Cinema Cafe Movie Workbook] Interview with Sachi Masuda
Sachi Masuda suddenly quit her job and moved to New York City by herself, and after studying at university, jumped into the entertainment industry. The second part of our interview with Sachi Masuda, who is currently working as a “wardrobe supervisor” overseeing everything related to the costumes worn by actors on set! We talked to her about the changes in her job during a pandemic in the entertainment industry in New York, and much more.
–In the first part of the interview, we learned about the specific work of a wardrobe supervisor and how Ms. Masuda came to the U.S. to become a supervisor. In the job description, you mentioned that the costume department is divided into the “Costume” team, which includes the designers, and the “Wardrobe” team, which manages the costumes on set.
The person in charge of the entire department is the designer. The person in charge of the set is the wardrobe supervisor. However, this is only a story for New York, and the situation is different in Los Angeles, where the supervisor is sometimes in charge of the entire department. Unions are also different between Los Angeles and New York, and there are differences in various aspects.
–When you think of “wardrobe” work for movies and TV shows, you probably think of a designer or a stylist, and you may have a more glamorous image of them in the spotlight, but it’s the “wardrobe” team that oversees everything related to the costumes on the set and keeps the shooting running smoothly.
I’m glad to hear you say that. What we do is really quite simple, but… (laughs).
For example, I sometimes have to discuss with the assistant director (AD) about when the actors should wear their costumes on the set. For example, I sometimes have to discuss with the assistant director (AD) about when the actors should wear their costumes on the set. Since suits and the like get wrinkled after being worn for a long time, I would like to have the actors put on their costumes just before the shooting, but sometimes the AD says, “I can’t take the time later, so I want them to wear them now. If necessary, I have to push through my opinions, and I’m getting mentally tougher and tougher (laughs).
(laughs) In addition, recently there have been measures to prevent the spread of coronas. (laughs) Regardless of coronas, I am usually contacted after work hours and often have to deal with them. Basically, I and others are paid by the hour for this job, but there are many times when I get calls or emails after hours because they are about the next day’s shooting and I really need to be there.
–To the extent that you can talk about it, I’d like to hear about the environment in the field, including the time restraints and salary situation.
Basically, I set all the working hours for the members of “Wardrobe”. Occasionally, there are staff members who are extremely late. At first, I try not to say anything, but if it continues too long, I deduct it from their hourly wages. It has to be fair. Recently, some companies have started to use online time card systems, but basically, people still write their time cards on paper.
–Mr. Masuda, you yourself (supervisor) are also paid by the hour, not by the piece, right?
Yes, that’s right. Everyone is paid by the hour except the designers. The supervisor is the highest paid, but it’s still about $5 more per hour than the costumer, so I don’t think it’s worth it… (laughs).
–Do you have a specific day off?
For Union work, I’m basically off on weekends. However, in the case of movies, the entire shooting period is set in advance, and everything has to be completed during that time. In such cases, you may have to work six or seven days a week.
This is also the case with TV dramas, but most productions want to have two weekends off. As I mentioned earlier, the labor cost is based on an hourly rate, but if you work overtime, the hourly rate changes, and the labor cost increases.
If you work more than 8 hours, your hourly rate is multiplied by 1.5 for up to 12 hours, and doubled after that. Also, if you’re on a two-day workweek with weekends off, and you have to work a sixth day, you get paid 1.5 times your hourly rate from the start. I used to work seven days a week, and that alone was almost a month’s salary at the time. So the contract is in order.
–In your case, since you are a supervisor, you also have to manage staff attendance, right?
That’s right. For example, each contract has its own rules, such as “breakfast must be taken within one hour of the morning arrival time,” or “lunch must be taken at least two hours after the start of work. Basically, the rule regarding meals is that if you work for more than six hours, you will receive a “meal penalty” if you exceed that time. Up to the third time, the penalty is $5 each, but after the fourth time, the hourly wage is paid for one hour. So the person who gives the orders has to calculate the penalty and think, “By what time should I have this staff member eat lunch? Do I send them to lunch or wait until dinner? Or do I wait until dinner? I also think about which is cheaper.
–In terms of money, how long did it take for you to be able to “make ends meet” with your costume work after you entered the industry?
I mentioned that I was working on an indie film in the beginning, but even back then, as far as I know, I was probably getting paid more than the average salary of a so-called stylist in Japan.
About two years after graduating from university, I was in a situation where I felt I could make a living at this job. However, since I was freelance, I was worried about what would happen if I didn’t get another job. What if I don’t get another job? But now, I think I can handle it.
Especially now in New York, the whole industry is getting busier and busier every year. In fact, as of now, we have about 50 films already lined up.
–So the whole industry is booming. Incidentally, is it important whether or not you are a member of the union?
I think it’s a big deal in the sense that you are protected by contract, and all the big jobs are unionized, so if you are not a member, you can’t get those jobs in the first place. To explain about unions, there are different unions for the “wardrobe” team and the “costume” team. The initiation fee for joining the “wardrobe” union is higher, around 350,000 yen. In some cases, there is an exam, a letter of recommendation, a portfolio, and an interview.
Our Wardrobe Union, on the other hand, is incredibly easy compared to that. You only need letters of recommendation from three people, $100 for paperwork, and a resume to join temporarily. After that, if you work in a Union production for 30 days, you will be recognized as a regular member, and you will be able to get health insurance and other benefits. You’ll need to pay $1000 to become a full member, though.
–What are the benefits of being a member of the Union?
The biggest benefit is health insurance. Anyway, medical costs are incredibly high in the US. You have to pay every three months, and there are several plans to choose from, but in my case, I’m on the second-highest grade plan, and I’m paying about 100,000 yen per month. The cost of living is very high in New York, and it’s a far cry from the way we feel in Japan, or maybe I’m just losing my financial sense (laughs). (laughs) Taxes are also very high, and I feel like they take away about half of my salary…. It’s especially expensive if you’re single, so that’s why many people decide to get married.
However, it is very important to be covered by insurance in case of emergencies. One of my acquaintances pays $3,000 a month for her family’s insurance, but when she had an infection during childbirth and was hospitalized for a while, the medical expenses were almost 100 million yen. The insurance covered it, so she only had to pay a little over 100,000 yen, but if she hadn’t had insurance….
–In that sense, I am very grateful for the existence of the union.
Yes, it is. But, as I said, this job is not something you can just “learn” and become. As a non-union assistant, there aren’t many things you can learn. As a non-union assistant, there’s not much you can learn, because the union has a list of tasks that assistants are not allowed to do, and as an assistant, you’re limited in what you can do.
There are a lot of things that you can’t learn to do without working with your hands and having experience, so to be honest, the number of young people who can’t do their jobs is increasing these days, and that’s becoming a problem at the Union. They don’t even know how to sew by hand, and we have to teach them how to put on buttons, iron, and do laundry. There is an argument that the union should provide time for such lectures.
This is a bit off topic, but there is a movement in unions to actively hire people of color in relation to the issue of racial discrimination, and production companies are sometimes asked to do so. What I find ironic is that even in the midst of these movements and changes, when I go to meetings where the heads of each department gather, everyone except me is white, and sometimes there is no one of Asian or even African descent.
–Are there any supervisors of Asian descent other than Mr. Masuda?
I don’t think there are any supervisors of Asian descent. I think there are a few Asian Americans who grew up in the US and have US citizenship. There is Taylor who came from Japan when she was a teenager, and there are costumers of Chinese and Korean descent.
–How many people in the entire entertainment industry in New York are supervisors like Mr. Masuda?
I think there are probably 50 to 60 people at most. However, as I mentioned earlier, the amount of work is increasing rapidly, and there are not enough people. Therefore, there are many people with little experience who have been given the title of “supervisor.
Looking at the current situation and the young people, I’m glad that I gained a lot of experience as an indie artist. I think it’s difficult to be a supervisor if you don’t know the various positions and can’t grasp the situation.
–By the way, what level of English proficiency is required to work as a supervisor?
Since you are in a position to give instructions, you need to have a level of English that will allow you to communicate properly on the job. However, I always think that I don’t think that my English is perfect or that I speak it very well. Even so, I have to speak with confidence.
There are many times when I have to negotiate with the other person on an equal footing, and there are many times when I have to read the script and think about it. It’s also important to know how to convey what you’re asking them to do. If you say it in a distant Japanese way, they won’t understand, but if you say it too directly, they won’t budge (laughs).
(laughs) I know I’m talking about “young people these days” again (laughs), but don’t we say “yutori” or “satori” in Japan? The same thing happens here. We call them “millennials,” but sometimes things happen that make you wonder, “Why do they think it’s okay?” The girl who came 30 minutes late asked if she could have breakfast first. I’m not sure if I am rigid.
–I don’t think it’s a Japanese feeling. It’s not just a Japanese thing, but also an American thing. Is that what you think?
When you talk to someone a little older than you and say, “I can’t believe this happened to me,” and they say, “Yes, I agree with you. I’ve had a lot of people say, “That’s crazy,” so it seems that there are a lot of things that the older generation of Americans think are crazy. I myself must have done a lot of things in the past, and I’m sure I was told a lot of things (laughs).
–Back to the topic of English, how did you improve your English?
I’ve been taking English conversation classes since I was in Japan, and I’ve always been good at reading and writing. It wasn’t until about a year after I came here that I stopped having trouble with daily conversation…? In the beginning, I thought I had to be perfect, and I felt embarrassed if I made a mistake, so I couldn’t speak very well. Even so, I tried to create an environment where I could actively participate in conversations with the locals, watch movies, listen to textbooks, and even find someone to talk to online to study the language. However, I didn’t want to stress myself out too much, so I made some time to socialize with Japanese people here.
In my case, I think the fact that I attended university here was a big factor. I got a lot of training at the university (laughs). (laughs) I had to have discussions, there were many opportunities to give presentations, and there were many assigned books that I had to read for my thesis. Also, since my major was theater, I had acting classes, so I was in an environment where I had to speak anyway.
–What would you like to do in the future with your work?
I’ve been working in TV and occasionally in movies, but I’d like to work in movies more. Compared to TV dramas, movies have a much longer preparation period, which is reflected in the production, and the designer has stronger decision-making power. In TV dramas, the producer has a lot of power, but in movies, the director, staff, actors, and everyone works together to make the movie. If possible, I would like to work as a wardrobe supervisor on a big Hollywood film, a film with a billion-dollar budget.
I still wonder who I am and what I’m doing here. Sometimes I still wonder who I am and what I’m doing here, but as a supervisor, I’m constantly growing and learning as I experience each film. I have never thought of this job as my “calling” (laughs), but the fact that people keep asking me to do it makes me think that I am suited for it. (laughs) I guess I’m suited to it because people keep calling me. That’s why you have to ask yourself what you can do in the given environment. I’d like to do the best I can there.
I would like to create my own way of being a supervisor, including the fact that I am one of the few Asian people in the world of entertainment in New York. After all, it’s odd that there are so few Japanese here! The hours of work are long, and once you are in the field, you are bound to be there for 12 hours, and it is especially difficult for women who want to or are raising children (laughs). Even so, there are a lot of women working in this industry, and I would like to see more and more Japanese communities expanding in the world of entertainment in New York. It can be a costumer, hair and makeup, lighting, sound, etc. There are many positions available, so I would like to see more and more people who are interested to challenge the world of entertainment here.
