Monday, December 31, 2012

It's Cold Out There!


       As the holiday seasons starts to wane and the glow of warmth and good cheer diminish we must all deal with the fact that it’s winter and if you’re working outside it’s going to be cold.  A Steadicam Operator I know in New York always says “ There is no such thing as bad weather just poor clothing choices”  and he’s right.  Over my career I’ve gathered three closets  worth of apparel for location use.  These range from a full Arctic suit to BuzzOff swamp gear. I have Gortex rain gear for golf tournaments and winter sea work. Over a dozen boots for different environments, cleats for grass, mud and ice and technical socks to work with each.  Dozens of gloves and hats for cold, heat and insect protection as well as Hi-tech wicking layers for both heat and cold.  Having all these items does not protect me from the elements if they’re sitting in a closet. 

My “buck’s worth “of advice for this post is to double check the call sheet for the days work to see where you’re going to be working and prepare for the worst.  If the call sheet says night time exterior and it’s January why would you show up with converse sneakers and a light jacket?  If you can’t afford winter kit start hitting up thrift stores or borrow what you need.  You can’t do the job if your shaking and chattering from the cold.  If it’s a last minute gig and you don’t get a call sheet you need to demand to know the location and work load.  On lower end productions that don’t provide complete call sheets  contact them and ask what the working environment will be, keeping in mind  what you’ll need to wear.  You might want to share this with an office bound PM as they might be totally unaware of the problems of working in challenging environments.  Hopefully you’ll be helping your crew mates prepare enough for a smooth days work.

     “No one gives a F#!* about you except for you.”    Take charge of what you can control.  Don’t depend on the kindness of strangers  or the largesse of a stressed out production manager.  You want to spend your time performing your craft at the highest level not wishing you had worn your long johns.

Happy New Year and stay warm this winter!

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