‘Black Swan’ Interns Sue Over Unpaid Labor
By Angie Han/Sept. 29, 2011 12:00 pm EST
Lawyers for the movie industry have defended the usage of unpaid interns in the past by pointing out that the internships are a useful stepping stone for those who wish to break into the industry, and that the Labor Department’s rules are obsolete and rarely enforced.
On the one hand, unpaid internships are a very commonly accepted practice in the film industry as well as other prestigious fields, so it’s easy to dismiss Footman and Glatt’s complaints as the mere whining of a couple of disgruntled workers. A great many people have gotten their start in unpaid internships, after all, to the extent that it’s become a sort of rite of passage. And even if Footman and Glatt spent much of their time doing menial labor, it could be argued that they reaped some benefits in turn, by gaining experience for their resumes, learning about the production process, meeting people who could help them land their next gigs, and so on. (From Russ: Most valuable of all, they’re a chance to prove that you can suck it up and do the work, even when the work sucks, and possibly demonstrate some initiative along the way.)
On the other, just because unpaid internships are widespread doesn’t mean they’re right, legally or ethically. While there are plenty of unpaid internships out there that really do benefit the intern (I myself have been lucky to hold such a gig in the past, though not within the film industry), I’ve also heard plenty of horror stories from all industries about interns serving as mere free labor and gaining next to nothing from their experiences. Footman clearly believes his experience falls into the latter category. “The only thing I learned on this internship was to be more picky in choosing employment opportunities,” he said. Moreover, unpaid internships arguably give an unfair advantage to those who can afford to work for free, whether because they’ve saved up enough money or have families generous and wealthy enough to support them.
Whichever way the case goes, however, I’d think the best bet for people considering unpaid internships is to follow this advice put forth by IFC’s Matt Singer: “[D]on’t stick around if you feel like you’re wasting your time, and don’t do something for free that other people around you are getting paid to do.” There’s a difference between making a few sacrifices and being taken advantage of, and while the former shouldn’t scare off anyone who really wants to be part of the film industry, the latter shouldn’t be considered a prerequisite for achieving success.
Discuss: Are Footman and Glatt in the right, or do you think they’re just being whiny? Have you had any positive or negative internship experiences in the industry?
