The sociability of movie-making

[Mark B.]

Would you say that movie making is a very sociable experience, prone to result in new friendships and love interests. Or would you say that making movies is more like computer programming... get in, do the job, get out, and don't talk to me anymore.

 

[Bruce Allen]

Sociable, of course! That's why I love it.

Computer programming can be sociable too, but in a more limited and geeky way...

Bruce Allen
www.boacinema.com

 

[Gavin Greenwalt]

Depends. Almost all of the friends I've made in the last 4 years have been on set. I've also developed more flat out hatreds over the last 4 years to match.

I think of it like a month long family vacation with two kids. Either only one kid comes back alive or they're best of friends forever.

 

[jaadgy akanni]

Would you say that movie making is a very sociable experience, prone to result in new friendships and love interests. Or would you say that making movies is more like computer programming... get in, do the job, get out, and don't talk to me anymore.

I don't mean to be facetious, but apart from the spiritual need to do what I do, and because I'm following my true calling, one major reason why I'm a musician/performer-producer, and soon, movie maker, is to get P...y, straight up...everything else is BS.

 

[Jason Murphy]

Also depends on the sort of moviemaking you're doing. For the vast majority of people, it's sociable (or at least social). Making a film is almost always difficult, and there's usually some sort of bond formed by going through those difficult shoots together.

But there are a number of (usually very independent or experimental) filmmakers who are quite solitary, certainly in the writing/editing process, and occasionally in the shooting/image creation processes (some of the most impressive and complex animated films I've seen have been made by one person slaving away over an animation stand for years). This does tend to be the exception rather than the norm, though.

 

[Shawn Nelson]

Well I met my wife on set, so that worked out! Lol, but I find myself mostly strengthening friendships that are filmmaking connected.

 

[Manfred Lopez]

I don't mean to be facetious, but apart from the spiritual need to do what I do, and because I'm following my true calling, one major reason why I'm a musician/performer-producer, and soon, movie maker, is to get P...y, straight up...everything else is BS.

Yes, I also spent several hard years at film school, endured countless unpaid scream-at-me jobs, remained umpteen years in poverty and professional obscurity, got shunned by impatient and cruel family members, endured countless sleepless nights with trying-to-figure-out-the-tech-stuff-until-my-health-breaks, and confronted night after night my inner demons and insecurities and generally flirted with loosing my sanity while going through all this... just to meet girls. :sarcasm:

I guess we men are shameless in that way.

 

[Zakaree Sandberg]

on set i am social and love meeting new people.. I wouldnt want to work on a shitty set that is quiet and not fun.. buttttt then there is the other side of filmmaking that i could really care less about.. the parties and social gatherings.. sure they are great for networking.. but i HAAATE that kinda stuff..I usually pass on those

 

[Mark Thorpe]

Hmmm, well working underwater with a pretty restricting, and zippered, wetsuit on most of the time its difficult to look one's best to the fairer sex. There's just something dorky looking about any diver trying to look cool with a lump of metal hanging out of their gob!

Mind you saying that the industry as a whole is a pretty social one. I just get a bit tired of so called "Professionals" attesting to being able to do everything and "loving your work" and "yes of course we'll work together" for it all to go down the tube. Why do people have to be that way? False promises lead to false hope and eventually frustration.....

One way to get over that I guess is to slip into a body hugging chunk o' neoprene, slap on a mask and chew on a lump o' titanium......just what the doctor ordered.

Cheers,
Mark.

 

[number6]

I think that has to be an individual thing, and to answer the question reveals something about the personality. I also think it has something to do with the job one is doing. If one can think think with both sides of the brain in unison (yin) then one is probably more sociable. If one thinks 'over the horizon' with one side of the brain at a time (yang), then that person may be more absorbed in their objective and less concerned in how they are perceived by others; therefore, less sociable. But even a yang 'Extra' may find moviemaking a sociable experience if they have no responsibilities, whereas a yin 'primary character' may feel a need to focus entirely on their role and suppress their social exuberance.

 

[explosive]

Depends. Almost all of the friends I've made in the last 4 years have been on set. I've also developed more flat out hatreds over the last 4 years to match.

I think of it like a month long family vacation with two kids. Either only one kid comes back alive or they're best of friends forever.

I couldn't agree more!!

 

[donatello b]

"prone to result in new friendships and love interests"

it is very social ... many friendships are ( last) per project because usually everybody moves on to another project and free time is spent with family etc.. and there are some lifelong frinedships ....

"love interest" !!!! well, i would have to say there is a little more romance/temp hooking up on movie projects then in most fields ( excluding music business) .... i would say the divorce rate is above normal ( as in alot) for film business ....

 

[Mardi_Gras]

Hmmm, well working underwater with a pretty restricting, and zippered, wetsuit on most of the time its difficult to look one's best to the fairer sex. There's just something dorky looking about any diver trying to look cool with a lump of metal hanging out of their gob!

Mind you saying that the industry as a whole is a pretty social one. I just get a bit tired of so called "Professionals" attesting to being able to do everything and "loving your work" and "yes of course we'll work together" for it all to go down the tube. Why do people have to be that way? False promises lead to false hope and eventually frustration.....

One way to get over that I guess is to slip into a body hugging chunk o' neoprene, slap on a mask and chew on a lump o' titanium......just what the doctor ordered.

Cheers,
Mark.

LOL.... I mostly find the "true professionals" to be a pretentious and arrogant bunch, so, no, I belong to the group that goes in, do what I have to do and return to my social circle out in the real world. After all, we're in the business of recreating reality, so the line between reality and make-believe tends to get blurry ever so often.

 

[Mark Thorpe]

LOL.... I mostly find the "true professionals" to be a pretentious and arrogant bunch, so, no, I belong to the group that goes in, do what I have to do and return to my social circle out in the real world. After all, we're in the business of recreating reality, so the line between reality and make-believe tends to get blurry ever so often.

Ain't that the truth. Unfortunately in some they don't know when to step outside of that pretentious bubble, in fact they live so long in that environment that it becomes normal to them. Sad eh?

Cheers,
Mark.

 

[Tom Lowe]

I like hanging out with the warddrobe and makeup babes.

 

[chuck colburn]

I like hanging out with the warddrobe and makeup babes.

Good thinking!

 

[Anarri]

I like hanging out with the warddrobe and makeup babes.

I second that! :bleh: