How to Run a Production Office
Watch the latest Call Sheet interview with UPM Jennifer A. Haire and UPM Gilana Lobel
What Can (Or Should) You Put Up With?
Avoiding crappy directors isn’t as easy as you’d hope.
Gun Safety And You
How to keep yourself safe on set.
Line Producer Jason Roberts | Crew Call
The first episode of the latest season of Crew Call is online now! Check out our chat with line producer Jason Roberts. He takes us through his entire career, from PA to Producer, and has great advice for everyone who wants to follow that path. (The audio version will be available soon.)
Fire Watch With Me
Lauren tweeted a question at me: @TheAnonymousPA Hey TAPA this might be a dumb question but I’m just starting to get more professional gigs. When I’m on fire watch do I count as available? I.e. if someone asks for something flown in elsewhere I can’t leave my post right? Even if everyone else is on […]
How to Choose Your Credit
Larry writes in about choosing the proper credit: I just worked on a show as a PA and the director said I could have an AD credit instead if I wanted, because the crew was so small (6-7 people) that’s what I ended up actually doing. This is the second show where I’ve been hired […]
What Is a Hollywood Assistant?
I frequently get emails from new readers who are confused about what an assistant in Hollywood actually is.There are a lot of jobs in Hollywood with the word “assistant” in the title, which can be very misleading to someone new to the Industry. These seem like entry-level positions, but many of them are not; in […]
How Not To Approach a Production Office
Angie writes in about how to approach a production office: I have a friend who’s well connected in the local industry (not Hollywood, but there are noteworthy productions around) They have kindly provided me with the phone numbers and addresses of the production offices for those shows. Understandably, they do not want me sharing how […]
Who Do You Work For?
Judging by the comments on last week’s post, I’ve been a little too cute when discussing the question of who you work for. The truth is, there are several valid answers, depending on what you really want to know. Working on a film or television production is not really the same as working for the […]
Joining the DGA
Madeline writes in: I have a lot of questions and they relate to DGA so I apologise if they aren’t the right questions for this blog. I did try to do my own DGA research but I’m very confused. Once your in the DGA, are you allowed to have multiple titles? e.g be a UMP […]
Seeking Decent ADs and Coordinators
It’s very easy to complain about your boss. Nobody likes to be told what to do, and the very definition of “boss” is someone who tells you what to do. Sometimes they’re crazy or irrational or just plain mean. But you know what? There are some good ones out there, too. And I’d like to […]
How Long Is This Gonna Take
Ryan writes in: I’ve seen you answer questions from people asking if they’re too young to be a PA, but I’ve only seen one person who said they’re too old, and they were 24. I’m 28 , soon to be 29, and I’m looking to change careers. I’ve got a little bit of cash saved […]