To me the author comes across as a bit shellshocked and a tad naive as she regards what is going on around her with a weird sense of amazement, culminating with this statement: >People still come to Hollywood with dreams of reinventing themselves. But the reality is much crueler and not so different from that in the rest of the country.. Not so different? Really? How about 'In no way, shape, or form, different on any level than from the rest of the country'. Seems a little more accurate to me. I dunno, maybe she is trying to 'paint a scene' for her readers, and her incredulity is just there to bring it to life a bit.
"Fuck Hubski, you entitled little shits." Wooooahh. Easy there tiger. I had no idea you worked in the industry, which probably explains why you're taking this so personally. Nobody is saying that you don't need to eat, or that the shrinking industry has human costs. That's the whole point of my post is that Hollywood is in this mess, just like everybody else. There is literally no exeptionalism there. They are people with mortgages, struggling to make ends meet just like anybody. "Hollywood is very different from the rest of the country. We get up at 10 and work until 8, primarily because traffic sucks. When we're on set we get up at 4am and work a 12 hour day - we hope for 16 because we get two hours of time and a half and two hours of doubletime. No offense, but this sounds no different than millions of other occupations. My industry starts at 7am and goes till 3. You know, -run of the mill contractor hours. And contractors want overtime just like you guys, or the burger flipper at McDonalds that is trying to make ends meet. Sure, you could quibble over what it's like to have a salary vs freelance, but at the end of the day, all across America, all contractors, whether they are freelancers (a hell of a lot are) or salaried, the work that pays their bills is still project based which means that if you don't have another one lined up and ready to go when this one's done, there's going to be a very real human cost. That's bread and butter reality for millions and millions of us, but even given that, the difference in pay structure isn't a such a key differentiator in the end. The industry is either contracting or it isn't. There is either work or there isn't. People are hiring or they are not. Perhaps you still disagree, but I certainly don't think you could do so as a takeaway based on the contents of the author's article. I guess all I'm saying is that if you substituted 'construction industry' for 'hollywood' in that piece, I'd be left wondering the same thing, -why does the author seem so incredulous that their market is not immune to the same contractions that basically every other industry is feeling? Maybe my problem is that I've always seen the majority of people that worked in that industry as busting ass for not terribly much gain. It's like deciding that you want make a living by being in a band. What it really means is that your're going to work twice as hard for half as much as a "safe" job (is there any such thing?) somewhere else, you probably won't be able to count on a nice retirement savings either, and don't be surprised if you find yourself picking up some bartending shifts for a little extra cash (and btw, try not to become too addicted and distracted by the cash and slack off on your creative dream while you're paying the bills). A small minority will 'make it' and be able to truly support themselves in a guaranteed sustainable way, but they may be the exception, -not the rule. Maybe the author is trying to lift a veil that was never there in the fist place for me? "If you've ever watched a TV show, a whole bunch of people on the other end worked really hard to make it for you. And we need to eat, too. And while the industry lobby has responded to the threat of the internet in a truly horrible fashion, the fact that our industry is contracting has a very real human cost.
Apparently it's more fun if you don't even mention that, because then you fucks have to think about something other than yourselves." I don't believe I am a "fuck" that thinks only about myself, nor am I an "entitled little shit". In fact, I don't believe I even implied a "fuck yea, bitches, burn in hell" attitude towards the author, or the industry. In fact, I know I didn't. Just because I find the author incredulous doesn't mean I want Hollywood to burn or lack sympathy for those struggling. Just because I find ridiculous the author's assertion that people in Hollywood struggling to make ends meet is somehow different than the struggles of workers in other industries across large swaths of America, doesn't mean I want that to happen or am cheering any of this on. It's all good though. I accept your apology in advance.