What is a Low Budget Movie?
I often write about the difference between working on a low budget or big budget production. But I realized, I’ve never defined the terms. If your understanding of the film business comes from entertainment websites, you might be under the mistaken impression that, say, a $12,000,000 film is “low budget.” When you’re comparing it to […]
7 Proven Hacks & Tips to a Great Night’s Sleep Before a Shoot
[Ed. note: Yes, this is a guest post, but A) no one’s paid me for it, and B) they’re not asking you to buy anything. I get a lot of requests to post irrelevant shit on my site just so they can scam my readers. This is honestly the first time someone outside the industry […]
Trust Your Instincts
I reader wrote in about an odd job interview she obtained through my site: I got an interview for [company], but it’s in an apartment and no one signed their name on the email so I can’t even confirm the company or producer. I’ve generally only been to interviews in offices and am unsure whether […]
Call (Sheet) Me, Maybe
As an office PA, one of your jobs is to email the call sheet to the cast and crew. This is not a difficult or complicated task, but it is an important one. In fact, you cannot make a mistake on any part of it, or it could screw up the entire production. So, it […]
No Lunch Break for Office PA’s?
When you work on set, you’re supposed to break for lunch after 6 hours of shooting. Some people break before that, if they got to set particularly early (like the drivers and location manager). Sometimes hair and makeup artists do, too, so they can get the actors camera ready for the first shot after lunch. […]
On the 6th Day…
Stella sent me a Twitter{{1}} DM, asking about lying on the time card. Hi, fellow PA, follow your blog, curious, have you ever written an article about changing your time card? I work as commercial PA, where over time & 6th day pay are given, but often get asked by PMs to change TC or […]
Hunting for Jobs
Over the years, lots of people have thanked me for the resources TAPA provides. I’ve been sharing the joblist for a while, as well as my own little job board. You may have even noticed that lately I’ve been trying to find new ways to help you find a job. For instance, there’s Hired in […]
What To Know About Page Programs
I participated in the CBS Page Program from [dates redacted so I don’t feel old] and eventually used my position to get staffed on a network TV show. Here’s a rundown of everything you need to know about Page Programs, what to expect, and how to make it work for you. How They Differ CBS […]
Accurate Dates on a Resume
Over the years, we’ve given a lot of advice on how to adjust your resume to be more appealing to your future employer. You should never outright lie, but skirting the truth and fudging a little are to be expected. Changing dates is the most common technique. For example, you might say you left Company A […]
Probably Don’t Quit a Show
Last week’s post, Never Quit a Show, seems to have caused some confusion, judging by the comments on Twitter, Facebook, and the post itself. “Never” is hyperbole. If you’re being harassed, if you’re not being paid what you’re owed, if you’re working in unsafe conditions, then yes, quit. I thought these were pretty obvious caveats, […]
Never Quit a Show
Lauren writes in about quitting a show between seasons: Stumbled upon your blog and website and…thank you. I appreciate what you’re doing and sharing! I would like your advice on something though. So I got my first long-term PAing job on a TV show in Chicago. It’s going great. However, my dream is living and […]
Weekends Are for You
Yesterday, I got an email from my boss asking me to take care of some specific things as soon as I got into the office in the morning. I emailed him back: “Sure thing!” A few minutes later, I got another email: “Why did you reply to my email?” I was genuinely confused. First, because […]