KUALA LUMPUR: Actor and director Datuk Yusry Abdul Halim of KRU has called on filmmakers not to "overtax" actors, actresses and crew members by making them work 20 hours a day.
"As a rule of thumb, I always make sure that filming for the day takes no less than 12 hours," said Yusry at the launch of his latest drama series Legenda Puteri Qaseh in One Utama Shopping Centre, Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya yesterday.
"True, at times a director may need to make his crew work pretty long hours, but I only do so after getting feedback from everyone involved in the film or drama series."
Yusry added that he would only make his production team work beyond 12 hours if they faced "heavy downpours and flooding".
"Yes, at times we have to push ourselves. But I always make sure that the following day would be an off day for everyone," Yusry's view was shared by his fellow actor and director Aziz M. Osman.
"We should not overtax our team members, for doing so will not make them more productive.
"It is good to get out of our comfort zones, but directors must be reasonable, and give their team members sufficient rest and sleep," he said.
Yusry and Aziz were commenting on actor Sharnaaz Ahmad's recent lament that he was made by a production company to work 20 hours a day. Sharnaaz urged artiste associations such as Persatuan Seniman Malaysia (Seniman) to campaign for "caps" on overtime work by artistes and film crew members.
Malaysian Television Producers Association (PTVM) president Datuk Jurey Latiff Rosli also urged the National Film Development Corporation (Finas) to curb excessive overtime work on film sets.
Seniman president Zed Zaidi proposed that filming sessions be limited to a maximum of 12 hours to ensure the welfare of artistes and crew members.