The Call Sheet is Now Available as an Audio Podcast
If you’d rather listen to The Call Sheet on the run, it’ll now be available on several podcasting platforms, including directly through Substack. The first episode, with Academy Award-nominated director Tim Reckart, is already available. Apple Podcasts Stitcher Spotify Pocket Casts Google Podcasts (soon) And, of course, you can still watch all of the interviews on the […]
Crew Call is Back!
Crew Call, the below-the-line podcast, is back for another season on iTunes!{{1}} Some of you may recall that TAPA created a podcast a couple years ago, wherein I interviewed below-the-line crew–DPs, editors, and so on. But because it was so time consuming and expensive, we only made one season. I was saddened by that, because […]
The Final Stretch
The good people at Bebee lights have decided to sponsor Crew Call at the studio level. That puts us at slightly over halfway to our goal! If you live in Los Angeles, you’ve seen Night Lights by Bebee, even if you didn’t know what they were called. They’re the massive lights mounted on trucks, used […]
Crew Call Season 2
That’s right, Crew Call is coming back! What’s Crew Call, you ask? It’s just about the only place you’ll hear interviews with below-the-line crew. You know, the people who actually make the TV shows and movies you watch? You can hear the entire previous season on iTunes, or right here on the TAPA website. This year, […]
I Have Experience… Should I Still Go to PA Bootcamp?
Lonnie writes in: I have two questions: First, what kind of help are you requesting for your new video? I’d like to be involved. That’s easy. Since there have already been several TAPAs, I got the idea that we could all be TAPA. So, I’m asking a bunch of readers/listeners to record themselves giving the […]
Technical Difficulties
It had to happen some time, folks. Twenty amazing episodes, and then PPPBLLT. Due to technical difficulties, there will be no Crew Call this week. I could explain to you what went wrong,{{1}} but I don’t want to bore you with the details. All you need to know is, Crew Call will be back next […]
Stunt Rigger Joe Ross
Today’s guest is a stunt rigger, and also a co-owner of Action Factory Stunts. Joe Ross started out as a stunt man at stunt shows (what he calls “Blade Runner meets Cirque Du Soleil,” which is definitely a show I want to see). Now, as part-owner of Action Factory, he coordinates and rigs stunts. Joe […]
What I’ve Been Up To
Dear Constant Reader, I want to apologize for the dearth of regular programming here at The Anonymous Production Assistant. I’ve been on location{{1}} for the past month or so, because runaway production is still a thing. The only reason Crew Call has been going up on a regular basis without delay is the hard work […]
Personal Assistant Stuart Friedel
On today’s episode, you’ll actually get to hear the voice of Stuart Friedel, assistant to John August and producer of the podcast Scriptnotes. The job of a personal assistant is a multifarious thing. He assists (as you might imagine) John not just in writing, but also in the creation of apps and, of course, producing […]
Special Effects Technician Ken Petrie
Ken Petrie joins us for an in-depth discussion of special effects. (NOT visual effects!) In today’s episode, you’ll learn weird British acronyms, why every show from World War Z to Call the Midwife needs effects, and how to spell “Motjuoadi.” Plus, Channing Tatum is every bit as awesome as you dreamed he would be. The […]
Crew Call Episode 005: Casting Director Stacey Tenenbaum
In today’s episode, TAPA talks with casting director Stacey Tenenbaum. She tells us about the standard path to getting into casting (there isn’t one), the usual length of time it takes to cast a show (there isn’t one), and the typical day for a casting director (there isn’t one). The producer of today’s episode was […]
Crew Call Episode 003: Set Lighting Technician Michael Taylor
This week, we’re joined by set lighting technician, Michael Taylor, aka The Hollywood Juicer. Along with being an electrician with decades of experience on sets, he also writes the Blood, Sweat, and Tedium blog, which regular readers of TAPA are very familiar with. Mike tells us about the difference between single camera and multicamera sets, […]