Connecting
Mr. Hart replied to a post from earlier in the week: Ok so lets say you have a well written screenplay or you are in the process of writing one, how does one go about selling it? For example, I am a PA on a television series and what if I wanted to write a […]
Going International
This week, the show I’m on leaves the friendly confines of Los Angeles for the unpredictability and authenticity of Eastern Europe. This means that for the last week, the entire crew has been running around like a bunch of toddlers, fearing “the move” like it were the pending apocalypse. I’m sure if these same people […]
Act Like You’ve Been There Before
This week, our #2 actor started, so we sent him a bouquet of flowers to congratulate him. (It wasn’t until I typed that last sentence that I realized how stupid of a Hollywood tradition it is to congratulate an actor for starting a show. The only thing they’ve done up to that point is sign a […]
Saving Money
A friend of mine got a new gig recently. When introduced to the producer, the producer said, “Really? I wanted the nicer walkie talkies, but I can’t afford them and your rate, too. Fuck. Well, good for you.” This is not to say those walkies were expensive. It’s ridiculous to suggest a production couldn’t afford […]
Hollywood: Land of a Thousand Promises
A few years ago, I directed a web series that got a little bit of heat with an amazing sizzle reel. We got a producer attached, and the sizzle reel found its way to Kevin Reilly, and he said, “This made me laugh out loud, and very few things make me laugh out loud.” I […]
On the Merits of Internships
Last week, EMJ asked, regarding the Black Swan intern lawsuit: Unpaid internships are part of “the game”, but does that justify the way they exploit those trying to get into the industry? Let’s not forget all of the other hiring practices that were once considered fair game in the business world, that no longer are. […]
Good Enough
On my first show, I was copying blue crew lists, and the corner of page two kept curling in the copier, resulting in a tiny black smudge appeared on everybody’s crew lists. The secretary flipped through a handful of them, then gave them all back to me. “Do them again,” he said. “Figure out a […]
The Black Swan Interns
Last week, the New York Times reported: Two men who worked on the hit movie “Black Swan” have mounted an unusual challenge to the film industry’s widely accepted practice of unpaid internships by filing a lawsuit on Wednesday asserting that the production company had violated minimum wage and overtime laws by hiring dozens of such […]
Look Out For Your Fellow PA II
Like I said earlier this week, it’s up to us PAs to look out for each other. Here’s another example: PAs. along with everyone else in this business, work long hours, 60 a week at minimum. Unlike most other departments, though, the office works in shifts. Generally speaking, a PA and either the coordinator or […]
Look Out For Your Fellow PA
PAs should look out for each other. After all, no one else is. The first, most important thing you can do for your fellow PAs is to make sure they are fed. “Why is this a problem?” you might ask. There’s always food around a TV show. True, there’s always snacks in the kitchen, but […]
Ringback Tone? Seriously?!
Dear unnamed crew member on the unnamed movie I’m working on, Have you noticed that when you answer your cell phone, people are mysteriously rude to you? Even if it’s someone who’s having an otherwise pleasant day and has no reason to utterly despise you – have you noticed that they sort of hate you? […]
Question Regarding Set PAs
E writes: For the past couple of months, I just went through a whirl wind tunnel of day playing scripted shows and some features, and just landed my first full time additional set PA job. I’m green, but at least I know enough to know that I’m green. With that being said, do you have […]