Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1541330
student graduates, which can be cool. A lot of them are really talented, but everyone needs to know the correct way to do things," Blake said. "A gray zone is overtime," Taylor explained, "I always ask for overtime and get paid but a lot of people don't think it's allowed and don't ask. I put boundaries. I'm pretty aware that I deliver very good work for what I'm getting paid, because I bring my union experience and my organization. Of course, there are some mistakes—I don't have an assistant so I can't be on set all the time. I'm not always proud of these results and I don't share a lot of this work. But we try to do our best." And often, our best is beyond expectations. "Not to brag," Blake started, "but I've had directors and producers tell me I'm the best Costume Designer they've worked with because they're not used to working with people at a union level. The people in this world don't know how it's done so when they see how we work, they're blown away." The big question on everyone's minds these days is if verticals are here to stay. Clearly, they're filling a void and viewers enjoy watching the drama play out. "I think there is a place for them with the way people use smartphones. I'm glad they're bringing people joy, but I think they need to be regulated. It would be nice to get MPI hours for them, but they're so low budget, no one has been interested in flipping them," Blake said. Espinoza agreed, "I hope IATSE gets their grip on them and makes them pay even if it's tier 0, which will probably scare some productions off. I believe there should be some safety protections, some transportation protections. I would love to get at least health care. I don't think it's fair that this labor is getting exploited when they're making millions of dollars. It's capital brainwashing when they tell you that if we pay more, then we can't do it here." With all that being said, it's unlikely there will be a change in the way vertical productions treat their crew until they have a harder time finding people to work for low wages and no expectations. As crew members across Los Angeles are losing their healthcare, their homes, and their savings in an uncertain industry, verticals are offering a lifeline to those who just need any kind of work. "People are desperate for work, so they'll take exploitative jobs," Blake explained, and that's just the sad truth right now. How a vertical film may appear on a traditional horizontal monitor.