How Am I Supposed to Do That?
A producer came into the office today, and asked that someone remove the arms from the chair in his office.{{1}} The other PA’s immediate response was, “How are we supposed to do that?” Wow… Now, can anyone in the class tell me what he did wrong? First of all, don’t ask the fucking producer how […]
Work for Who You Want to Be
David writes in: I am interested in post-productions more specifically a video editor. I thought about starting out as an assistant editor, but almost all these job advertisements require 2 years of experience. Would you have any recommendations on where to get qualified experience in Los Angeles? I heard from one person that some editors […]
When To Follow Up
Jane writes in: I sent in a resume to a job posting and was emailed by a First AD thanking me for my interest in the shoot and told me “to expect an email in 3 weeks.” Should I send a follow-up e-mail/call in two weeks (etc)? What’s protocol to following up a job possibility […]
It’s Not a Secret
Mandy asked (and Jess seconded): When asked if we found the job opening on the UTA list, what do you advise us to say? If we say yes will employers ever ask how we have the list? or do you think they will leave it at that. Just curious. The joblist isn’t a state secret. […]
You Don’t Have to be a Jerk
I’m traveling today (long story), so I don’t have time to write a post. Instead, here’s a copypasta from a comment left on a really old post yesterday: So, as a production manager and line producer, I can say, from personal experience, being an asshole is simply a crap choice the ADs, Producers, or UPMs […]
Distro List
When you work in the production office, one of your major jobs is distributing paperwork, commonly referred to as “distro.” You’ve got scripts, pages, schedules, one-liners, prep calendars, crew lists, vendor lists, call sheets, and a bazillion other things that vary from show to show. The thing is, not every crew member gets every single […]
You Have to Take Risks
Eric writes: I’ve been seeing a lot of postings for part time assistant positions. Is this the new wave of employment/new way of business since the economy is still in the crapper (articles writing about how the unemployment level is not at 5.5% more like 9%) and Hollywood tightening the belt everywhere? That being said, […]
Shooting Location Change
How to handle a production changing their location after you’ve signed on.
Take a (Paragraph) Break
When writing a cover letter, or even your resume, you should remember that text is, surprisingly, a visual medium. It’s not as mimetic as, say, film, television, or painting, that’s true. But you still glean information from text just by looking at it, not reading it at all. Here’s what Stephen King says in his […]
TAPA Meetup October 25
It’s been a little while since we’ve had a PA meetup. And it’s still going to be a while, ’cause the next one is October 25th! The kind people at Peaches’ Smokehouse have offered to host us at Poppy + Rose for the afternoon. They’ll be providing appetizers, food, non-alcoholic drinks for all guests. (Don’t […]
Seeking Decent ADs and Coordinators
It’s very easy to complain about your boss. Nobody likes to be told what to do, and the very definition of “boss” is someone who tells you what to do. Sometimes they’re crazy or irrational or just plain mean. But you know what? There are some good ones out there, too. And I’d like to […]
Copyright Infringement
Yesterday, I got a bizarre email, with the above headline as the subject. I’ve never had anything like it before. I was using a random photo I found on the internet to illustrate a point about a certain product or service we PAs use all the time. Now, it’s not my photo, and the owner […]