Operator Ari Robbins, SOC

On today's podcast, we'll talk about imperceptible camera moves, Craigslist, La La Land, Bardo, and of course, Sharknado. Just a little bit of business before we start. There may be a curse word here or there in this episode, so please listen responsibly. As always, our website, theop.io, is up and chock full of tips, tricks, and gooey operator goodness. Make sure to check out The Breakdown, where the best operators in the biz explain shots they have done, The Musings, where we discuss everything from quick tips to larger concepts of storytelling, the answers, the images, and so much more. I may or I may not take a break or two during this episode, but I promise that none of them will be longer than 22 seconds. Are you someone who needs custom-made cables for your camera or steadicam sled? Well, fear not, because the sponsor for today's episode, Custom Camera Cables, can take care of all of your cabling needs. 30 colors and custom lengths means your new BNC or camera cable will be exactly the way you want it. Don't delay. Order yours today at customcameracables.com, and while you're at it, mention us and use the promo code THEOP, and you'll get free shipping. If you are enjoying the podcast, please follow us, write a review, share us with your parents, and talk us up around the water cooler with your friends. So grab a beverage, sit back, and enjoy The Op. Thanks for listening. Lock it up, nice and quiet, and let's roll. Victor, 30, echo, take two. Camera set. Background. And action. Hello, and welcome to The Op, the podcast where we talk about operating with operators and other people in the industry and the art of visual storytelling. My name is Dave Comides, I'm your host, and we are here in the fabulous Panavision Woodland Hills Theater, which they graciously have allowed me to use for the sound quality because it's better than the shower in the master bedroom. Today, I am really, really, really excited to have a great operator, a great steadicam operator, a great Trinity operator, Ari Robbins. Some of Ari's credits, but not all of them. Bardo, which he was nominated for the SOC Operator of the Year Award for last year. White Noise, everything, everywhere, all at once, which some people may have heard of. La La Land, which some people may have heard of. I imagine you didn't work on this much, but I have to say Parks and Recreation because it's one of my favorite TV shows. Sharknado, because there's no way I can't say Sharknado. And music videos, Taylor Swift, Childish Gambino, Radiohead, Arcade Fire, Paul McCartney, Justin Timberlake, the list goes on and on. Ari, thank you so much for being here. Thanks for having me, appreciate it. I looked at your list of stuff and it's just like, whoa, this is incredible. So what's your story? How'd you get here? It feels like a much harder question to answer when you have all of that leading you. You're like, wow, wait, I guess I did those things. Yeah. It makes it feel like a much longer story. But I was thinking about a term of how I would describe how I got here, because that was one of those things I was like, I should probably think about a good answer for that before I get there. And I was kind of thinking of the term, I was a Craigslist kid. One of the Craigslist kids, one of the very, I think there was probably a gap between five or ten years there, between like 2004 and 2015 where people really did use Craigslist. Because I didn't go to school, I didn't do any of that. I could barely sit still, like this will probably be that and then I'll just be jumping around for the rest of the day because that's how it is. So school was not. Yeah, not your thing. No. And then I moved to LA and I was like, well, all right, I'll try to do the community college film here. But I just kind of knew it. But you wanted to be in the film industry? I knew I was going to be in the film business simply because my older brother, he's three years older than me, and he moved to New York. We were in California. Okay. He moved to New York. He started going to school and I was like, oh, okay, so there is actually something you could do. I'm still not going to school. But it's cool to know that there was. Some people do that. Yeah, exactly. You're like, all right, all right. So I at least understood it like, okay, there's film sets, there's work out there. I mean, we always loved movies growing up. That was just like our thing. Dad would take us all the time. We'd watch them all the time. So there was always like an appreciation for film. But until that, there was no idea. I mean, I was really doing nothing and not going to college. I'll spare you on the things I was doing in my free time at that time. That's another podcast. Yeah, that's a totally different one. Those skills come in handy later, but not necessarily the same thing. But you're 18 and you have to figure out what to do. And there's only so much you can really just waste your time. So about like 1920, I moved to LA because it was like, I'm not going to get