I’m not sure about you guys but one of the biggest problems for me on a set is remembering everyone’s name.
Seriously, though. Especially when you are working a short commercial gig for one or two days? UGH. Every single time a gig starts and you have to ask someone for the 50th time what their name is?
Really everything is just hopeless until, like, week two. (At least it is for me.)
“Does anyone have eyes on Bill?”
Nope, sorry. I really don’t know who Bill is; he could literally be standing next to me, and I wouldn’t know.
Checks bathroom. There’s no one in the bathroom.
“Well, Bill is not in the bathroom.”
“Hey I could use a water on set for Anne.”
Sounds great. I’ll just bring eight waters and hand them out to everyone on set, and hope one of those waters lands in the hands of Anne. I wonder what she does?
My favorite solution is when the walkies have everyone’s names on them. If you have ever done this as a PA: THANK YOU. Seriously, everyone loves you. Any sort of label on a walkie can help immensely. Even if its just the department, it at least narrows down the options.
For those people like me who have issues with names? I suggest always having the call sheet on you.{{1}} Maybe while you hide in the bathroom to get a 5 minute break you can review names on the sheet and try and place the faces.
Does anyone out there have any solutions for the name predicament?
Maybe can we all just wear “Hello my name is ___” like dorks on set?
[[1]]And really, there are many, many reasons to have your callsheet on hand, anyway.[[1]]
2 Responses
Have a callsheet and schedule on you at ALL times for reference. If you’re paying attention, you’ll know all the keys in the first hour and their assistants by end of the day.
In addition to having the PA’s write the names on the walkies before handing them out, I always do “Hello My Name is __________” name tags on the first three days of a new show. Everyone is usually up for it since they are all in the same boat. I have the PA’s write them out in prep and hand them out in the mornings.