Should I Stay or Should I Go

Working in the film industry provides many opportunities to travel, and throughout my career, I’ve experienced wonderful cities that I might not have otherwise. On one level, I love it; first class accommodations, tech scouts with key crew, experiencing productions with a slightly foreign twist, as well as tasting the local fare. Yet as the years go by, the emphasis has shifted from desiring work in foreign locations, to balancing the lifestyle I’ve established at home, because going on location essentially requires us to put our existing life “on hold”. When I was younger, I didn’t think twice about it.

Initially motivated by a personal health issue, my life in LALA-Land has evolved into weekly trips to the organic farmer’s market, vegetable juicing three times a week, and exercising five days a week. Maintaining this lifestyle is impossible while working on location, yet I know this routine has effectively minimized my trips to the doctors over the years.

In addition to maintaining my personal schedule, I have a husband who really needs me in his life. We’ve made the long distance thing work in the past, yet over the years I’m less and less comfortable leaving for long periods of time. We make the daily calls, yet after about four weeks, the daily chit-chat is harder to sustain and we really need to see each other. Sometimes we can accommodate a visit at the 4-week point, sometimes we can’t.

So after years of traveling for work, I have to ask myself at what price can I afford to be away for so long? And do I have a choice? It’s rare to find feature films shooting exclusively in the States, let alone in LA. My last project was perfect, four weeks shooting in Morocco, and the rest in LA! More recently, I told my contact at a studio that I was open to producing the VFX for post-production only, and within weeks, I was offered a post position on a large show located very close to home!

The lesson I’m learning here is that it helps to define my priorities and not be afraid to express them. There is a project looming on my horizon that may require travel to Ireland. The studio exec knows of my travel weariness, yet really wants me on board. In the spirit of trying to make things work, we’re talking about what would be ideal and we’ll see if we can make it work. I’m very appreciative of my long-term work relationships as it’s easier to broach this subject honestly.

So when presented a project that will take me away, I have much to consider. In these economic times, the answer may be determined by what’s in my checking account, yet with my priorities defined, I will attempt to make it a workable situation. Ideally, my working trips abroad will be of a shorter duration, and once completed, my husband and I will travel to exciting places together, in between projects!