A letter from the International Association of Cinematographers warns that 14 hours of work on the set can lead to preventable accidents

2020 "1917" photographer Roger Diggins (Getty Images)

A letter from John Lindley, President of the International Association of Cinematographers, and 13 other top cinematographers was sent to Hollywood Studios, urging them to reduce the length of the set when they resume negotiations with IATSE on a new collective bargaining agreement on Tuesday. operating hours. Along with Lindley, the letter was signed by four Oscar-winning cinematographers, including Roger A. Diggins ("1917", "Blade Runner 2049"), Emmanuel Lubezki ("Wilder The Hunter), Eric Messerschmidt (Mank) and John Thor ("Brave Heart"). “We are the 600 local photographers who wrote letters expressing our continued concern about the harm of unsafe working hours. Despite all the medical and indisputable evidence that fatigue causes harm, this practice continues,” Said in their letter. "The most notable thing is that our colleagues have suffered multiple car accidents in recent years, including the weekend before we entered these negotiations."

IATSE locals have identified the working day as the main topic of this round of talks with the Union of Film and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents studios. The shooting day usually lasts up to 14 hours and may last until the weekend. IATSE locals warn that this often brings severe physical and psychological stress and higher health costs to their members. For this reason, locals demanded "real and meaningful" breaks between working hours and weekends, and penalized studios that continued to postpone filming until the weekend. "The past year has shown that when employers and artisans work together to respond to global security threats, it is possible to protect everyone on our set and successfully complete the most ambitious projects," the letter added. “It’s time to use the same intelligence and resources that are now proven to be available to increase daily breaks and implement weekend breaks to ensure the physical and mental health of every crew member. Now is the time to create meaningful change.”

The complete list of signatories is as follows. This letter was first reported by Deadline.

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