knight1776

I have seen all the big Hollywood superhero movies and Dark Knight is the best so far. The intense atmosphere it creates along with the typical Hollywood flair is very unique. Though it is more then perhaps younger children should see, this film takes the genre to a whole new level. Of course this really started with it's predecessor, Batman Begins. But even that movie doesn't possess the emotional fabric of the Dark Knight. I'm glad that the industry has finally decided to draw a more realistic connection between the superhero world and our own.

Now let me say something else about the movie industry. I used to work in it. I was mostly a Production Assistant which as you probably can guess is near the lowest levels. But even when I had higher positions like camera operator or Production Coordinator I still wasn't very satisfied. The film and TV production end of the business is inherently brutal. You work as a freelancer and sometimes go long periods without work. Most of the jobs are attained through word of mouth. But that is simply the nature of the business and can't really be changed. What I do resent are many of the people. Some of them are a bunch of spoiled brats who will get rid of anyone who stands up for himself even in the slightest way. You have to practically be at their beck and call even when waiting for your next job. If you don't answer the phone the first time they call you then they decide not to hire you. They call your answering machine and don't leave a message but instead page you. If you can't get back to them right away then usually by the time you call no one knows who called you in the first place so you lose out on the job. Sometimes they call you late at night and ask you to come in the very next morning. The people who run these productions are some of the biggest flakes you will ever meet. It is especially bad in independent films. You may think I am just a disgruntled ex-employee and maybe I am. But believe me when I tell you, working in movies and TV for the most part is a terrible way to make a living. I welcome all comments and questions.

I thought that some of you might be interested in knowing what it's like to actually work on films like these. I was on the crew as a Production Assistant. It was an independent film (not produced by a major Hollywood studio) which meant a low budget. We shot it mostly in Brooklyn where the real Russian mob have been known to operate from. It was an extremely difficult movie to work on because it was poorly managed and there were a lot of jerks on the crew. I think a big reason why so many people acted like they did was because of the utter chaos which stressed everyone out. On most other productions they are probably nicer people. The producers didn't care that we didn't have enough resources to do our jobs because all they wanted to do was keep the budget down. The production coordinator had the nerve to ask me to work on Thanksgiving and then got annoyed when I refused. We worked six days a week at an average of 15 hours a day. Then near the end they laid off a bunch of us, including me because of budget problems. Several other Production Assistants quit beforehand which I can say from experience is not typical, even on low budget movies. They also fired a few other members of the crew. I will admit it was a good film when I saw it and was amazed they were able to pull if off considering how much they screwed up the actual shoot. I invite all comments and questions.