Decisions, Decisions

DAY TWO:

Well, today proved to be a turning point for me. I also debated whether or not to even put this on here, but hey, this is me - it's who I am and who I'll always be. Most people find it rather surprising that working in FILM, I still have never seen an R-rated movie. And no, it's not because anyone "told" me not to see them - it has been my own choice since an incredibly young age. And yes, I have worked on them - but that is SO different than watching one. The blood and guts look so fake when you're on set - and it hasn't gone through post yet either, so it looks nothing like the final product when you're actually on location.

The language part of it... yeah, I can't get away from that on ANY set - whether I'm on a potential R film, or G. Crews are just notorious for their sailor-like usage of choice words. So whether it's on set or in the script, I have no choice in the matter, and just learn to develop a filter with the language that I hear. I am proud to say, though, that I have still never said a single swear word in my life, despite the mass amount that I am bombarded with every day.

The topic of discussion today however, is sex scenes. I don't particularly care to work on the slasher films and gory scenes, but I'll do it because like I said - it's so fake when you're on set. But I don't care if it's on screen, off screen, or what - sex scenes I just will not do. Unfortunately, I had no warning and on my very FIRST day, there was one. And let me just say... it was the most uncomfortable thing I have EVER had to boom. I don't ever want to do it again. Ever. I was hoping that that would be the only scene like that since this film is supposed to be a big slasher movie where the 'bad guy' basically goes around killing everyone in gross ways, but when I got the shot list for Monday... well, I had to do some thinking.

I couldn't very well just tell the mixer, "hey sorry but I'm not coming in on Monday", but I'm also in L.A. and don't know many boom ops out here. Luckily, I do know one. I worked with him on a film short while I was living in L.A. last year and he was great to work with and knew what he was doing. So I texted him while I was on set today, asked him if he was free and if he wanted to make an extra $200 on Monday. Fortunately for me, he had nothing going on on Monday and was totally up for it. So I gave him the info, the address, and the call time, and he's going to take my place on Monday.

Yes, I know I am giving up $200, and that the mixer may not hire me on for the next thing he does if he knows ahead of time that there are sex scenes and that I will get a replacement for those days, but you know what? That is just one thing where I draw the line. I *love* working on films, but I don't need to see that stuff...ever. It's disgusting, it's offensive, and I don't want any part of it. I'd rather be out of work and in debt than be subject to that for a month straight.

I'm still wondering, though... why, especially when I live in UTAH, can I not find any 'good and wholesome' movies to work on!? Why do I keep getting these blood and guts movies?? Sure, those "Feature Films for Families" movies are about as cheesy as you can get, and kid movies in general are so corny, but I would SO much rather work on those than movies where everybody dies in gross ways. Plus, I really hate that I can't recommend half of the movies that I work on to any of my friends of family. I worked on Frozen last March and sure it was fun to work on, but there is no WAY I'm going to recommend it to my family! People die gruesome deaths, and the f-bomb is dropped every 4 seconds!

I know the High School Musicals are super cheesy, but you know what? I love them. Working on HSM3 was a blast, and I actually can't wait to work on HSM4 (yes, there is a 4th one...) even though I know it's going to be incredibly lame. Why? Because it will be a good, wholesome movie, and I won't have to worry about all the junk that comes with slasher-type movies. I *really* hope that the next few films I work on will be closer to the PG-G end rather than the R-PG-13 end.