TV Job Makes Film Work Look Great

After reading and agreeing with Arthur Rochester’s article (“The ‘Lower Class’ of Filmdom,” Calendar, Sept. 18), I decided to let the world know about the lowest of the lower class of television--that area known as “public access.”

It’s the black hole of television where one deals with the wanna-be actors, directors, producers and those wanting to sell something but not really selling anything.

Public access television is the good old American freedom of speech via cable television. Call your local cable company and they’ll lead you to someone like me who will teach you how to videotape, light, edit and generally put a show together, for little or no cost (depending on your cable company).

In other words, public access television is what “Wayne’s World” was based on. Of course, I wish public access was as good as “Wayne’s World.”

Unlike the lower-class crew members of Rochester’s article, we who work in public access don’t have mortgages, simply because we don’t have money. Public access has been termed “garbage television” and the pay reflects that. I would love to work on three motion pictures a year at those salaries film crews get.

Then maybe I could have a mortgage.

On an average day in public access television, I am the director, grip, cameraman, teacher, art director and janitor.

Don’t get me wrong--public access is a good steppingstone toward a network or industrial television position, provided you can find that next stone to step on. The problem that most in my field face is that the networks and big boys don’t put much credibility in us.

If I try to get a job in network television, a public access background is a joke to them.

So--much like respecting the film credits of crews, as Rochester encouraged--when you’re channel surfing, watch a public access show and feel sorry for the poor studio guy who put it on.

CARLOS RIVERA

Gardena