Question for Coordinators
Who decides whether to send a PA or a teamster to pick something up? And why? It seems so arbitrary. Somethings are pretty standard. If it’s too big to fit in a PA mobile like a Civic or a Corolla, the teamsters will pick it up in a truck. If it’s a script delivery, a […]
Just Joking
When you’re carrying something big and heavy around a corner or down some stairs, it’s usually good form to call out a warning, like “Points!”, to make sure you don’t smack someone in the face. It doesn’t really matter if it’s pointy or not; it’s just what you say. Sometimes people try to come up […]
Quick post tonight (it’s late), then a serious one tomorrow. I googled several combinations of my anonymous self, and found some interesting results. I hold the number one spot for both “anonymous production assistant” and “production assistant blog.” I’m right behind anonymousassistant.com in a search for “anonymous assistant.” But if you look up “production assistant,” […]
Call for Stories
I’ve been writing this blog for over a year now. My original intention was to write a new post every day. These last few weeks (not to mention an inbox full of “have you quit or what?” emails) have convinced me that perhaps I can no longer maintain that pace alone. So, I’m asking you, now […]
Dressing for the Part
The show I’m on recently had a flashback to the 70s. (Don’t ask me why. As far as I’m concerned, the only good things to come out of the 1970s were Star Wars, Jaws, and my wife.) Seeing a rack of bell bottoms and wide-collared shirts, I struck up a conversation with the set costumer. […]
Simple Etiquette
First of all, let me apologize for not posting in a while. Rexwas almost right. Nobody’s found out that I write this blog, but that’s only because I’ve been very, very careful of late. One of our set PAs fell sick, and I had to fill in for him. (The other office PA had no […]
Say Yes
If you’ve ever taken an improv class, you’ve heard the rule, “Say Yes.” If your partner says, “Man, it sure is cold up here on the moon,” you don’t say, “No, no, this is the old west.” You’d be surprised how many people want to do this. PAs have a similar rule, or at least […]
Best Porn Picture
We had some time on our hands yesterday, so my friends and I came up with a new game, that we’re calling “Best Porn Picture.” The rules are simple. Take any movie that’s won the Best Picture Oscar and change it into a porn title. The title has to be original (no “Star Whores”), and […]
Be My Friend
Somehow, in the last year or so, it’s become a thing for the crew to become Facebook buddies with each other. Within a week of the first contact list being published, you can expect a dozen or more friend requests. This is all fine and good, so long as we’re talking about the set PAs […]
The Right Attitude
I have a large backlog of questions in my in box, but this comment from a few days ago is just desperately crying out to be answered. Hi, currently I’m in my senior year of college, and I will be graduating with a B.A. in Cinema and Television arts.My goal is to be a television […]
Another Way to Network
I was hanging out on the set today, and I overheard a background actress talking with one of the set PAs. At a certain point, she asked “casually” (those are sarcastic air quotes; I actually paused while writing this to wriggle my fingers in the air): “Say, who’s in the office right now? Is [showrunner’s […]
Ridiculous Names
Terminology is important.