any further if I want to take on this whole film as a lifestyle, film as a job, film as your career. And how old are you at this point? You said you're 18? I'll be 40 in January. No, I'm sorry. At that point, I was like 1920. So this is 20 years ago, 20 years span. So that's been the life of it. And I moved to LA and really, if you didn't go to school, you didn't start with anyone. If you didn't have family members or people that you knew, then you weren't going to just like happen into jobs. And then lo and behold, there was Craigslist, the great and holy Craigslist. That was literally my job application every day. And I would sit because I wasn't working a lot. And first I started like gripping and doing other things. And then I stumbled across Steadicam. I feel like there's always some way you hear about it or some way you get introduced. And then it just, you're like, that's it. That was it for me, by the way. Yeah, it has that weird like effect. It's like inherent. You just kind of say, you know what, I really see myself enjoying this and I think I could do it. I blame Nick Franco for those who know who he is. He's at fault. I think, by the way, there is some sort of recessive gene that looks at a Steadicam and goes, that's something I want to do. Because most people are like, do not get that near me. There's no reason why you would ever do it. It's definitely a strange thought. But then that was the thing. So it took a little while to like figure it out. I took a workshop and it took a minute to like get gear. And then, I mean, at that point, I bought a Model 3. So this was like, this was when I guess this was pre-Ultra. So this was Master Series were out. Okay. So these are basically for people who don't know. These are different types of Steadicams. Yeah. So there were digital Steadicams. I guess that would be the appropriate way, more like digital. I want to say digital Steadicams, but that's a little different than what we use today. Yeah, yeah. Smaller versions that would be for a digital camera. Yeah, were things where your applications were changed. So I bought a really low-grade rig because I didn't know any better. Sure. So I bought a Model 3. I mean, I didn't even have side-to-side. So like I couldn't even adjust my camera left and right. And I'm working with these like really bad film packages from schools, like bad schools around the Los Angeles basin, which was a great learning curve. But it really was. It was Craigslist. I would go on every morning and it would be like refresh that screen on your home computer every hour. Because people were saying we're making a movie and we need so and so. We're making a low-budget movie. We're doing a low-budget short film. We're doing this. And someone, there's a guy who told me, he was like, this was back pre all the YouTube, all the things like that. He used to make his own B-movies. You know, he would direct them. He'd shoot them. He had cameras. He had lights. He had the stunt gear, all his friends. It was like Roger Corman light. Basically, because that was how he made his bread and butter for years. And that was a real thing. And the point that I came along, that just seemed crazy. And of course, obviously, I don't think they're still in business. No, I did work down there. And it was interesting, to say the least. That vibe really, that was a way to get work when you were young. So those existed. And I remember him telling me when I was probably like 20 years old, this guy who I looked up to. He was paying my bills at that point. Just, you'll be a PA today. You'll be a grip today. You'll be an electrician. Oh, OK. Like that kind of vibe. Yeah. And I was talking about, well, maybe I'll go do the Steadicam class. And he was like, you know what? You either own or you create in this business, or you don't bring anything to the table. And that really stuck out. I mean, anyways, he fired me that day. He was like, go and do that class. Commit. And I did. And it all worked out. And did you take like a cinema products class or something like that? It was the SOA workshop. OK, Steadicam Operators Association. Yeah, out in Pennsylvania. Cool. OK. And then came back and bought one. But then that's what it was. I had shitty gear. I would go on Craigslist every morning, and I'd apply to any job. Because the way I looked at it was, if I wasn't working, and I could go to set and use my Steadicam, and if I got even just food for the day, that was cheaper than me being at home. Yeah. And that literally was a good few years of living that way. But I'd get really excited when someone would be like, pay $150. I was like, oh my god. I remember those days. I mean, I'd show up in this car that's just been smashing everything. My gear's older than I am. But it was like, these are students. They had $100, and I had a rig. And at this point, this was at a time, I don't think there was a lot of people even doing that, or even going out and saying, can I even get a Steadicam guy for $100? Yeah, yeah, yeah. And it was the only way to