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 set experience whatsoever.) The ADs liked me so much, they made me stick around for a few weeks.
Cursed by my own competence, I guess.
Anyway, I finally managed to convince them to let me back into the office, despite my wife’s objections. (She says I have more fun on set, and I’m more pleasant after a day of filming than a day in the office.)
So, I’m back, more or less.
While on set, I noticed a simple rule of etiquette that I’d forgotten about– Whoever’s carrying the biggest thing goes first.
If you see an electric hauling a light, or an AC carrying a camera, step out of the way, or hold the door for them.
And this is irrespective of rank. If you happen to be lugging around a stack of scripts, they’ll do the same for you. Even producers and directors will be polite enough to clear the way for grips moving some dolly track.
Of course, as you might assume, many actors don’t think this applies to them. Once again, the experienced and successful actors are an exception. They will probably wait at the bottom of the stairs if you’re carrying something heavy. The ingenues and guest stars probably will not.
We were shooting at a park the other day, and I helped the craft services guy move his stuff from one end of the location to the other. I lumbered along, carrying this huge crate piled high with chips and power bars and stuff. I could barely see over the top to notice an actress coming the other way.
She gave me a smile and said, “Hang on, one second.” For a moment, I actually thought she was going to help take some of the weight off my hands.
Then, while I stood their awkwardly holding this giant crate, she reached in, rooted around, and pulled out one granola bar.
“Thanks!” And she ran off.
God, I hate actresses.
