I Haven’t Been Paid Yet
Rachel writes in: I worked on a project over 6 months ago and I still haven’t been paid. I’ve emailed several times, to no avail. The coordinator who hired me is no longer involved with the project. Do you have any advice? Most productions will pay you a week or two after the end of […]
Some Writers Are Oblivious
If you’ve never been on a multicamera series, it’s a lot like being on a play that has a one-night engagement. There’s a lot of set up and rehearsal and honing everything down to the last detail, so you can perform it for a singular audience. You only get one shot at it,{{1}} and thus […]
Waiting for Scripts
Sheila writes: I’m the third PA on [show]. When I started, it was great – I felt like I have a leg up by having a gig in the first place. Plus, we almost never shot nights, and I was only working about 10 hours a day. But… in the last few weeks, we started […]
The “Strong” Pot of Coffee
As the “early PA,” I’m the first one in the office each morning. Like the class president of Mrs. Jewls’ class, it’s my job to turn the lights on. (Important job! No one else is capable or qualified!) It also means that I have to brew the first pot of coffee. This has transformed me […]
Secret Origins
Green PA commented on a post from a couple weeks ago, “The Curse of the Origin Story”: I recently got very lucky and was able to finagle my way out of the mail room and into a sweet PA job on the lot. I have been scouring IMDB to find the origins of all of […]
Does Age Matter? – II
Adam writes in with another age-related question: How old are most office and set production assistants? I mean, ignoring the happenstance of Hollywood, not to mention just finding those first few jobs, isn’t one looking at a commitment of several years just as PA before even the possibility of moving to a position higher up […]
Earning It
That’s not how capitalism works.
Six AM? Really?
Today’s post was going to be about something totally different, until I read this post from the Tightrope Walker blog this weekend. I should start by saying I enjoy this blog from Doris Egan, although I don’t watch any of the shows she writes for. She’s interesting, informative, and funny. In fact, Saturday’s post was […]
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 […]
Thank You for Smoking
I make fun of and complain about actors a lot on this blog, but they’re not the only ones who are egotistical and disconnected from reality. A friend of mine recently got a job on a big, huge show. It’s one you’ve heard of, trust me. He was telling me all about their sets and […]
Perception
Do you ever have a very clear idea of who a person is, only to have that perception dashed by someone else’s viewpoint? I’m not talking about those who behave differently around their superiors. My old boss had the emotional maturity of an autistic seven year old with Asperger syndrome. When his bosses were around, […]
Giant Tennis Ball of Uselessness
This post goes in the “Things That Will Change When I’m In Charge” file. When you’re a producer, or a director, or even a department head, your every whim and wish is attended to by scores of underlings. You want a crane shot? How high? You need crystal plates on the table? Six or eight? […]