Blame Arbitration
I remember a director trying to give a pep talk at the beginning of a shoot. It’s going to be a great film, we have a great cast, great blah blah blah. Then he gets to the part about how this film will be great for all of our careers. Pretty standard, until he says, […]
Incoming Links
Hey, Alex Epstein gave me a link! That’s some quality endorsement. Besides being full of amazing advice, Alex has a tendency to link to other great writers, as well. While on the subject of links, Amanda the Aspiring writer posted a link to a TV writer’s group. It sounds like fun, and I definitely plan […]
Good Mornin’
You work strange hours when you’re making a TV show (or a movie, for that matter). You’ll come in at 7:00 one day and 10:30 the next. Sometimes you’re there for twelve hours, sometimes sixteen. You just never know. One artifact of this, I believe, is that “morning” is whenever call time is, be it […]
Do Your Own Job
The people in charge don’t have any idea what’s going on. They hire people like me, so they don’t have to know. That’s why it really burns my toast when my boss tells me how things are run. Just today, our additional 2nd AD (not to be confused with the 2nd 2nd AD, which is […]
The Hardest Part
(It’s the waiting, for all you non-Tom Petty fans.) Ever walk into a Starbucks, and the line is short, and you think to yourself, “Yes! I’ll get my coffee before the end of the decade,” and then the guy in front of you whips out a scroll as long as your arm, like he’s about […]
More Industry Blogs
I was reading Alex Epstein’s Blog, and followed his link to the Film Industry Bloggers’ site. It’s a great site, since it tries to cover a lot of the crafts. It seems that screenwriters are disproportionately represented in the blogosphere. (I’m gonna go ahead and guess this is a result of self-selection.) It’s fun to […]
Crazy People
(I’ve told this story before, elsewhere, but I had a long weekend, so those of you who know me are getting a rerun.) I spent a day driving around with a dude who was convinced that he could prove he was the reincarnation of a samurai. Said dude, by the way, was black. The way […]
Small Talk
I just had a bizarre conversation in the office kitchen. I was making some coffee, and someone came in to grab a pop. (Yes, “pop.” Look at the drink. Do you see bubbles popping, or sodaing? You bake with soda, you drink pop.) Anyway, the conversation went like this– Me: “How’s it going?” Him: “Pretty […]
Shoot the Film. No, Really, Shoot It.
EDIT: A reader pointed out this foundation turned out to be a scam. Hopefully, someone with scruples takes this idea and runs with it. I was reading American Cinematographer the other day, and I came across an article about the Wounded Marine Careers Foundation. Basically, they take wounded marines, and train them in filmmaking. They […]
I Quit! Wait, Why Are You So Cool With That?
I used to be an personal assistant. I did it for about a year, until I realized I didn’t like living two lives. A personal assistant (which is not a PA) does the things you might expect– answer phones, schedule appointments, fax, copy, file, blah blah blah. But most assistants take control of every aspect […]
Learn To Suck.
Those in the art department aren’t the only ones who are required to suck sometimes. In the episode we’re shooting now, there’s a scene where one group of characters is teaching another how to dance. All four actors were required to take dance lessons, which is a little strange, since two of them are not […]
I Love It. Now Make Me Hate It.
I was walking by the set the other day, and I saw a friend in the art department painting a sign. He was doing a really bad job, which was kind of surprising, since I’ve seen him paint some nice signs in the past. I asked him about it, and he said it was supposed […]