EIDC

EIDC is in charge of issuing film permits for Los Angeles. Students used to receive this service for free, but starting next week will be charged $50 per project.

For EIDC, I can see this making sense, they have to do as much (if not more) paper work for students because students are invariably doing these things for the first time and doing it themselves. I figure the studios have money and are paying someone to do it as a job (as with independent productions).

In the end, however, this basically means the end of using permits for small student productions. If you ask me, this is a good thing. Small scale student productions should not require a permit. Generally, you're in and out and nobody even notices you....although there are going to be incidents, I'm sure. Someone is going to do something stupid and get in a shitpile of trouble.

We're going to have hundreds of students from USC, UCLA, Chapmen, Loyola, LACC, AFI, all running around with DVs...I can see this being a nightmare from an administrative sense. It already is.

The whole permit thing ought to be easier than it is. I got this really angry vibe from the workers at the EIDC when I did my permit today...I could see it in their eyes, when I told them I might want to make changes later, this "Another f--king student, who makes me do all this work for free." Well, it's not as if they aren't being paid the same - it'll probably translate to some of them losing their job. For some reason, some folks are terribly resentful of anyone asking anything of them. I don't think this is a good trait of an employee. Half the dead beats working at USC are that way.

But then I talk to this chiller guy, Josh, who was like - yeah, I'll handle your permit. No worries, just get the changes in to me at a reasonable time before the production and I'll take care of it. Here's a guy who actually gives a shit about what he does and understands where I'm coming from. He wants to help and probably disagrees with the charging students (or at least reluctantly views it as a financial necessity). He kept saying, "look, you got it in before the deadline."

I'm the same way at different jobs. My internship, I'm like tell me what you need, I'll do it. Don't worry about money or food or whatever they throw at me sometimes...I do it because I like it. I'll stay late because I want to help.

At my bullshit email writing job, I'd like to have the same attitude. But yesterday, this inept supervisor gave me shit about coming in at 5:05am (not 5am). Now I'm the type of person to come in at 5:05am and leave at 10:20am to make up for the time without anyone ever noticing. Over time, these things even themselves out. You be chill with me, and I'll return the favor. And vice versa.

But because of this lame incident, I left today at 9:30am sharp. I was at the beginning of an email I could have worked in 5-10 min, but instead I dumped it back to the inbox and left on time. The reason: If they're going to be lame and strict about time, so am I. It makes no difference to me or the world whether I do that one little email. Had they been chill about time (which some of them are, granted), I would have stayed and finished it. I don't like working like that - like a freaking prisoner fighting every moment for being treated fairly....I like to chill and take long breaks if I feel like it on an easy day, and work a little extra on a heavy day. That's the way the world should be, except for simple minded fools who feel compelled to go by procedures because they don't trust their own judgement and much less, that of others. I'd like to a bigger person, but why? And if I were truly bigger, I'd just quit, but I need the money.