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 […]
Best Porn Picture
We had some time on our hands yesterday, so my friends and I came up with a new game, that we’re calling “Best Porn Picture.” The rules are simple. Take any movie that’s won the Best Picture Oscar and change it into a porn title. The title has to be original (no “Star Whores”), and […]
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 […]
Colorful Response
Just over a week ago, I related an anecdote about the producer’s assistant indirectly checking that the intern was doing her job correctly. A lot of people took exception to the assistant’s methods. Final Girl’s comment was typical: What a passive agressive moron. I hate people. I have to admit, this surprised me. At the […]