Young Production Assistants in Hollywood Are Allegedly Struggling Under Unsafe and Poorly Structured Work Environments
A typical entry-level job for eager filmmakers has always been the production assistant role, working on set doing the dirty work, but as these positions morph into COVID-19 compliance roles, the rules are reportedly blurry and conflicting.
Buzzfeed investigated complaints that were sent to them from different young workers who were hired at the beginning of the pandemic to work on shows that were still green-lit for production. These jobs are few and far between, and the competition is extremely high. Everyone wants to get their start as a PA on an important film or TV series to start their career so these young artists didn’t hesitate to say yes to these jobs. Until they turned into an industry problem that no one is talking about.
Just turned down a job as a “Covid PA” on a movie….which is.. just a normal job in Hollywood now? Idk man I feel like it’s kinda gross to prey off people’s desperation to break into ~the industry~ by paying them minimum wage to literally risk their life during a global pandemic
— corey (@funnycutesmart) September 11, 2020
All of the workers who reached out to Buzzfeed contacted them anonymously so that their careers would not be put in jeopardy if their comments were traced back to them. One assistant said, “It just feels like there’s no room for anything else in my life but this job, handling the crew, trying to get them through it and get us through to the finish line.” The job in question is that of COVID-19 compliance—following the rules to keep the set as safe as possible.
Hollywood has dodged many of the strict Covid-19 regulations in California. Why am I not surprised?https://t.co/ReNaHlzwBi
— Nathan DiBagno (@ndibagno) December 28, 2020
The problem is, these individuals were never trained; on top of that, there are reportedly no set industry guidelines to follow and higher-ups send mixed messages all the time. These film aficionados wanted to get their start doing something they loved, which is now turning into a nightmare as they try to navigate crew complaints, executive communications which sometimes contradict the set rules, and even trying to establish rules in the first place.
Hollywood is no stranger to problematic behaviors that eventually reach the public and this safety issue is no different. Who could forget, Tom Cruise’s raging tirade against crew workers who were not following protocol on set?
Live look at Tom Cruise after a PA breaks covid protocol on the set of his blockbuster production that is apparently the last string keeping Hollywood from falling into the Pacific Ocean pic.twitter.com/x3HyKATIg4
— techno gatsby (@pgpgh5) December 16, 2020
Most recently there are rumors of different Hollywood elite who are trying to buy their way to get a vaccine so they can work. The dangerous combination of money and fame makes people forget they are no better than the rest of the population. One employee complained about the power imbalance, “Just because you make more money than me doesn’t mean you’re less susceptible to this virus. The coronavirus doesn’t take into account money or status or career.”
A film set is a fast moving, high stress environment, you are under so much pressure to keep going, time is expensive and always a luxury. You don’t have time for idiots to be disregarding safety regulations. In COVID time it could cost your crew their lives and lively hoods
— Ryan Hendrick (@ryanhendrick84) December 17, 2020
Over time, some sets have rigid regulations but there is still no current standard to protect cast and crew–it’s all dependent on who’s working and how good of a job they are doing–but if this issue is unresolved, it will surely damage future productions if a vaccine is unable to work like most experts are expecting.
Writer
