Jon Harris: Construction in the Film Industry
With Jon Harris, https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-harris-00043a1b/
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This week, Tim and Carolina talk with friend and previous co-worker, Jon Harris, on his involvement in the film industry and what it looks like today with COVID-19.
More About the Show
The Build Perspectives podcast shares insider knowledge to build connections and community in the building materials industry. Tim and Carolina are friends, colleagues and former coworkers who love the construction industry and their clients, and want to share their passion and insights to attract future talent to the industry.
In this episode, Tim and Carolina talk with Jon Harris, who works in set decoration and props for the film industry. Jon talks about his experience in the field, how he got involved, what work looks like during the pandemic, along with advice for those interested in the industry.
Background
Jon previously worked at Nichiha with Tim and Carolina. He was (kind of) a project manager. They would tell him to do things, and he resourcefully figured out how to do them. Once he left, he had some time to figure out where he wanted to work, but nothing really grabbed him…at first.
One night, Jon, his wife and two friends went to a Braves game. They went to a bar after the game, and the friend he was with had gone to school in London for film and was in the art department. She was working on the last Robin Williams movie that he was in, working in accounting. She encouraged Jon he could take the same path.
Jon thought that he could do that, since he’d been in Accounting at Nichiha. The friend introduced him to her boss, and Jon was watching the boss’s activity on LinkedIn. One day, Jon saw in his LinkedIn feed that the boss found a new show, so Jon reached out and asked if he needed a clerk. Outcome? Jon was a production assistant for the first season of The Originals.
From there, he got recruited into Set Decoration, and he had no idea what that was. He was trained by an very experience Decorator from Chicago who had been in the business for over 30 years. From there, Jon got involved with set dressing, then prop setting. Set Decoration is an interesting world because one day, you can be steaming curtains, and the next, you are literally hanging off the side of a building drilling into concrete.
Job Details
Jon works in the film industry in Atlanta, Georgia, and works with the art department. He works with set decorations and props, while also doing some construction, as it falls under the umbrella of the art department. He’s currently working on a new star show called Heels. He’s been working for about two weeks, putting sets together and decorating them. They will start shooting soon, then he will switch over and be the on-set dresser, meaning he is in charge of the sets and shooting crew. He will head up most of the other department roles as well.
Jon says it can be stressful, especially when he’s on set, because he’s basically a one-man department. You have no idea what will be thrown your way. It isn’t day-to-day, it’s minute-to-minute. If someone decides they want to shoot something, you have to get it ready. For example, if production decides they want more light in a space, Jon has to go find a light, figure out how to rig and hang it quickly
His job is creative problem solving on the floor. His department isn’t cared about until they need to be cared about. This means that production thinks set jobs happen suddenly, where in reality, those jobs can take hours — but they want it done in less than 10 minutes. It’s constantly trying to figure things out, but Jon likes the challenge. When you can make things happen when it isn’t convenient or easy, people depend on you more.
Becoming Part of a Union
It’s a very relationship-based community. Jon is in a union, but it’s not a union that necessarily finds work. It’s more like community protection, which is something that is common in the film industry. It is organized differently. So, the first step is getting into the industry is to join the union. In Atlanta, which is Union 479, it is pretty easy to join as opposed to LA where they usually require people to have X amount of time working non-union jobs in order to join their union.
Music Makes an Impact
Jon actually played in a band one of the last times he hung out with Tim. Music and being in a band played a big part in Jon’s life. He definitely thinks there is a creative aspect when thinking about discipline crossover in the industry. He mentions that it’s more of a relationship thing of being able to read people without speaking.
Jon has come up with the term “indirection direction,” which is when you aren’t told something directly, but you can read what’s going on in the room. So, you know what to do next without being told. For example, if Jon sees a cinematographer talking about a shot that’s coming up next and they look a certain way, Jon knows that a camera has to go in that corner, but he has to move the furniture that is in the way. He was never told to do that directly, but he does it anyway.
