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 […]
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.
Manly Men
I’m not the most macho of men. I don’t know anything about cars or sports (although I do have an avowed fondness for boobs and explosions). Still, there is a kind of silent male communication I can participate in. I was passing out callsheets, and I happened to be walking about ten paces behind one […]
Learning the Hard Way
Well, maybe not the hardest way, but still, I learned. I got myself a fancy new phone last week, and the first thing I did was figure out how to turn my phone on vibrate. This is a very important feature on any phone, when you work on a film set. In fact, if you’re […]
Pick Ups
This funny little story was related to me recently: The office PA was sent out for a few items that were needed on set ASAP. (Everything’s always needed ASAP; I’m not sure why anyone even bothers to say “ASAP” anymore.) The art department needed some rubber gloves; make-up and wardrobe were low on Polaroid film, […]
Film Set Confidential
Just about every call sheet I’ve ever seen had some variation of the following written across the top: CLOSED SET NO VISITORS WITHOUT PRIOR APPROVAL FROM THE UPM. Just once, I’d like to see, OPEN SET BRING YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR NEIGHBORS, YOUR NEIGHBORS’ FRIENDS! Same thing goes for the scripts. They’re all stamped “CONFIDENTIAL,” with […]
Blasé
I know a guy who started out working in porn. Not in porn, but as a cameraman. Although he did admit he’d have to wrap his arms around a big, sweaty, greased up hunk of man in order to get some of the more interesting angles. Anyway. The point is, he told me it was […]