When Is an Intern Not an Intern?
When she’s an unpaid PA, of course! B.W. writes in: Most of my experience comes from working for producers in the advertising world as an intern. I’ve been able to work on a lot of really great commercials with a lot of notable clients, but my positions were always “production intern,” “intern,” etc. However, in […]
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 […]
Experience is a Terrible Teacher
There’s an old saying: “Experience is the best teacher.” That’s stupid.
How to Make a Sign
A job that comes up more often than you might think– making direction signs. Most production offices have some sort of conference room, which is great for departmental meetings. But it’s the rare office that has room for an entire production meeting (which has representatives from every single department) or table read.{{1}} So, every week […]
Should I Text or Call?
Henriette writes in: Thanks again for explaining how POs work, you saved my green PA ass! I’m writing because a couple of months ago I had an interview with the Designer and the Art Director for a show, which went great, but the show never actually started. The Art Director called me and gave my […]
The Reality About Reality
Last week, I wrote some not-so-nice things about reality television. Full disclosure: I’ve worked on more than a few reality shows, and had some bad experiences. However, I received some emails and comments that take exception with what I wrote. A reader who asked that I not reveal her name or the show she works […]
The Real Cause of the Earning Gap
The Real Cause of the Earning Gap In which our intrepid blogger explains why there is a wage gap, and offers no good solution whatsoever… On this week’s episode of Scriptnotes, John August and Craig Mazin discussed the WGA Writers Report. They made a lot of good points, and you should totally listen to that […]
Reality Television is Very Different
D writes in: I have a few friends in the industry who have told me to NEVER work in reality production. I recently moved back to LA from Atlanta and have a lot of experience producing independent film and TV. I know the game is bigger in LA and am happy to start off working […]
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 […]
You Need To Learn How To Write
I don’t mean you need to learn how to create believable characters and craft interesting stories. I mean, you need to learn how to write legibly. Even this late in the season (three days to go!), we get new crew members almost every day. Usually they’re day players, but it doesn’t matter if you’re here […]
A High Class Problem: How to Choose Between Two Offers
Nick writes in: I recently was called by a Production Coordinator I’ve worked with previously for an Office PA position on a TV show. He mentioned the show’s producer/writer was also in need of an assistant, and if I preferred I could take that position. Which position make the most sense to take from a […]
Your First Day on Set
Below is a reprint of a guest post I wrote for the Work in Entertainment blog. If you’ve never worked on set, you should give it a read. It covers everything: where to go, who to talk to, what you’re going to eat.{{1}} And if you haven’t heard of Work in Entertainment, you should definitely […]