get started. So that took years of building up. So I kind of think of it as I was like a Craigslist kid. Totally. That was my whole way of existing. But that's where you cut your teeth. And for me, it was these low-budget, horrible music videos for a company called FM Rocks. Oh, god. I know. I worked with them, too. You did? OK. Yeah, of course, of course. They were like, they were terrible. When you moved on, and you were like, I'm done with these basic things. More or less, though, in time. But it was just like, no. Everybody was just psyched that you were there, and you were psyched to be there. So you couldn't really screw up. Yeah. You learned. And sometimes you shot things that you really were like, that was cool. I didn't know I could do a frame like that. I didn't know I did that, or whatever. And it kind of gave you your own way to explore how to even move or shake a camera. 100%. Or to just time, because you're just like, you also would work with people. You're like, these people are not major performers. Yeah. No. So they would do stuff that you're like, this is not going to, if you're two inches from my lens, I cannot frame. You'd start to learn how to deal with people. There's no question about that. And that was, to me, that was the best learning curve, was that lifestyle. But that was, those were, yeah, those shitty music videos. That's really funny that you worked for FM Rocks. I mean, I was excited when I got those, because to me, at that point, that was like you. That was like high quality. Yes. It was like, yeah, you built to get there, because it was like, I mean, how do you get the trust of like, how do you get the callback for the second job? And when you show up with really bad gear, and you're not very good at your job, and you have like one facial hair, you know, and like everyone there is older than you. It's amazing. Because this was still at a time, too, when you would see people in their mid-30s who just decided to go to film school. Like, because this was still at a time where, you know, you really were, like, everyone who got into the film industry, whether you were young or new, it was a much bigger commitment than a time now where everything's streaming, everybody has phones. Sure. Like, you could be a YouTube star, and then actually make great stuff that people are interested. Yeah. I mean, when you started saying things like, that's not, that's not, that wasn't even foreseeable. No, no, no, absolutely. It's crazy to think. But, yeah, the- That's interesting. The five years of that, I think, ultimately, you, you, those were the seed planting, and then everything that, everything that ever happened to get to here stemmed from those meeting people in those first five years. Because those people turned into the people that brought you to year eight or nine. Yep. And then you met someone there that brought you to year 15. And I think that's the- It all goes back to that. It all goes back to literally, and I honestly could say I probably worked for, like, 1% of those people from those days. Uh-huh. But everything spawned from there, so I don't know how- Look, that's, that's, it's an incredible, it's an incredible lesson for people who are starting out is, number one, you never know who's gonna come back around. Never. Never. Ever. And by the way, and I've actually had this, I have shown up on a commercial where the director came up to me and said, oh my God, I can't believe you got me. And I'm playing the game where it's like, my wife isn't here to ask his name, so I have to, like, you know, I have to, like, pretend I know him. And I'm like, hey, it's good to see you. And he's like, yeah, I was a PA last time we worked together. And then I'm like, oh my God, now I know who you are. You know, two years ago, this guy was a PA and he- And it's a real thing that happened. There's no question about it. So there's that. And then there's also just, just, yeah, it's, 90% of this business is making those connections so that when that next job comes up, they're like, oh, you know what? Ari was great. Remember Ari? Yeah, yeah, let's call Ari. It's crazy. It's also just being, there's a happiness. I think there's this thing about it where you make people happy because you do a good job. That extends. They talk to other people. Those people, they, like, they hear about you. They know. That's all good. But it turns out to even be, and I always say to people as well, is you never know who it is. Because I used to think in the beginning days, and I still don't think anything's changed. I think nothing's changed about this. It's actually might not be the director or the DP or the producer who's going to get you your next job at all. It sounds outlandish, but it's not only because there are nine million ways to get a job. And it's just, and what you got to do is just constantly be putting out there a good vibe, you know, the best work you can and whatever, because like you said, you never know where that's going to resonate. I, when I was young, I was, I was, I