ISSUE #74
BEAM FROM THE BOOTH | GRAND RAPIDS FILM SOCIETY
[EDITED BY: GRIFFIN SHERIDAN & SPENCER EVERHART]
Hello and welcome back to an all-new installment of BEAM FROM THE BOOTH brought to you by GRAND RAPIDS FILM SOCIETY.
To begin, congratulations again to the winners of our Audience Vote at last week’s Open Projector Night: Halloween Edition:
First Place – The Hiccup Man, directed by Nate Steven Fischer
Second Place – The Beguiling, directed by ishkwaazhe Shane McSauby
Third Place – Stepped On, directed by Caleb Francis Jenkins
And thank you to everyone who attended and helped make this most recent OPN our biggest to-date!
We’re gearing up for a couple of special events over the next week.
First, on MONDAY (10/28), come celebrate the TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY of GRFS with a screening of 1922’s NOSFERATU, presented on 16mm FILM, and featuring LIVE SCORE ACCOMPANIMENT by local musician Dutcher Snedeker.
Then, on WEDNESDAY (10/30), we’re celebrating both ‘Devil’s Night’ and the 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY of David Robert Mitchell’s contemporary classic IT FOLLOWS. The film will be followed by a Q&A with gaffer Marc-Antoine Serou.
Be sure to join us for these final offerings of our October programming, and help us ring in another year of the Film Society in style.
GUEST CONTRIBUTOR
FOR THE UNION MAKES US STRONG
[BY: BLAINE BROWN]
Way back in the ‘before times’ (pre-pandemic), I was a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed film student eager to carve my own path in a fascinating and exciting industry rife with glitz, glamour, and gaff tape. Like my peers, I was just trying to stay on track with my school work, honing my skills, trying not to think about the looming monolith that is graduation and becoming a very small fish in a very large pond. When that day finally came and I entered the workforce, I had thankfully built enough connections through school to keep me busy. After a few years of working on low-budget movies part-time while working full-time jobs to stay afloat, my pool of connections landed me on my very first union production. I had always known about labor unions and how they provide workers with safe working conditions and fair wages for the small cost of dues owed to the union, but I thought that they were mostly for jobs like welders, teachers, and construction workers. It was only after finishing film school did I learn that the film industry is largely constructed of multiple labor unions that coalesce into the industry as a whole, from directors and writers all the way down to props, and hair, and makeup. There are many locals in every state that cover a wide array of positions for the entertainment industry, the most common being IATSE. I would see the IATSE logo at the end of movies, and elsewhere, and not really give much thought to it, but it is actually one of the largest labor organizations in the world. We even have a local right here in Grand Rapids! Local 26, located on Bridge street on the west side, is a mixed local that provides labor for many venues and has a large jurisdiction covering the majority of West Michigan.
I first learned about Local 26 when I was contacted to join the sound team for a movie called Block Party (2022). I had to sign a bunch of paperwork and agree to their referral fee, and from there I was in — working on the largest production I had ever been a part of, making the most money I had ever made from a production gig thus far. It was an incredible experience, and one I am very thankful for mostly because it encouraged me to take the dive into becoming a freelancer full-time. In my time on the set of Block Party, I had the chance to meet and learn from veterans of the industry from all over the country, mainly Los Angeles, but also many local Grand Rapidians. Meeting all of these people and learning how union shows are run was key for me in deciding where I wanted to set my goals for my career.
I took my time on Block Party to heart and decided that I wanted to find a foothold in Local 26 so that when larger productions came to town I would already be in the running to work on them. So I went to the office, filled out some more paperwork, and got my spot on the orobation list. This list is for new referrents who are looking to do more standard stagehand gigs at Van Andel Arena, Devos Performance Hall, and other similar venues in West Michigan. It is worth mentioning that film gigs come few and far between in Michigan ever since our film tax incentives were gutted. In the incentives’ heyday, we had productions like Batman v. Superman (2016), multiple Transformers films, and other big-budget features that employed hundreds if not thousands of Michigan film professionals. Currently, we are working to get another incentives bill passed through our senate and on the Governor’s desk to be signed into law soon with support through organizations like the Michigan Film Industry Alliance (MiFIA). Working as a stagehand is a great way to gain experience in entertainment, and you will learn all sorts of skills including knot tying, wrapping cables, flying speakers, rigging lighting truss, and so on. All of these skills are immensely important in every area of the entertainment industry, not to mention the networking opportunities that come with working these gigs long enough. I have made many connections that have had me traveling the country working in states and cities I never thought I would step foot in. After a few years, the feeling of walking onto the floor of Van Andel Arena during a load in is still intoxicating, and my passion for live music still grows after every gig. I have worked on some of the biggest tours that have been through town in the last few years including Justin Bieber, Elton John, Journey, and many others — it is usually a great experience every time, and I always learn something new.
Now that I am a few years deep into the union, I have been trying to branch out into being more involved with different internal aspects such as the Young Workers Committee. This is a group within a local for workers aged 18-35 or so, who organize volunteer-based fundraising events and general services for the union as well as the community. We are striving to create involvement for young people who work in the union and are interested in learning about organizing before they become official card-carrying members. Our latest meetings have included briefings on the new contracts for the larger venues in Grand Rapids so younger non-members can learn about what goes into the negotiations process and contract language. These meetings have really driven home the real point of unions for me personally in that, while they provide a lot for us workers, it really is about what we can do for the union because without support from the membership, the organization as a whole will crumble.
These experiences in Local 26 have provided me with a base level of experience that is necessary in achieving my goals for the future of my career — chiefly being to work in the sound department for large-scale feature films and television series. My goal in writing this is to reach anyone who is interested in a career in entertainment but isn’t quite sure where to get started and shine a light on a great way to get your foot in the door by meeting and working with industry professionals who have been doing this work for decades. This sentiment is also encouraged for anyone who may not want to work in entertainment, but would rather try their hand at a plethora of other trades where they can join organized shops and contribute to the ever-expanding grindstone of capitalism in a hopefully protected and less exploitative manner. There are many avenues to be considered when getting started in one’s career, and by choosing the union route you are directly contributing to one of the largest movements in organized labor this country has seen in years!
I am always open to questions and sharing my experiences if anyone has any interest in joining IATSE, my info can be found on my website, and thanks to the Grand Rapids Film Society for allowing me the space to share my experiences. You can also join the fight to bring back the film incentives by taking action [HERE]! Help us bring back Michigan-made movies by sending an email to your local representative. If there is just one lesson you take away from this article, let it be that the actions and contributions of individuals can lead to progress and prosperity for all.
UPCOMING EVENTS
NOSFERATU (Murnau, 1922)
WHAT: PRESENTED ON 16mm FILM and FEATURING LIVE SCORE ACCOMPANIMENT! This special screening of a pillar of horror cinema will also mark the two year anniversary of the GRFS!
WHEN: Monday, October 28th, 8:00pm
WHERE: Wealthy Theatre
IT FOLLOWS (Mitchell, 2014)
WHAT: SPECIAL 10th ANNIVERSARY SCREENING! After a carefree teenager sleeps with her new boyfriend for the first time, she learns that she is the latest recipient of a fatal curse that is passed from victim to victim via sexual intercourse. Join us for this contemporary classic on Devil’s Night!
WHEN: Wednesday, October 30th, 8:00pm
WHERE: Wealthy Theatre
And so we’ve arrived at the end of another BEAM FROM THE BOOTH! We appreciate you taking the time to read it and truly hope you’ll continue to do so. Be sure to SUBSCRIBE to get each issue in your inbox every week, and stay up-to-date on all things GRFS.
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Until then, friends...
