Miya Pearson
Haskell Wexler's film *Who Needs Sleep?* makes a strong case for the reform of American motion picture work practices. The film looks at how film crews work hours far beyond anything that can be considered safe or healthy. It centres on the death of assistant cameraman Brent Hershman, who fell asleep at the wheel after a 19-hour day on set. The film spurred a grassroots movement among crew to push for more reasonable hours in production.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Filmmaker | Haskell Wexler |
| Year | 2006 |
| Type | Documentary |
| Theme | Sleep deprivation and long work hours |
| Purpose | Reform of American motion picture work practices |
| Target Audience | Film industry professionals, unions, and independent productions |
| Notable Participants | Paul Newman, Julia Roberts, Tom Hanks, Sam Mendes, Roger Deakins |
| Impact | Grassroots movement for reasonable work hours, adoption of "Long Hours Resolution" |
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What You'll Learn
Haskell Wexler's call for a 12-hour workday
Haskell Wexler's film *Who Needs Sleep?* makes a strong case for the reform of American motion picture work practices. The film is a comprehensive, personal and surprisingly engaging look at how film crews routinely work hours far beyond anything that can be considered safe or healthy.
The film was inspired by the death of assistant cameraman Brent Hershman, who fell asleep at the wheel and crashed his car after a 19-hour day on set. Wexler, a multiple-Oscar-winning cinematographer, shows how sleep deprivation and long work hours are a lethal combination. The film follows Wexler as he appeals to various authorities, asking them what they're doing to help and why they aren't doing more.
The film features comments from crew members and stars such as Paul Newman, Julia Roberts, Tom Hanks, Annette Bening and Billy Crystal, as well as directors Sam Mendes, John Sayles, Andy Davis and Richard Donner. It also includes considerable time spent with Wexler's late best friend, Conrad Hall, with speculation that the difficult conditions and long hours on his last film, *Road to Perdition*, may have contributed to his death.
The bottom line, according to the film, is that there are two options for improving working conditions: either the union can make work hours a negotiating issue in contract bargaining, or individual studios and companies can set their own policies. Wexler's call for a 12-hour workday is supported by the "Long Hours Resolution" adopted at the 67th Quadrennial IATSE Convention, which recognises the "indisputable evidence" linking sleep deprivation and fatigue to critical safety and health hazards.
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The death of Brent Hershman
In 1997, after a 19-hour day on set, assistant cameraman Brent Hershman fell asleep behind the wheel, crashed his car, and died. This tragic and preventable death is the crux of Haskell Wexler's film *Who Needs Sleep?* The film makes a strong case for the reform of American motion picture work practices, highlighting how film crews routinely work hours far beyond anything that can be considered safe, healthy, or conducive to a balanced life. Wexler, a multiple-Oscar-winning cinematographer, presents a comprehensive, personal, and surprisingly engaging look at the issue of sleep deprivation and long work hours in the film industry. The film features comments from crew members and stars such as Paul Newman, Julia Roberts, Tom Hanks, and Billy Crystal, as well as directors and top cinematographers. It also spends considerable time with Wexler's late best friend, Conrad Hall, speculating that the difficult conditions and long hours on his last film, *Road to Perdition*, may have contributed to his death.
The bottom line presented in the film is that there are two options for change: either the union can make work hours a negotiating issue in contract bargaining, or individual studios and companies can set their own policies. While crew members working within unions and guilds can push for better working conditions, the film might be most effective in targeting the wave of independent productions rising with the tide of more affordable digital cinematography.
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The grassroots movement among crew for better working conditions
Haskell Wexler's film *Who Needs Sleep?* makes a strong case for the reform of American motion picture work practices. The film is a comprehensive, personal and surprisingly engaging look at how film crews routinely work hours far beyond anything that can be considered safe, healthy or conducive to a balanced life.