think for me, because I was so young and I was so adamant about getting, getting forward, moving quickly, you know, you can only do so many free days before you're like, all right, I want to, I want to like, you know, I want to, I want to actually have gear that works now. I want to actually, I, I had the, I had to get someone to customize my top stage for me to be able to get it to side to side because I couldn't afford a new top stage. The top stage for people that don't know is the top of the steadicam. And now they all have side to side balance and fore and aft balance. But back then, and I had a model one originally. Yeah. So, you know, it didn't have side to side. So you basically, and it was like, you would, you'd try to figure out where to put the camera in, the screw in the camera. And it was never where you wanted it to be. No, it was always offset or slightly over. So you'd like take a small weight and hang it on the side and it's just stupid stuff. But you did it, but you made it work. You're moving the eyepiece and it's like, well, if I bend the eyepiece down, it actually pulls this weight. Like it was really crazy. Yeah. And you're looking at the assistant and you're like, give me that thing off your belt. I'll tape this up here and that'll work. And sometimes, and one day, and for me, it was like one day you'd be working with people who don't know the difference. And then one day you'd be working with someone who's like, I've been doing this for 20 years. I've never seen someone come in and do something like that. And I've had, I had some experiences where things like that where you're like, yes, there's a lot to learn. That's, that's great. I look, I, I, to, to your point, I had an old model one, which was the first, as a matter of fact, when they first made the steadicams, they made model ones. Well, before that they made a sort of prototype thing called the 35, but the ones I sold with model ones and they made 25 of them. And I had model number, I had serial number 23. So I literally had the first, like the first group of steadicams. And you know, eight, nine people had had it before me. And I remember I used to bring it out in the music videos. And there was one DP, I can't remember who it was, but he used to, he used to, every time he'd come, I'd bring it out and it was all like taped up and you know, it's just, it was ridiculous. And I was soldering stuff. And I remember one day he goes, I like that rig. It's kind of ghetto. And I was remembering, I remember thinking like, okay, I'm just going to go with ghetto being good because I don't have any other choice. I don't really feel good about that, but I get it. I'm going to take that as a compliment. But yeah, it worked, you know, whatever. I mean, I felt like the fun of those days was everything like breaking. Yeah. Like, I mean, it wasn't, God, it wasn't fun. It wasn't in the moment, but looking back. Not in the moment, but I remember the feeling of going to work and like, I remember this happening. I forget what it was. I think it was something, something like the monitor port on like an old trends video SD got pulled and that was my onboard monitor. Because at this point, my rig had just been shredded. So basically the monitor that you were looking at to do the shot wouldn't work. Yeah. And I was doing, so I think I worked for like $500 and then I got the bill to replace it and it was like 350 bucks. And it was like, I'm sure it was some either crappy music video or it was like a weird short film or something like that. And I'm sure I, I'm sure what it was was probably my own like fault. Because I know during those times you're like, at that time it was like, this is your survival blood. Like this old ancient piece of gear that could break or fall apart at any moment that literally is just like a bare wire. But it's your future. But it's literally everything that's going to like, if something goes wrong. And I remember like, yeah, I was probably rushing and I pulled it and I just know that it just loosened up the connector to the monitor. That was probably it. But that's two hours of servicing that I can't afford. That you can't afford. And it was probably, yeah, just like rushing and just trying to be the best that I can and doing it and smashing that and then being like, okay, so I finally got like a $500 a day job. And now I spend $350 that and I can't work. And like, it was just nuts that that was the tit for tat. But I remember because I would, I was always behind the eight ball. And that was what, and I think about it, if life in our business of being in the film business is not struggling, then I don't know where you're going to get some of your backbone. Whatever you do, whatever part of like, I don't care what you do in our industry. If you don't have some suffrage, I'm sorry, it's going to be hard for you to like navigate the hard times. That is our film business. Well, because essentially, there's going to be suffering no matter what. So you better get it early and then, you