What does... "It's a wrap!" actually mean?
In his column "What does... actually mean?", Benno Maggi looks at terms from the marketing and communications sector. This time he deals with the term "It's a wrap!".
This call can be heard everywhere at the current time of year. Usually in a joyful context and tone. Where does it actually come from? No, it's not about the joy of a vegan avocado wrap. Nor is it a chicken, beef or whatever kind of roll that is meant to be eaten. Today, "It's a wrap!" is used for almost every completed task. It means wrap up, done, finished! It was originally used in film and television productions at the end of a day's shooting.
In an industry with historically strong trade unions, the timing of this announcement was significant. There are few industries where working hours are as strictly regulated as in the entertainment industry. Because of the unions, the so-called "golden hours" and "triple hours" have become a nightmare for production management. This is the double or even triple amount per hour that is due if filming takes longer than agreed. And that includes the wrap, the packing up, which is recorded to the minute. The work is only finished when the last cable has been rolled up and the last lamp has been stowed in the case provided. Only then does the clock stop and the bill is settled. And not when the last flap falls.
In the USA, the first trade union in the film industry was founded in 1886 - and it achieved its first success with a strike for a one-dollar daily wage, with 12-hour working days, not to mention. Foolish producers at theaters such as the Academy of Music tried to counteract this by hiring strikebreakers to take over the work of experienced stagehands who went on strike. Without success.
Instead, it was the unstoppable triumph of the trade unions. They are currently on strike again, over in America. But this time it's over AI - artificial intelligence. The more than 11,000 screenwriters in the Writers Guild have been on strike since the beginning of May. Since mid-July, around 16,000 actors and actresses from the actors' union SAG-AFTRA have also been on strike. Among other things, they are all calling for rules on the use of artificial intelligence. And here?
No more overtime
It's a wrap! At the end of the year, local marketing departments, agencies and production companies also tidy up. But in a different way. The projects that have been postponed throughout the year are implemented and squeezed in before the end of the year so that the budgets are used up, because otherwise they could be cut next year.
This, in turn, leads to overtime, which is then simply cut in the agencies because the times are hard. Overtime is actually primarily a sign of poor project management and not an indication of performance. An exclamation that was actually intended to be positive, in the sense of "we've done it", "we can pack up", suddenly takes on a negative connotation: "If you don't like it, you can pack up".
So whether it's a specific scene, a day of filming, a milestone in a project or even a whole year; when the last clapperboard drops, all the scenes are in the can and we can start packing up, we should be in a good mood. Because it's the end. Or a break. With this in mind, happy holidays.
* Benno Maggi is co-founder and CEO of Partner & Partner. He has been eavesdropping on the industry for over 30 years, discovering words and terms for us that can either be used for small talk, pomposity, excitement, playing Scrabble, or just because.
