We currently have 53 productions on the books at UBCP/ACTRA – it’s the busiest ever and it is the traditionally ‘slow time’ of year. Wow. We’ve seen a spike in some serious incidents and ‘near miss’ situations, ‘location problems’ along with a lot of bullying & harassment complaints.
Many crew members have been promoted to higher positions and new and young workers are filling in the vacated positions. We have a lot more ‘inexperienced’ crew members on set who may or may not have the training, intuition or experience to be totally ‘safe’ on set. Things are starting to happen…
As I sit in my office, I am feeling the walls closing in. There is no time for ‘project work’ right now that will help this community…it’s all putting out fires and dealing with injury reports, incidents, and safety complaints. It’s harsh right now and I am not seeing an end in sight…
This is what I see for our Stunt Community :
o New & inexperienced Crew - SPFX, wardrobe, props, weapon handlers, ADs, etc. have profound impacts on our ability to do our job professionally, efficiently & safely. We need to be vigilant and keep our eyes open and watch each other’s backs for…anything & everything. For example, how many times have we heard “your wardrobe can kill you”? Well a new wardrobe person may not know that so kindly educate them.
o New Stunt Performers are joining our ranks. We love those new & young Stunties but they won’t be aware of all the ‘tricks of the trade’ or what their rights are or have the ability to say “no”, and the pace is fast right now. They need the help of all you vets to keep themselves and the rest of us safe. Let’s not keep that attitude that says “they’ll figure it out the hard way” – help them out and show them what to do…and what not to do.
o New Stunt Coordinators are taking on shows. This is great! But, we need to ensure that everyone is sticking to the rules, the WorkSafeBC Regulations and honor the terms of the BCMPA. Stand up for turn-around, 8 hrs. for proper rehearsals, cancelled days and appropriate stunt adjustments. Hire the right people for the job in those key positions. Save the SAE category for sports players, not ‘baby stunts’ to prevent the constant upgrade issues our staff have to deal with. Keep this community strong like the many respected coordinators who have hired you in the past. Stunt Coordinators are “Supervisors” under the law and you now have significant responsibilities. Do you know what they are??? Contact me if you don’t and I’ll help you out (confidentially if you want!).
o New Stunt Riggers are in demand and are learning on the job. Mentorship is so important in this department and we thank all of the experienced riggers, pullers and coordinators for continuing to help these new riggers become great riggers. Performers are also encouraged to be as involved as possible in the wire gags that they do. Understand what it is you are being hooked up to, ask questions and look out for each other. Triple checking is 300% better than no checking. Let’s not get complacent in the wonderful world of flying people.
o Fatigue – Lots of people are working TONS. Again, this is awesome! But we need to watch and manage the fatigue especially when considering working back-to-back stunt days or going from nights to days and back again.
· We are diurnal animals that work with a genetically programed ‘circadian clock’ that has us do our best work in daylight and best rest at night. When we start to mess with that, there are serious fatigue and health implications.
· Everyone needs 7.5 to 8.5 hours of sleep every ‘night’ to function well. If you are not getting that, you are functioning at a reduced capacity of cognitive ability and physical performance. This is despite you thinking you are ‘fine’ as your body and mind have become accustomed to a level of sleep deprivation that is now a new ‘normal’ feeling for you. (I have more scary stats if you want them !)
· Being awake for 18 hours is the equivalent to being .08 impaired (illegal for driving). So keep that in mind when you are deciding to accept a 2nd back-to-back job that requires precision, reaction time and athleticism. Is that the best idea? You also need to tell the Stunt Coordinator if you are overly fatigued or are having to work back-to-back just like you should if you are injured or possibly unfit for a particular job.
· Tips to Help Manage Your fatigue:
- Take naps when you can – RULE : No more than 30min at a time! (unless you can get more than 2 hours – nothing in between)
- Try to sleep 2 hours in the afternoon before night shifts.
- Stick to simple proteins on night shoots – avoid starchy, sugary food and drink.
- Use caffeine sparingly at night (3 cups max on night shoots)
- If you have to drive home tired after working all night, do NOT wear your sunglasses driving home (it triggers sleep in your confused body).
- Do not drive if you are too tired – ask Production to put you up in a hotel – it’s your right and they are obligated to do so if you need it.
- If you are sleepy behind the wheel, pull over immediately, drink 1 cup of coffee (even bring an old, cold one with you from set if you can!) and then sleep for 30 min. When you wake, you should be okay to get home. (coffee takes 30 min to kick in so when you wake up, it will help you out.)
- Improve the QUALITY of your sleep at home (day or night) by making your bedroom a cave! (very dark and quiet). No electronics, no light, no pets. Use an eye mask and ear plugs and use black out blinds on any window – your body and your mind will recuperate better with improved ‘quality’ of sleep.
o Injuries – If you get hurt at work, or you see someone get hurt (even if it’s BG or an Actor or whatever!), please shoot me a text or an email so I can keep on top of it and help that person. Not all productions are informing us of what’s really going on.
As always make sure you REPORT YOUR INJUIRIES to first aid…even the insignificant stuff. It really is important – you never know what the future will bring – just do it !
o The Bottom Line – Please keep your eyes open, your heads up and your wits about you.
Be mindful of the cast, the crew, the Background Performers. Check each other’s gear and rigs. Take the time to rehearse…demand the time to rehearse or do whatever is needed to do awesome things safely.