know, hopefully it's a lot and then it gets less and not nothing and then it gets more. But it's always going to be there. But also, but I think that's one of those things, sorry to cut you off, but it's one of those things where if it doesn't kill you, it makes you stronger. It has to. That's the key to, that's the key to figuring out how to live in our business is like, like a really like tough plant that you would plant in like a desert. Like it's like, that's how you're going to have to grow. Yeah, and look, I mean, to the end, and I've talked to other people about this, you're going to not get, you're going to get passed over for jobs. You're going to get fired. Yeah, you're going to get fired for things that you cannot control. Yeah, you're going to say things that, and by the way, sometimes you're going to get fired for things you can control where after the fact, the only thing that makes you stronger is you look back and go, you know what? I was an idiot. I pretty much deserved that. So I did this. This is like my worst week of filming I ever chose to do. I did like 96 hours straight. Oh my God. Because it was like, what do you do? You know, you're trying to make money. You're trying to get your name in there. I didn't want to say no to jobs. So you're like triple booking or whatever. I was basically start on a Friday and then finish Wednesday morning. Oh God. I never did anything that bad, but I think I did like two days straight or something once or whatever. Yeah, and that was, that's like everyone in our business should know that too. Like you're going to work 24 hour days because things are going to matter so much to you at the time that you're going to put yourself through it. And just for clarity's sake, it's not smart. It's not safe. Don't do it. But it's going to happen. At some point, everybody's going to do it. And that's just the reality if you care about something. It's going to, whether it's even one day at work and you just do it for 24 hours. Yeah, but 96 hours. And so I do this whole thing and it was like, literally it would be like, I would be like, oh, I'll get $600 to work on this non-union crappy commercial for some brand that no one's ever heard of and no one ever will, but they're shooting on film and they need someone really good. And like, that's why you're spending next to nothing to hire. No, okay. I get it. I get it. And then I would jump to like a music video at night for someone who's like, oh, maybe this DP or maybe this director. And I would, and I did all that up. But lo and behold, we get to like, Wednesday afternoon, like my final time. And I had to, I hired my buddy to like, yeah, you'll drive me to sets. I'll sleep in the car. Exactly. Do that whole thing. You go in and tell them when they need me in an hour, let me, wake me up. That kind of vibe. And I go and I do this short film and it's the lowest paid of them all. But I said yes because it was one shot and it was this really nice guy who called me and I was just, I like this guy. He's like, I've been a, he's like, I've been a dolly grip for 20 years and I'm just making my short film and I just want to be a director and I just need a steady camera. That's cool. And I wouldn't want, and he said to me because I wouldn't ask any operator on the show to come and do this. I knew all the operators. I'm like, yeah, I wouldn't either. Fuck. Yeah. The big guys. Yeah. And I go out and I do it. You mean the show that he was doing as a job. That he was a dolly grip on. And I go out and I do it because I was like, you just didn't feel right to say no. I really liked who it was. That's great. And I never worked with that person again. So it's not about that. But the DP he hired was also the DP who shot that show. I had no idea. Okay. So I show up to like some backyard's house with his like kids doing this scene and it's like, just can you just like do this low mode shot like up a little hill for them. I was like, yeah man, no problem. I'm super nice people. But I'm saying to myself like there's two guys who like, you know, they're like grips and they're just trying to do their own thing and it's like, you know, you just respect everybody. Not realizing that the DP is actually an established dude. No idea. So I do this and I'm just nice and sincere after being tired because you treat everybody well, you do the right thing, you commit it, you do the best shot you can and that's it. And I never thought of anybody. I took my like $200 and was like, hooray, I'm going to sleep. Yep. And like six, seven, eight months later I get this weird job on Warner Brothers a lot where they're like, all you're going to do is just, you're going to go around with our internal marketing and you're going to do one shot of like the sets of all these big shows that we have. Oh yeah. And I'm like, cool, because I've never been in Sound of Sound. Never stepped foot in these things. This is the big thing. And it was so cool and I was like, you know, at that point I'd done enough little jobs to be like, okay, I can walk