Say No
I really didn’t know how to write this post. I still don’t. I don’t know if there’s anything I can contribute to the memorials and reflections that have already been written. I don’t know what I can say that can help. I don’t know that anyone can say anything that will help. For those of […]
Company Move
Reader Andrew writes in: There’s a line on the latest [glossary]one-liner[/glossary] that says “company move.” Why would this be in the schedule? Wouldn’t moving the production offices take all day? Why is it happening in the middle of a shoot day? Ah, the company move. Not quite as terrible as “EXT. NIGHT,” but in its […]
Not Getting Overtime
An anonymous reader writes in: I’ve just been told my show doesn’t have the budget to pay for OT, even though I’ve already had an hour and a half of it. The producer claims that no one gets OT. Even worse, my call time was 7:00 am to load gear and such from the rental […]
Coming Soon – The TAPA Podcast!
If you missed TAPAholics Anonymous meeting, you don’t know what was in the envelope I left. First, there was a bunch of name tags that read, “Hello, my name is T.A.P.A.” Along with the names tags was a stack of business cards featuring my logo, which hilariously led to anyone in a pair of glasses […]
The Day After
“So, I have a bunch of business cards. Now what?” -Fictional Reader I Just Made Up The TAPAlooza{{1}} Festival went swimmingly. The place was packed when I arrived, and there were still a few small groups of people when I left a couple hours later. A good time was had by all, and many business […]
Notes for Sunday’s Get Together
Holy crap, you guys! Somewhere between a hundred and two hundred are going to the TAPA readers’ convention{{1}} on Sunday! The official start time is 2:00pm, but I see no reason everyone should arrive right on time. I mean, seriously, you won’t even fit through the door if 200 people show up at the same […]
Post-Graduate Degrees & Another Kickstarter Movie
Jaelin writes in: What is your opinion of the PhD in regards to Film, Cinema, Production, and the like? I know I do not need one for my personal career aspirations but I have always wanted one because one of my family members I look up to since childhood has one but I am frightened […]
Not Just For Golf, Anymore
Driving around the studio in a golf cart is way more fun than it has any right to be. I drive to work at 70 miles per hour. Or possibly 5mph, depending on traffic. In any case, I have air conditioning, a stereo, comfortable seats. Basically, my car is a superior vehicle in every way. Yet […]
TAPA Gets a Plug from The New York Times!
I thought being interviewed on KCRW was cool, but The New York fucking Times??? Holy shit balls! Granted, they refer to me as “Hollywood’s version of [a] Roman galley slave,” but still, THE NEW YORK TIMES! I’m too excited to write a real blog post today.
Change of Venue
I am just overwhelmed by the response to my networking event. I genuinely wasn’t sure if anyone would want to show up, but over a hundred people have RSVPed on Facebook. Turns out, this is too many customers for the Federal.{{1}} So, I had to move the location down the road to Maeve’s Residuals: 11042 […]
First Contact
Cara writes in: What are your thoughts on business cards, especially for a young person just starting out and looking to make contacts? I am planning on coming to your meet-up next Sunday. Are business cards appropriate there? What about just in general? Is having (and giving out) business cards standard, or will it make me […]
Sympathy for the Departments
Every morning, the office receives a [glossary]production report[/glossary] in [glossary]the football[/glossary]. And every morning, the production report is wrong. A PR, for those who don’t know, is a bizarro call sheet. Instead of telling you what you’re going to do tomorrow, it tells you what you actually did yesterday. It lists the scenes that were shot, in […]