Photo – Soundstage
Busy week. Sometimes you catch a nice pic.
Too Early To Think About Lunch
This week, we had a lot of new crew members starting in the office, so we switched from individual lunch orders to family-style catering. Before the switch, lunch went as follows: I printed out a menu and a spreadsheet with everyone’s name on it. The menu and order form passed around the office like a […]
On Your Own
There’s an old PA folktale that was passed down to me. On location in Dupont Circle, a DP finishes explaining a complicated camera set-up and then turns to a PA and says, “Two creams. Three sugars.” The PA scurries away. About half an hour later, the PA returns and promptly hands the DP two of […]
Life’s Not Fair
Running the same train if thought as political hires, I recall a specific event that happened on a previous gig that hammered home how unfair it all is. I was working as a PA in the post department on a major studio film (can’t say which but when I mean big I mean summer blockbuster […]
The “Strong” Pot of Coffee
As the “early PA,” I’m the first one in the office each morning. Like the class president of Mrs. Jewls’ class, it’s my job to turn the lights on. (Important job! No one else is capable or qualified!) It also means that I have to brew the first pot of coffee. This has transformed me […]
Key is the key
Oscar writes: Hi there, I read most of your site and enjoyed it a lot… But what I’ve failed to find info on online is what exactly it is that a Key set PA does. I’ve been hired into this position in a film and I want to educate myself on the position. I mean, I’m […]
The Never-Ending Crafty Run
On set, they have a craft service department, whose job it is to make sure that the actors and crew have all the snacks they need to endure a twelve to sixteen hour day without losing their mind and storming off the set. If Karl Marx had ever worked on a film set, he would’ve […]
How to Quit
Michael writes: I am a creative assistant for a feature film director. I like and respect the director, but, because of an array of circumstances, I am seeking employment elsewhere. My question is this: how do I quit without completely ruining the contact and relationship I have with him? Keep in mind it’s not going to be brutally ugly for […]
Apple on set
Here’s a short digression from the normal PA stuff: Despite the disillusionment I still somehow find some good in my blackened heart to help friends out on their shoots (as long as they’re not, you know, on the beach) or foof around in filmmaking myself. Knowing firsthand the intensity, scale, and inevitable costs of production […]
Dark Roast
Coffee. Oh, how I love thee. You’re my favorite thing outside of my iPhone and pictures of fail on the internet. And guess, what, everyone else around here loves you too! That is why I became hero for a day when I suggested to the coordinator if I should hit up Starbucks during my run, […]
Political Hires
They exist on every crew. They pop up in nearly any department. Just like Cylons, they look like the rest of us. They may even appear hardworking and good-natured, but make no mistake about it: Most of them are lazy, ineffective, and self-important. On my last show, I counted at least five of them. Always […]
Beach Party Summer
In honor of Memorial Day: One of the best things about the entertainment industry being planted in LA is the gorgeous pacific coastline that offers such breathtaking scenery. It’s pretty much an unavoidable filming location. I love the beach (though I try not to think about where the city’s sewage goes) and you’d think that […]