onto these. Like, I won't just burn up and they'll be like, you there. You're not allowed here. You're not good enough to be in this room. The alarm will go off when they go through the gates. sir, you're just not, you know. And you have that feeling because it's such a beautiful thing. It's like, it has this mystique from being, you know, from student films to driving by this thing the same one day and they all like cut, you know, go to lunch, we do our shot and the DP comes back early and he's like, oh, what's up, man? How you doing? I was like, oh, no, you know, not going to chit chat. He's like, so what are you doing here? And I was like, oh, I'm just doing this shot. And I was like, what about you? And he goes, well, I shoot this show. And this is the dude from the short film. from the short film. And then, like, he must have saw my whole brain just like melt. Just like, wait. But I guess maybe that's what it was. But I, it was like, he was like, no, this is the show I shoot. Thank you so much for doing that. Are you a union? And I was like, no. And he was like, well, keep up with us and let us know. And sure enough, that was the first show I did and it was Larry Riedman and it was Pretty Little Liars. Wow. And it was one. That's pretty cool. It was, I mean, literally that started and Brian Bernson was like the operator that took me under. And like, that was, that was the beginning of it going from like a Craigslist kid to being like, you've met your first person who will take you on and do it. And I'll tell you, I pissed off everyone else that weekend on those jobs because I was really tired. And I remember, I remember, I remember in that weekend it was this music video and I remember talking to my brother and he's like, dude, that DP's like signed it. Like, this agency's like pretty big. And I remember, I remember, I remember saying to myself, that was Saturday. I remember rooting that. I was like, well, I screwed that job up. Well, but it's work begets work. Like you just, I got this and I got this and then you happen to be on something that hits and then someone else sees it and this and that and the other. So you didn't get La La Land off of Craigslist? No, I didn't get, but you know what's also weird? But I also did in a way. And that's what's trippy about it because if you, I always feel like, you know, there's that game of like six degrees of Kevin Bacon. If you did that for how you got to a place, you'd be like, whoa, you would actually probably be shocked how far you'd say the relationship you had that got you a place. But music videos got me to La La Land. And music videos I got because when you're a 20-something year old, you know, and you don't go to school so you're meeting these people, you get kind of brought into the, but that same, that same group is also how I got everything, every all at once. So in the same thing, they're all attached. Yeah. And I think you could never predict it. Now, I don't know how I got to Sharknado. That's a fun one. I don't know how that happened. Let's talk about Sharknado for a minute because it just has to be, I mean, first of all, was there a script? I don't even know. I honestly don't even know. So this, you know, I was never one of those people who took anything as like, I treat people the way I think I treat people and hopefully time I did pretty well. I'm sure I didn't most of them, but I try. I mean, like that's the reality is like you're, you know, I always say like to people, I say the more I go, the less I know because that just feels like life. That's just getting older, man. Yeah. Yeah. Right. You're like, wait till you have teenagers. I, yeah, that's, oh gosh. Yeah. That's a whole nother. Other adventures. Trust me. So Sharknado. I met a group of people who were doing same thing. We're doing this cool, like special effects and horror monster, like short films, small movie or something like that. Like again, you know, they need BC movies, you know, 10, 15 day shoots, whatever. They need two days of steadicam and they were all working people, but not like they were working people and that you, they were also trying to rise and you could feel that. And, um, he's one of, was one of my, became one of my best friends. Uh, he passed Tony Magaleta at first. I'm sorry. I didn't know him, but I knew the name. A lot of people have heard that he's like the biker pirate that he's like as, as, as if pirates of the Caribbean walked off the set and then was like, got onto your set. That was him. He was awesome. A lot of people love him, but, um, he went from miniature sets and then he went from miniatures and when, you know, that's, he would always do like that kind of second unit, miniature unit way back when it would be those kind of things. Oh, okay. So yeah, same, same thing. So he went from there into like asylum movies because it was a way for him to go, you don't have to go and just shoot like the little explosion effects. You could start shooting actors. Wait, he went from there into what movies? Into like