Personnel shortages in productions are prevalent these days; due to the pandemic, many people got used to staying home; they have resistance and hesitation in returning to work.
This leaves many producers and coordinators stranded in getting a solid production crew together. Many people on productions have to wear many hats now and cover other positions since they couldn’t fill them.
When will the solution arrive? At this moment, it’s hard to say. We all need to see an economic balance and a need for work. Till then, many people will still stay home until they need to work becomes mandatory.
The great resignation
As long as the Covid-19 pandemic continues, we will continue to see the effects in the world of production and production rentals. Even though restaurants, bars, and theaters are open and accessible, we are still seeing issues with testing and vaccines, and most importantly, we see a mass shortage in staffing. Production crews have been stripped almost to the bare minimum, and CDL drivers are few and far between these days.
Over the past two years, many people who were formerly working on sets and transporting motorhomes have become comfortable staying home. However, due to ongoing concerns about Covid-19, we have seen resistance and hesitation to get back to in-person work. As a result, numerous essential roles that need filling are currently vacant.
Producers and coordinators have been scrambling to create a solid team of competent workers who know what they’re doing. Not only are lighting technicians, stunt actors, makeup and hair stylists, production assistants, and grips short-staffed, but we see vacancies in jobs like CDL drivers, caterers, and photographers. Each role is essential for a strong production crew and a great final product.
Due to the shortage, the crew members who are working must wear many hats. People accustomed to working on one aspect of a shoot are now covering other positions or doing too many jobs in one day. They are also working longer and harder than expected. The staffing shortage has trickle-down effects that disrupt the process and the production budgets. All said and done. The staffing shortages have made completing projects challenging in a timely and economically efficient manner.
So what does this mean for the future? Is there a solution on the horizon?
The short answer to that very tricky question is “not really.” However, as the economy continues to fluctuate and the government continues to lean away from issuing another stimulus check, workers may be more economically incentivized to return to work.
Ideally, we will see a batch of new faces and old faces coming to work on production crews. We will only see productions find their way back to the well-oiled machines they once were.
Here at On-Time we’ve already started to see a batch of new employees happy to be back at work. So if you’re putting together an event and are looking for an NYC production bus company, look no further!