What’s Your Name?
Your name is pretty important. It’s how people know you’re you, and not someone else. And since, nowadays, we often introduce ourselves via email, your name in your email is very important, too. I received an email from a reader who shall remain nameless because… I have no idea what their name is. Their email […]
What Is a Hollywood Assistant?
I frequently get emails from new readers who are confused about what an assistant in Hollywood actually is.There are a lot of jobs in Hollywood with the word “assistant” in the title, which can be very misleading to someone new to the Industry. These seem like entry-level positions, but many of them are not; in […]
How Long Will This Scene Take?
There’s an old joke in Hollywood– “Cleopatra enters, 1/8th of a page.” That’s it. That’s the whole joke. If you’re new to the industry, that may not make much sense. First, you have to have seen Cleopatra, or at least be familiar with the massively expensive (and time consuming) entrance Elizabeth Taylor makes in the […]
Working as a PA in Austin, TX
Hey there TAPA readers! This post comes from a fellow PA to discuss navigating the film industry in the lovely city of Austin, Texas! It seems to jive a bit differently than other major film cities. Relatively speaking, Austin’s film scene is small. We used to have a vibrant film community because of the tax […]
How Prevalent is Sexual Harassment in Hollywood?
Reader Jess wrote in response to this blog post on sexual harassment: Obviously each department is its own animal, but having worked the majority of my life on skeleton crew indies (with the exception of one major TV show when I was in school) I’m worried that getting any deeper into things is going to […]
How to Schedule a Meeting
As an assistant, you’re often going to be called on to schedule meetings between many busy people. Heck, you’ll probably have to coordinate with these busy people’s assistants, but that just adds a layer of confusion. For the longest time, I’d do this the old fashioned way– I’d call each person in turn, and ask […]
Five Excuses for Missing Work That Just Don’t Cut It
Some days, you don’t want to go to work. But you do, anyway, because you want to make a good impression. And get paid. That’s important, too. But there are days when you have a legit excuse. Get into a debilitating car accident, no one but J.K. Simmons is going to expect you show up […]
The Most Important Truck!
I’m such an idiot! On Monday, I wrote about the various trucks and trailers you run into on set, and I left off the most important one: the honeywagon! For the uninitiated, “honeywagon” is the term for the bathroom truck.Why’s it called that? Well, honey is yellow, and so is urine, if you don’t drink […]
How to Identify Trucks on Set
My parents were visiting from out of town, and the came by set last week. Since we’re still in prep, I had time to take them on a tour of our offices and stages. We passed by the transpo office, and I mentioned that’s where the teamsters hang out when they’re not in their trucks. […]
Be Proud of Your Work
Black Bag Pictures replied to Wednesday’s post [paragraphs added for readability]: Hollywood has changed significantly since Rambo III. It has become far more corporate, more focus grouped, more dissected. Despite the historic ego and money involved, it used to be a “family business.” Now the chain of command goes up so far you’ll end up […]
Yes, You Loved That Movie
My old writing professor (yes, the one who wouldn’t shut up about his Oscar) told my class a story– I was at a dinner party. I knew some people, didn’t know others. You know how it is. No, we didn’t know how it is, because we were fucking 19 and had never been to a […]
There’s Nothing Wrong With Ambition
Your script probably isn’t very good. Even if it is good, probably no one will read it. Even if they do read it, they probably won’t give you the money to make it. Even if they give you the money to make it, the movie probably won’t be very good. Even if it is good, […]