The Anonymous Production Assistant

Crew Call Episode 002: Location Manager Nathan Gendzier

In today’s episode, Nathan Gendzier tells us all about location management, from aesthetic considerations to logistic requirements. At the end of the episode, Nathan also weighs in on the Sarah Jones tragedy. If you’re unfamiliar with what happened on the set of Midnight Rider, The Hollywood Reporter has a thorough summary here. Nathan also writes […]

Crew Call Episode 001: Camera Assistant Evan Luzi

In the premier episode of Crew Call, TAPA speaks with camera assistant, and creator of The Black and Blue blog, Evan Luzi. He tells about being on the front lines of the set, the 12on12off initiative, and skinny dipping. If you want to learn more about 12on12off, visit Haskell Wexler’s website. To download the episode, […]

Some Paperwork Matters

If you’re wondering why I haven’t posted in a bit, it’s because I’ve been spending may days buried in binders. Which is unfortunate, because some cool things have happened. (More on that in a minute.) Mostly it feels like picking up diamonds on a deserted island, saving them in case we get rescued. The majority […]

Crew Call: The Below-the-Line Podcast

UPDATE! The Kickstarter campaign is back on! Here’s the new link. * * * I have officially launched the Kickstarter campaign for Crew Call: The Below-the-Line Podcast! And I couldn’t be more excited! Can’t you tell by all the exclamation points?! Crew Call is just about the only place you’ll hear interviews with below-the-line crew; […]

The TAPA Podcast is Coming Soon

I wanted to remind all of you that the TAPA podcast will be coming very soon. I’m titling it Crew Call: The Below the Line Podcast. Because it’s not just for PAs; it’s for the whole crew. Often times, we know our jobs very well, but have very little understand of what other departments are […]

Casting Is Harder Than You Think

Reader Sean writes in: I was wondering if you could shed some light on casting directors, and why they’re ATL. Seems like a pretty easy job to me. “Oh, YOU’RE the one that thought Tom Hanks would be great in that role! What a genius!” Psssh! If by “ATL,” you mean “Above the Line,” they’re not. “Above […]

Coming Attractions

Last week’s PA support group was so successful, I’d like to make it a regular thing. I’m inclined to hold it at a different location every month, so if it’s not close to you this time, it might be next time. What do you think? Where should we go next? Also, I’ll probably be starting […]

Coming Soon – The TAPA Podcast!

If you missed TAPAholics Anonymous meeting, you don’t know what was in the envelope I left. First, there was a bunch of name tags that read, “Hello, my name is T.A.P.A.” Along with the names tags was a stack of business cards featuring my logo, which hilariously led to anyone in a pair of glasses […]