Workaholics in Film? The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly!
Pilot Episode
Workaholics, someone who compulsively works long hours and is unable to detach from work, even when it negatively impacts their health, relationships, and overall well-being. Now when we talk about workaholics in filmmaking, we talk about people who put their job, and filmmaking above all else, and everything outside of it, is secondary. There are good, bad, and ugly things with this, and we at the Novacats are going to try and explain it to you, in this quick and fun blog post!
The Good - The Good of a workaholic is film, is that you have a filmmaker or a crew person who works long hours, and constantly hones and works on their craft. Novacat’s own Kevin Baker, has talked openly about experiences where he would obsessively coil stingers and tie knots in his room when he was starting out, so that once he got on set it became second nature. In our first Cat’s Cast Episode, Quinn and Kevin talk about how Hazen Batock got the 1st AC job by obsessively practicing for 6 months to prove he knew the equipment. Being so obsessed with your craft allows you to grow and get opportunities other people don’t have.
The Bad - While it is good to be given opportunities from overworking, it also comes with downsides. Social and family life take a hit if you are constantly working and solely focused on work. Hobbies could be long forgotten due to constantly working on your craft, which could in turn be considered your new hobby. Because of this it is important to try and have a work life balance, because while people who are workaholics get opportunities and grow in their craft, they are often subject to the dreaded BURN OUT!
The Ugly - The Ugly part of workaholics in film is the burn out. Burn out is defined as exhaustion of physical or emotional strength or motivation usually as a result of prolonged stress or frustration. We at Nova Cats have, and have seen burn out happen to the best of people. It creeps up on you. When someone is a workaholic, their self worth seems to get attached to their career, with this your mood can rise and fall with how your career is going, which is stressful. Stacking many physically demanding gigs can lead to wear and tear on your body until one day you are at your wits end.
Being a workaholic in film can help your career in the short and the long term, however you will constantly be in the cycle of burn out, which could make your quality of life horrible. Someone who isn’t a workaholic and who has a good work life balance will have exactly that, a good work life balance and potentially a better quality of life. Now we aren’t saying that if you are a workaholic your career in film is doomed, as workaholics are in all lines of work, from service industry to therapists. What you need to do is find a way to destress and make time for yourself, loved ones, and hobbies. That way you can continue to be the best you you can be, while also crushing this industry.
If you want to hear the Cats talk more on this subject, listen to their new podcast Cat’s Cast here! *LINK*
