Consistent Work
Pat writes in: I really enjoy your site and it has given me many tips that really have been helping over the past few months. I am a PA working in New York. I have gotten a decent amount of jobs, but really not a sustainable amount. A few months ago, I went to the […]
Using Your Car for Production
Jenny writes in: I just wrapped a production where I had to drive 60 miles to location each day in order to set up breakfast before the crew van arrived, and now it’s time to invoice for all that hard PA work. Should I charge anything for using my car? Just bill for the gas? […]
Nothing to Do
Hillary writes in: On the last shoot I was on, after helping unload I was told to go and ask around to see which departments needed my help. Nobody needed anything done and for the rest of the one day shoot I was rarely given a job to do. I tried to help out when […]
You Don’t Know What Happened in Post
I love Movie Set Memes; it’s always good for a laugh. But sometimes the conversations there are toxic. It very often sounds like people who don’t know how movies are made yelling at other people who don’t know how movies are made about how little they each know about how movies are made. What really […]
Toilet Wars
My production office is small. It’s really just big enough for the office staff itself; the writers, accountants, and everybody else are in other bungalows elsewhere on the lot. We don’t even have space for separate women’s and men’s bathrooms, just two, regular ol’ house-type bathrooms that everyone shares. And therein lies the problem. Some […]
Contacts & Lists
There’s around 150 to 200 people on any given film or television production. It’s a safe bet they’re not all Facebook friends. So, it’s up to the production office to create various lists with names and contact info. This begins, as with most things, with the [glossary]start work[/glossary] packet. Along with the I9’s and payroll […]
How to Order Lunch for the Production Office
Chester writes in: I have my first PA gig next week, and I’m super nervous. I wanna come off looking like I know what I’m doing and not an amateur. One of my duties is handling lunch for the days I’m working. How do you go about taking lunch orders? Do you hand out menus […]
First Shot, Lunch, and Wrap Reports
If you’re working on a network show or studio film, there are three reports that are almost always the purview of the office PA. They are: the first shot, the lunch report, and the wrap report. This is one of those times where the little details matter a lot.{{1}} Everyone does them a little differently, […]
I Am Not A Lawyer
Various people have been pointing me towards this story about PAs suing for abuse. Unlike the Black Swan interns, these people were at least paid, but that’s probably little comfort. The suit says the workers were not allowed to take breaks for meals or to use the restroom, leaving them to instead use their cars […]
The One Line Day Player
Okay, today’s episode is a little outside my usual PA mandate, but it keeps coming up on the show I’m on, and I want to rant somewhere.{{1}} A “day player,” for those who don’t know, is someone who works on the production for only a day. This can be because we have a big scene […]
Incorrect Credits
Ryan writes in: My first feature film I ever worked on was recently released. After seeing fellow friends and crew members post pictures of their name in the credits, I noticed mine was there, too. It was listed wrong on two accounts: my title was incorrect as well as my name. They originally signed me […]
Per Diem
Brian writes in: Love your blog…it’s so helpful and I really appreciate the info! A little about me: I am a new-ish PA with a few local, unpaid shoots under my belt. I recently got hired as a paid PA, and I am super excited about it! They are covering travel and hotel for sure, […]