which I found very interesting. After a long day of work, would you go out and have a drink with some of the crew or would you go straight to bed? What are your thoughts?

 

Personally, I think it's nice to just hang out and talk without having to concentrate on your job and on what's happening around you, because that's what you're doing when you're on set. Sometimes I go with them, drink a coke and only stay for a little while, or hang out on set and drink a bottle of after work beer. I remember on my very first major production after my first day of shooting, the camera crew and the sound crew set off to hit the bar. I went with them, and inevitably most of the talk was about the day or work, but that didn't matter. It was primarily a friendly hang out to get to know each other a bit better.

 

Of course, there are also other occasions. One involving part of the crew jumping into the hotel pool after midnight and having way too much fun. It's just one of those nights, but people still talk about those nights, which makes them even more fun. ;) The most important thing is: as long as you can do your job in the right way, even those nights are somehow part of a memorable shoot.

[Adrian Sierkowski]

Depends a lot on the shoot at hand. Generally, I'm ok to go out and have a beer after shooting, but when I know the next day is going to be a killer, or when I'm too tired to really drive, I think it's a no-brainer to go to bed. Drinks certainly happen the most right after the last shot of the whole picture. Or, sometimes you just have a really shitty day and want to retreat and lick your wounds a bit-- in such time a good cold beer with a good friend can be just what the Dr ordered.

As mentioned you need to be responsible and smart about it.

[John Sprung]

I'd generally save the drinking for after a short day. I still don't drink much at all.... ;-)

 

Seriously, most of my shoot days were so long we'd all just go sleep. The only time I'd go anywhere after a long day is if I needed to take some people aside for a conversation related to the shoot. If we didn't get fed, we might go together to eat, but quickly, and no alcohol.

 

 

 

 

 

 

-- J.S.

[Guest]

Film crew people that drink after work? Get out.

 

R,

[K Borowski]

Film crew people that drink after work? Get out.

 

R,

 

Glad you don't mind the 3-tall Labatts at lunch time, though Richard :P

[Phil Rhodes]

Zzzzzzzz.

 

I...huh... what?

 

P

[K Borowski]

Zzzzzzzz.

 

I...huh... what?

 

P

 

 

Hopefully that's not the loader POD with the hands in the bag! :ph34r:

[Tom Jensen]

You can sleep when you're dead.

[Guest]

Glad you don't mind the 3-tall Labatts at lunch time, though Richard :P

 

I need something a hell of a lot stronger than that! ;)

 

R,

[Martin Hong]

Easy. Drinking with guys only? Sleep

Drinking with girls around. Go drinking

 

:D

[Tom Guiney]

Am I too cynical to think that people are more likely to go out if they think there's something to be gained by it? A community of freelancers, every job can get you your next job, or not, and the social aspects of our business are absolutely important.

[Phil Rhodes]

Cynical as hell but probably correct.

 

What annoys me about this is that people just won't do as they're told and go to bed at a sensible time. Yes, yes, you can call me "mother" and ask me for a hot milky drink before bedtime, if you like, but I'm fed up with working alongside people who think sleep deprivation is manly.

 

This irks me for two reasons:

 

- If I'm paying you, I expect you to turn up to work refreshed and alert and ready to put in a full day's hard graft.

- Even if I'm just working with you, despite the fact that everyone likes to boast they can operate on two hours' sleep, they're importantly wrong, and their work will be rubbish as a result.

 

I'm extremely impatient with this. Human beings need - plus or minus one - about eight hours of sleep. Less than this and you become feeble and useless, no matter how tough you think you are. In fact, the tougher you think you are, the more likely you are to become shouty and difficult to deal with if you haven't got enough shut-eye.

 

P

[Tom Jensen]

Yes, yes, you can call me "mother" and ask me for a hot milky drink before bedtime, if you like, but I'm fed up with working alongside people who think sleep deprivation is manly.

P

 

Call me manly but, glug, glug, glug. Nothing wrong with a few beers after work to unwind. When I was working nights on Tombstone, the Holiday Inn would open the bar at 7:00am to 10:00am. Tell me you guys wouldn't want to sit around a bar after work with Bill Fraker, Bill Paxton, Sam Elliot or Kurt Russel and toss back a few beers.

Edited October 21, 2011 by Tom Jensen

[Adrian Sierkowski]

Personally I'd rather Scarlett Johansson was there. But as I say, so long as you're responsible about it, and adult about it, no reason not to grab a beer.

[Tom Jensen]

I was on a TV show called NightMan back in the mid to late 90's. Me and 3 other crew members had rented a double wide in a real nice trailer park on Mission Bay in San Diego. This was as nice as any house. I will admit, we all liked to party. My assistant was an interesting guy, an old friend I had known for years who had stopped partying. So the first couple of nights I offered him a beer and he respectfully declined. It turned into, "Hey, maybe I will have a hit off that joint." That turned into, "Anybody want a shot of vodka?" And that turned into, "Hey, where's Dave?" I was left high and dry. Brought in a new AC that day and 3 months later he shows up looking to get his job back. Production didn't want him back and I liked him and would have if there were an available slot but it didn't happen. But the parties continued pretty much every night for 7 months. We recycled religiously. The trash collectors drove a train of collection cars through the complex because the streets were just too narrow for a garbage truck. After the shoot was over, I heard them coming through and I yelled to one of my roommates to help me collect the recyclables really fast because the trash men were coming. We jumped up and ran the bottles and cans outside. The train was literally outside our door and when we came running out, all four trash men stopped dead in their tracks and their jaws literally dropped. Then they all started laughing at the same time. One of them called us "barrachos" and then they started to clap. We bowed and waved and all got a good laugh. They had been collecting our mounds of empties for 7 months and never saw a person at the trailer until then. It was pretty funny. That being said, you can drink to have a good time, but don't get hammered and show up hungover. You have to know your limits.

Edited October 21, 2011 by Tom Jensen