The film was spurred by the death of assistant cameraman Brent Hershman, who fell asleep at the wheel and crashed his car after a 19-hour day on set. Wexler, a multiple-Oscar-winning cinematographer, shows how sleep deprivation and long work hours are a lethal combination. The film follows Wexler as he appeals to various authorities, asking them what they're doing to help and why they aren't doing more.
The film makes a strong case for the union to make work hours a negotiating issue in contract bargaining, or for individual studios and companies to set their own policies. The 12on12off movement, featured significantly in the film, helped the "Long Hours Resolution" to be adopted unanimously at the 67th Quadrennial IATSE Convention. The resolution includes passages such as "there exists indisputable evidence from scientific, medical and empirical studies linking sleep deprivation and fatigue to critical safety and health hazards".
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The 'Long Hours Resolution'
The Long Hours Resolution
The 2006 documentary *Who Needs Sleep?* by Haskell Wexler makes a strong case for the reform of American motion picture work practices. The film focuses on the long hours routinely worked by film crews, which are far beyond anything that can be considered safe, healthy or conducive to a balanced life. Wexler's film was inspired by the death of assistant cameraman Brent Hershman, who fell asleep at the wheel and crashed his car after a 19-hour day on set.
The film features comments from crew members and stars such as Paul Newman, Julia Roberts, Tom Hanks, Annette Bening and Billy Crystal, as well as directors and top cinematographers. It also spends considerable time with Wexler's late best friend Conrad Hall, with speculation that the difficult conditions and long hours on his last film may have contributed to his death.
The bottom line of the film is that there are two options for improving working conditions: either the union can make work hours a negotiating issue in contract bargaining, or individual studios and companies can set their own policies. The film helped to spur a grassroots movement among crew to push for more reasonable hours in production, and Wexler continued to advocate on the issue through the 12on12off movement.
At the 67th Quadrennial IATSE Convention in 2013, the "Long Hours Resolution" was adopted unanimously. It includes passages acknowledging the "indisputable evidence from scientific, medical and empirical studies linking sleep deprivation and fatigue to critical safety and health hazards" and stating that "overtime was created as a deterrent to excessive hours, not merely as a supplement to income". There is no doubt that Wexler's film and his continued advocacy helped the resolution pass.
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The film's impact on union recognition
Haskell Wexler's film *Who Needs Sleep?* makes a strong case for the reform of American motion picture work practices. The film looks at how film crews routinely work hours far beyond anything that can be considered safe, healthy or conducive to a balanced life. Wexler's film was spurred by the death of assistant cameraman Brent Hershman, who fell asleep at the wheel and crashed his car after a 19-hour day on set. The film follows Wexler as he appeals to various authorities, asking them what they're doing to help and why they aren't doing more.
The film benefits from comments from crew members and stars such as Paul Newman, Julia Roberts, Tom Hanks, Annette Bening and Billy Crystal. It also features directors Sam Mendes, John Sayles, Andy Davis and Richard Donner, and top cinematographers Roger Deakins, Vittorio Storaro and Caleb Deschanel. There is also a considerable amount of time spent with Wexler's late best friend Conrad Hall, with speculation that the difficult conditions and long hours on his last film, *Road to Perdition*, may have contributed to his death.
The film also highlights the role of unions and guilds in pushing for better working conditions. While individual studios and companies can set their own policies, the union can make work hours a negotiating issue in contract bargaining.
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Frequently asked questions
The film is about the long hours worked by film crews and the impact this has on their health and safety. It was made by Haskell Wexler, a cinematographer and social activist, and features interviews with stars such as Paul Newman, Julia Roberts, Tom Hanks and Billy Crystal, as well as directors and cinematographers.
The film argues that the long hours worked by film crews are unsafe, unhealthy and incompatible with a balanced life. It calls for a 12-hour workday and for unions to make work hours a negotiating issue in contract bargaining.
The film helped to spur a grassroots movement among crew to push for more reasonable hours in production. It also contributed to the passing of the "Long Hours Resolution" at the 67th Quadrennial IATSE Convention in 2013.
