The Anonymous Production Assistant

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 004: Dolly Grip Darryl Humber

Today’s guest is Darryl Humber, a dolly grip, and the author of the premier dolly grip blog, Dollygrippery. Darryl tells us about moving the camera, rolling over actors’ feet, and working outside of Los Angeles. He also offers great advice for inexperienced crew: listen. Also, Warner Brothers once again gets called out for their impossible […]

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, […]

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, […]