FROM THE PRESIDENT George A. Willis csc, sasc
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ast month with the COVID-19 curve flattening, our industry was greenlighted, and productions began timidly springing back to life across the country, albeit with the new reality of distancing, work pods, masks, set sanitizing and onsite testing. This is a good thing going back to work on sets loaded with safety precautions to keep people healthy. However, there is a pre-pandemic safety concern that never seems to be remedied, and to a large extent has fallen on deaf ears. During these trying times, everyone has been forced to stay home in self-isolation to varying degrees. While this is mostly perceived with dread, the positive aspect of this situation is it has allowed for far more family time, and who can argue with that? But as we return to work, there is one overriding and important issue that needs addressing and for which everyone needs to take responsibility. We need to seriously dig deep and ask ourselves whether we wish to return to the punishing hours that productions demand. Our industry really does need to rethink its position regarding working conditions, which for so long has been mostly ignored. Many of us have been engaged in a freelance capacity in the film industry for our entire careers and we cannot deny the horrible toll that this has had on family life, not to mention industry worker wellbeing. We all know what is at stake. In 2006, the late Haskell Wexler asc began to take on the issue of working conditions 4 • Canadian Cinematographer - October 2020
through his documentary Who Needs Sleep? The message of the film was simple, direct, and is as relevant today as it was back then – sleep deprivation and long work hours are a deadly combination. Unfortunately, little has changed regarding the working hours, and it would also seem that little has been learned from the many unnecessary deaths that have been attributed to this issue. It would be an extremely positive move for our industry to embark on a study addressing the seriousness of brutal working hours and maybe, just maybe, an argument can be made for the value that we now attach to spending as much time with the family unit as possible. We have never had to deal with anything even remotely close to the situation that we are now experiencing with the pandemic. Everyone, including our families, truly does understand that times are changing and so should the hours that we have been expected to endure in silence. It is high time that our industry takes a long hard look at this issue because the status quo is no longer good enough in a situation that needs significant and meaningful updates for so many reasons. As we get back to work, let us not forget the negative issues associated with the inhumane and punishing hours, but let us also continue to explore the positive results that will be gained through constructive dialogue and a civilized solution. It is literally a matter of life and death.
