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SURVIVING THE PAINS OF PRODUCTION

Ashley Hathaway, producer

You're on day 2 of a 4-day shoot and you're already exhausted - totally fried. How will you survive the next 2 days and the aftermath of what you will put your body through?

Shoot days are almost always the toughest days because for most of us, we've already invested hours & hours of physical and mental anguish on the pre-production process! Suddenly you find yourself working a 13-hour day on 4 hours of sleep, every muscle & bone in your body aching and the only food you've eaten in the last 5 hours was a handful of M&M's and a stale, un-toasted bagel. Then, when it's all over, you're so spent that all you can do for the next 2 days is lye motionless on your couch, waiting for that wicked sore throat to develop into a nasty cold.

In my quest to combat this cycle of stress, I've discovered a few little medicinal miracles… I'd like to share with you my top 4 remedies:

1.) When you are stressed and over-working your body, your adrenal glands go into overdrive. This is part of what produces that tired, sluggish feeling during and after a grueling project. For more energy and to help counteract this feeling, start taking a dietary supplement called "RAW ADRENAL" (many brands available). Take it every day during the pre-production process, and through to the end of the production. I buy a brand called "Country Life". Some experts believe there are differences in quality, so if you're being treated by a healthcare professional, be sure to check with them about brand preferences and dosage. You can find out more about the adrenal glands and their function by doing a search at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus

2.)Eat more fresh fruit & complex carbohydrates (instead of refined sugar snacks like candy) and drink lots of water (not soft-drinks). Add powder packets of "EMER'GEN-C" (by Alacer Corp.) into your water once or twice a day. These little packets come in a variety of yummy flavors, and supply your body with a powerful punch of Vitamin C, B-12, Potassium, and other vital mineral complexes to keep your immune system strong and energy levels up. You can find "EMER'GEN-C" at Trader Joes as well as most health food stores & markets like Whole Foods. Check out the product web site for more info: http://www.alacercorp.com/home.htm

3.)Use Arnica for those aching joints & muscles. "Arnica Montana" is an all-natural pain-relieving herb that comes in a topical gel (odorless) you rub on your body or oral pellets you dissolve in your mouth. Because it's a natural herb, it doesn't produce the side-affects that chemical pain relievers like Aspirin, Tylenol and Advil can. You can find Arnica in health food stores & markets like Rainbow Grocery. For more on Arnica Montana and other beneficial herbs, go to http://www.herbmed.org

4.)Finally, when you get home from that 13-hour day, instead of having an ice-cold beer or big glass of wine, fix yourself a cup of relaxing herbal tea. My favorite brand is Traditional Medicinals. Try one of their calming blends: "Nighty-Night" or "Easy Now". Sounds wimpy, I know, but if you're only going to get 4 or 5 hours of sleep, you need that sleep to be "high-quality" sleep, and all it takes is 1 alcoholic beverage to have a negative effect on your nightly sleep cycle.

May these remedies help YOU survive the pains of your next production!

Ashley is a Freelance Producer & Production Manager with over 11 years experience in all aspects of studio and field production: broadcast video & film. Available for still production as well.
Ashley started her career in Los Angeles at Columbia Studios and has lived and worked in the Bay Area for the past 10 years. Please view her web page: http://www.mandy.com/home.cfm

Partial client/project list:
ABC-7 and KGO-TV, Animal Planet, HBO, PBS and KQED-SF, The Discovery Channel, TechTV, Wal-Mart Television Network, Yahoo!
Favorite things to do:
*Ride 35miles on my road bike *Cook a gourmet meal *Sip a fine wine

What's next for Ashley:
A Documentary project in July and an annual trip to Burning Man in August,(she is a 9 year veteran). Beginning in September, Ashley will begin 4 months of EMT training (Emergency Medical Tech).