Workin’ on the Night Shift
One of the worst things you can read in next week’s script is, “EXT. [WHEREVER] – NIGHT.” Say goodbye to your weekend. Say goodbye to your wife and kids. Say goodbye to good, old fashioned sunlight. You see, we can fake a lot of things in television, but when you’ve gotta shoot outside, day is […]
Hearing, But Not Listening
Passing out the latest draft of a script, I often wonder, who really cares? I’m not saying the script doesn’t matter; I’m saying it doesn’t really affect most people. The camera guys, the grips, the electrics– they’re just gonna show up where and when the call sheet tells them to. They’ll set up where the […]
NYC Vs. Los Angeles
First off, I’d like to congratulate friend-of-the-blog Elana on her newborn. You can read all about the birth/near-death here. Also, if you haven’t read her posts “Life of a Pseudo-Writer” and “Life of a Pseudo-Writer II,” you should. On to PA business. Tom writes: I have made the switch from being a stagehand to being […]
Secret Origins
Green PA commented on a post from a couple weeks ago, “The Curse of the Origin Story”: I recently got very lucky and was able to finagle my way out of the mail room and into a sweet PA job on the lot. I have been scouring IMDB to find the origins of all of […]
In Addition
Andrew writes in: My fiance recently fell into a PA position and landed a couple days on a movie. After day two/three she was told they had enough PA’s for the next day and they would call her. It has been a few days and no word back yet. A family member of mine works […]
Paying Off Debt
If you’re curious about working in Canada, be sure to check out yesterday’s comments. Which reminds me, I recently got another email from America Jr: As a recent Canadian(Vancouver) graduate from film school I am in debts from upwards of 5000$. I quit my regular serving job in the summer to be available for on-call […]
Does Age Matter? – II
Adam writes in with another age-related question: How old are most office and set production assistants? I mean, ignoring the happenstance of Hollywood, not to mention just finding those first few jobs, isn’t one looking at a commitment of several years just as PA before even the possibility of moving to a position higher up […]
Does Age Matter?
Reader Dan writes: I am 17, soon to be 18. When I am 18, or sort of maybe a few months after I’m 18, I wanted to be a PA for reality tlelevision. I’m worried I’m a bit too young to do this. I’ll be ready late this year or early 2010, depending on how […]
Is There a Lawyer in the House?
Reader Matt writes: I, like you, am a PA/aspiring writer. I met a producer recently and pitched a script. To my surprise, he said he wanted to make the movie! He’s drawing up a contract, and now my writing partner and I find ourselves in need of an entertainment lawyer. I’ve asked the writers on […]
Overheard in the Production Office
I was filling out my mileage form yesterday, and I wondered how much it was going to be worth. The current rate is 50.5 cents, and that extra half cent threw me off. “Goddamn it, why can’t they just use whole numbers? Decimals just screw me up.” Without looking up, the coordinator said, “Use improper […]
Insults
A friend of mine wrote in response to yesterday’s post: What’s the difference between a grip and a PA? A PA can spell “grip.” Now, I like grips, but I had to laugh at that. It’s strange how making fun of each other is a way of bonding on set. People are constantly busting each […]
Friendly Reminder
The other PAs and I got an annoying boss-emails today. You know, the kind that starts with, “Just a reminder…”, and then goes on to re-explain all the basic PA duties that you already do. This kind of note always fills me with a combination of fear and annoyance. Why is he reminding me to […]