Veteran actress Diane Farr, who plays Sharon Leone on CBS's hit drama "Fire Country," is making waves in Hollywood with her candid call for shorter workdays in television production. Drawing from her 30-year career spanning over 400 television episodes, Farr highlights the toll that extended shooting schedules take on cast, crew, and production quality.
After recently completing her directorial debut on "Fire Country," Farr questions why 12-hour workdays remain standard in an era of advanced filming technology. She points out that while modern productions utilize multiple cameras simultaneously, shooting days haven't shortened compared to the single-camera film era of the past.
"The health of a marriage, a family, and the ability to recover from anything draining the body or mind lies between a 50- and 60-hour work week," Farr states, emphasizing that consistently working beyond 10-hour days can deteriorate both personal lives and artistic quality.
In her directing experience, Farr demonstrated that efficient shooting is possible, completing most days within 9-10 hours by maximizing multi-camera setups. Only her most complex fire sequence required a full 12-hour day.
The actress-turned-director proposes that 12-hour shooting days should be classified as overtime rather than standard practice, particularly for challenging scenes involving stunts, difficult locations, or large cast ensembles. She specifically calls on the Directors Guild of America (DGA) to consider implementing new guidelines that prioritize crew welfare while maintaining production quality.
Farr's advocacy extends beyond scheduling concerns to include proper training for new directors. She argues that without education on efficient filming techniques, promoting inexperienced directors could potentially harm both productions and careers.
As television production continues to evolve, Farr's perspective offers a fresh look at balancing artistic achievement with sustainable working conditions in the entertainment industry.