Sick on Set? Here’s Who it Could Affect

Departments that will hate you the most if you show up sick to set.

The entertainment industry might be the most unforgiving industry when it comes to calling in sick, but not as unforgiving as your fellow crew. Showing up to set when you’re coughing up your soul will affect multiple departments, so we created a countdown of departments that will hate you the most when you show up to set sick.  

Talent

They won’t be bothered by your illness. Talent gets a Z-Pak. You don’t.
This still doesn’t mean you should start to get chummy with them.
Nope. Don’t do that. 

 

HMU

Especially if you ask them for some concealer to hide the redness on your tissue-abrased nose

 

Producer

Depending on your role on set, the producer might have never even known who you were in the first place. Now they know. Everyone knows. At first, you wanted to die because you were sick, now you want to die of embarrassment.

 

Camera Op

They’ve never been sick a day in their life, and dammit if you’re going to be the one to ruin that streak.

 

Crafty

Your germs are going to marinate and germinate at the crafty table. While you’ll be disappointed they don’t have soup, they’ll be disappointed if you show up at all. Just try not to cough directly into the catering tray.

 

Sound

Sneezing, wheezing, snorting, blowing your nose, coughing. The audible parts of your illness are going to make you and Sound #1 enemies. 

 

2nd AD

That Tamiflu you’re on is chock full of stuff (not necessarily the good stuff) that is making you hazy and lacking urgency. You’re overall incredibly inefficient and the worst nightmare of anyone that has to stay on schedule.

Wardrobe

 

One unfortunately aimed & loaded sneeze can ruin their entire day.