With music, you play with people and you don’t have to be told where to go next. You listen and observe, and it just happens. Jon takes that into his job of really just relating to other people without being told things specifically.
Magic Moments
Every project is different and some projects are better than others, but Jon mentions the moment that happens sometimes where you feel like everyone is on the same wavelength. He loves the challenge of figuring things out, especially when he’s expected to do something crazy. Sometimes it annoys him, but he enjoys the process.
His favorite part is those special moments — like when it’s 2 AM on a Friday and everyone wants to go home and something finally clicks. He describes his group as a weird, dysfunctional army. They all know they are stuck in the trenches together.
Jon did a movie called Respect. It’s about Aretha Franklin, so there’s obviously lots of music, which is right up Jon’s alley. There were moments where he got goosebumps. It doesn’t come around often, but in those moments, everyone was in tune. Although the job was tough and demanding, in retrospect, you realize it’s special. There are always the reverse of that when you think it’s awful and you question why you’re working there, but the highs are very high.
Jon also loves the times when he has a challenging project. When he has to think outside the box and it works, that is super rewarding for him. That is where growth happens.
Tim mentions the book Everything is Figureoutable and how problem-solving is powerful. He also thinks there’s a lot of analog to that for the building industry in general as there are lots of problems to solve.
Impacts of COVID-19
The industry is still trying to figure out what to do during the pandemic, and every show is different. Jon mentions there is a show in his town that is quarantining all of the immediate people. Every production is just trying to do whatever they feel safest for their people.
For Jon’s company, they are doing different zones. For Jon’s role, he is included in Zone A, so he is with the actors, the director and people that work with props. He is in that immediate circle of people needed day-to-day. He gets tested three times a week, which is how they have been keeping it (somewhat) controlled. People aren’t allowed to come on set immediately. People have to wear masks or face shields.
For Jon and the set dec department, they bring machines that sanitize everything from boxes to furniture. Everything is sanitized before it gets brought to set. That said, there are times when Jon has to pull stuff that hasn’t been dressed on the set. That is figured out in real-time, as it is still new to people. There are just lots of precautions for them to take to do their jobs. But the show must go on.
Jon’s last day was March 13, and he didn’t get back to work until September. Nobody really knew what was happening and everything just kept getting pushed back. Everyone Jon works with is happy to be back and get the ball rolling.
COVID has caused a shortage of materials, like building materials or textiles, really anything like that for set building and decoration. Jon mentions that places like CVS or the grocery store are having problems with shipping, but he hasn’t really seen that. Jon and his coworkers have a lot of resources.
Geographically, some places are lacking materials worse than others. He mentions that on-set, there is a lot of stuff that looks real that isn’t. So to make that happen, it takes fewer materials than it would in the real world for the same application. That helps them with utilizing their materials.
Advice
Carolina asks Jon what advice he would give his younger self. Jon says he would tell his younger self to avoid signing student loans. Next, he would say “you are capable of a lot more than what you think you are. No matter where those counterintuitive thoughts come from, dig deeper and try it out!” One of Jon’s biggest catalysts that got him involved in the industry was realizing he could do things he thought he couldn’t do, and he trusted himself. You will be pleasantly surprised with what you can do. They may not always be right or always be the best, but you can do it. You just have to take the jump.
If you want to become a tradesperson, it is an old school industry where you have to start from the bottom and work your way up. You need to learn the ins and outs first. Jon recommends looking into the local union. If you start as a production assistant, it gets you in front of people and meeting with them. They get to see your work ethic and hopefully, you get dialed in with somebody that can help guide you.
Jon learned from people who taught him how to tie knots, how to wire a lamp or how to wire a light fixture. He has no problem helping others with that. It is a whole new world, and you don’t see it until you’re around it. You learn on the job, so it’s nice to have people guide you.
Join the Conversation
We’d love to hear your thoughts on this week’s episode! Shoot us an email at buildperspectives@gmail.com.