We are a community that is more like a big extended family… so let’s take care out there.
Best,
Lori Stewart
Lori.stewart@ubcp.com
604-802-6605
Many crew members have been promoted to higher positions and new and young workers are filling in the vacated positions. We have a lot more ‘inexperienced’ crew members on set who may or may not have the training, intuition or experience to be totally ‘safe’ on set. Things are starting to happen…
As I sit in my office, I am feeling the walls closing in. There is no time for ‘project work’ right now that will help this community…it’s all putting out fires and dealing with injury reports, incidents, and safety complaints. It’s harsh right now and I am not seeing an end in sight…
This is what I see for our Stunt Community :
o New & inexperienced Crew - SPFX, wardrobe, props, weapon handlers, ADs, etc. have profound impacts on our ability to do our job professionally, efficiently & safely. We need to be vigilant and keep our eyes open and watch each other’s backs for…anything & everything. For example, how many times have we heard “your wardrobe can kill you”? Well a new wardrobe person may not know that so kindly educate them.
o New Stunt Performers are joining our ranks. We love those new & young Stunties but they won’t be aware of all the ‘tricks of the trade’ or what their rights are or have the ability to say “no”, and the pace is fast right now. They need the help of all you vets to keep themselves and the rest of us safe. Let’s not keep that attitude that says “they’ll figure it out the hard way” – help them out and show them what to do…and what not to do.
o New Stunt Coordinators are taking on shows. This is great! But, we need to ensure that everyone is sticking to the rules, the WorkSafeBC Regulations and honor the terms of the BCMPA. Stand up for turn-around, 8 hrs. for proper rehearsals, cancelled days and appropriate stunt adjustments. Hire the right people for the job in those key positions. Save the SAE category for sports players, not ‘baby stunts’ to prevent the constant upgrade issues our staff have to deal with. Keep this community strong like the many respected coordinators who have hired you in the past. Stunt Coordinators are “Supervisors” under the law and you now have significant responsibilities. Do you know what they are??? Contact me if you don’t and I’ll help you out (confidentially if you want!).
o New Stunt Riggers are in demand and are learning on the job. Mentorship is so important in this department and we thank all of the experienced riggers, pullers and coordinators for continuing to help these new riggers become great riggers. Performers are also encouraged to be as involved as possible in the wire gags that they do. Understand what it is you are being hooked up to, ask questions and look out for each other. Triple checking is 300% better than no checking. Let’s not get complacent in the wonderful world of flying people.
o Fatigue – Lots of people are working TONS. Again, this is awesome! But we need to watch and manage the fatigue especially when considering working back-to-back stunt days or going from nights to days and back again.
· We are diurnal animals that work with a genetically programed ‘circadian clock’ that has us do our best work in daylight and best rest at night. When we start to mess with that, there are serious fatigue and health implications.
· Everyone needs 7.5 to 8.5 hours of sleep every ‘night’ to function well. If you are not getting that, you are functioning at a reduced capacity of cognitive ability and physical performance. This is despite you thinking you are ‘fine’ as your body and mind have become accustomed to a level of sleep deprivation that is now a new ‘normal’ feeling for you. (I have more scary stats if you want them !)
· Being awake for 18 hours is the equivalent to being .08 impaired (illegal for driving). So keep that in mind when you are deciding to accept a 2nd back-to-back job that requires precision, reaction time and athleticism. Is that the best idea? You also need to tell the Stunt Coordinator if you are overly fatigued or are having to work back-to-back just like you should if you are injured or possibly unfit for a particular job.
· Tips to Help Manage Your fatigue:
- Take naps when you can – RULE : No more than 30min at a time! (unless you can get more than 2 hours – nothing in between)
- Try to sleep 2 hours in the afternoon before night shifts.
- Stick to simple proteins on night shoots – avoid starchy, sugary food and drink.
- Use caffeine sparingly at night (3 cups max on night shoots)
- If you have to drive home tired after working all night, do NOT wear your sunglasses driving home (it triggers sleep in your confused body).
- Do not drive if you are too tired – ask Production to put you up in a hotel – it’s your right and they are obligated to do so if you need it.
- If you are sleepy behind the wheel, pull over immediately, drink 1 cup of coffee (even bring an old, cold one with you from set if you can!) and then sleep for 30 min. When you wake, you should be okay to get home. (coffee takes 30 min to kick in so when you wake up, it will help you out.)
- Improve the QUALITY of your sleep at home (day or night) by making your bedroom a cave! (very dark and quiet). No electronics, no light, no pets. Use an eye mask and ear plugs and use black out blinds on any window – your body and your mind will recuperate better with improved ‘quality’ of sleep.
o Injuries – If you get hurt at work, or you see someone get hurt (even if it’s BG or an Actor or whatever!), please shoot me a text or an email so I can keep on top of it and help that person. Not all productions are informing us of what’s really going on.
As always make sure you REPORT YOUR INJUIRIES to first aid…even the insignificant stuff. It really is important – you never know what the future will bring – just do it !
o The Bottom Line – Please keep your eyes open, your heads up and your wits about you.
Be mindful of the cast, the crew, the Background Performers. Check each other’s gear and rigs. Take the time to rehearse…demand the time to rehearse or do whatever is needed to do awesome things safely.
We are a community that is more like a big extended family… so let’s take care out there.
Best,
Lori Stewart
Lori.stewart@ubcp.com
604-802-6605