asylum, which is the company that used to, that would make Sharknado. the company was called Asylum. He didn't go to the asylum. No, maybe he, by doing those movies, he should have gone to it. So it's some low budget. So it was basically a low budget company that would do like 10, 15, 20, 30 low budget movies like a week. I mean, Jesus, they were like no script. no, Sharknado is obviously the output of something like this, but it was for his way to do it. So I met him on this short film. We just got along as people. He goes and do this and he's like, we haven't seen each other. He's like, oh, dude, just come and work on these. We'll get to hang out. And I said, you know what? This is like Red M1 days where it was like, everything's mishmash. Everybody's kind of, it's like a, it's a free for all. A red camera when it first came out. Yeah, exactly, red camera. The thing that I remember big time about that was the first time I've ever used it, I had to do a whip pan and I whipped and it turned off and the AC was like, oh yeah, if you whip that fast, the battery will come off and I'm like, this seems like a flaw. I don't know. So what are we going to do? And he's like, well, maybe you could do more of a body and I'm like, are you kidding? But that was the early days of the Red. That was life. So this was like, you know, same thing. It was like, I mean, there was a certain point where your career's not, you know, it's not going to be anywhere and it's not going to go anywhere and it's not going to get any better if you're not out there trying to make it better. So I was like, I'll go make a few hundred bucks and I'll go be with my friends. And also to that point, I think it's that thing of like, I could sit home, which is not going to help my career, or I could go out and potentially meet someone and just like you did, you know, you did here. Everything was like, you meet people and some of those people you just like and this was one of those people who he's just, just come and work with me, bug me all the time. We talk on the phone, come on, I don't get to see you enough because you're always working on other things. Come and, come and slum it with me. It's basically what it was. Sure. And I had no idea what the movies we worked on. I couldn't tell you, for the first like five years, I didn't even know I worked on that movie. Oh, is that right? Yeah. That's so funny. I don't even know if I actually did, to be honest. Like in my day, just like, you know, throw them in. Yeah. But it was just. But also, by the way, another thing you can take out of that is, you show up, it's some crappy movie. There's like, you know, a pickle at craft service. Oh, you're lucky. There's no money and there's this and you're like, whatever. And then five years later, your name's on Sharknado and people are probably looking at your resume going, oh, you worked on Sharknado? That's kind of fun. Because the bottom line is, really what you want to do is you want to stand out. You just want to do what you want to do. Yeah, and if Sharknado is the reason you stand out, You woke up and went out and had a great day. Yeah. And like, you got better. And I'll admit, And you're practicing. You're being paid to practice. Exactly. You're being paid to practice but you're being paid to do something that you can't get anywhere else. Which is, Yes. In a crappy movie scenario like that where you have one take to do a seven page scene that half the actors don't know. Yeah. And they're like, you've got to get it. You actually learn how to manipulate dealing with so many different improv, no marks, no hits, but you still have to keep that light up. But you still have to, like, you learn tricks that will be the only reason you'll be good at your job later. I think so. And there's a great point to take out of that which is, well, there's two things. One is, like you said, to me, and I always viewed it this way, it's like, I mean, at that point, I would just take anything. And actually, I've said this before because I wanted more experience. They'd be like, look, we only have this budget. And I'd be like, well, listen, if you paid me the same amount of money but did seven days instead of five days, I mean, would that work? Because I just wanted more work. And you knew at the time, too, you're like, I'm not working on anything. So I'm not taking away from anything else. Like the people who are currently in a strike, and I don't think the people in a strike were like, Dave, you took that movie 27 years ago and you did this and that's why I'm here now. It doesn't make a difference in the long run. But all I wanted to do was work. And the other thing, but you brought up an interesting point is you don't have the money. You don't have the time. Everybody's go, go, go, go, go, go. And what it ends up doing, it's like swinging with two bats, right? And so first of all, you learn how to work that way. So when you slow down, you can just be that much better. But it's a home run every day. but also the other part of it is you do...