Copyright Infringement
Yesterday, I got a bizarre email, with the above headline as the subject. I’ve never had anything like it before. I was using a random photo I found on the internet to illustrate a point about a certain product or service we PAs use all the time. Now, it’s not my photo, and the owner […]
Directing in the Digital Age
Some Guy with a Camera{{1}} writes in: I, probably like most people on this website and similar ones, was inspired when I read Robert Rodriguez’s Rebel Without a Crew. I’m curious though, that book was published in 1996. Which it turns out, is quite some time ago (heck I was only 6 at the time)… […]
How to Write a Blog
Matt wrote in: I just finished reading your post “It’s Not What You Know, It’s Who You Know..And Also What You Know.” I agree, what you know is super important, and people need to know what you know. I keep hearing how industry bloggers get career opportunities because their blog is like an easily accessible […]
Making the Jump
Andrew writes in: I’ve recently (a month ago) started reading your blog and I’ve got to say it is awesome! It’s such a great resource for information that would otherwise be hidden by the exclusivity of film sets. I also love how personal your stories are! If you’re ever in Georgia, I’d love to buy […]
How To Find Just About Anyone in Hollywood
Every once in a while, I get a strange email like this: Hello! We have a strange research question for Anonymous Productions Assistant’s Blog! I am helping a friend research and find pizza boxes for his Guinness Book of World Record Collection of pizza boxes. (He’s amazing – Scott Wiener – http://www.scottspizzatours.com/projects/pizzaboxes) He’s been traveling […]
Be Careful Who You Talk About
Celebrity gossip IS office gossip when you’re in Hollywood.
How NOT To Make a Microbudget Film
Last week’s post about why movies are so expensive got some interesting responses. The Burger King (probably a burger king, not the burger king) wrote– Most of this is very true, but you are wrong in implying that independent filmmakers can’t make movies unless they have $98,000. Dead Hooker in a Trunk, $2500, sold to IFC […]
Why Are Movies So Expensive?
For longer than I’ve been in the Industry, we’ve been hearing how cheap, digital cameras and readily available editing software would democratize cinema. There would be a revolution in independent filmmaking that would tear down the studio system. Except… that hasn’t happened. The reason is, equipment is no where near the biggest expense on a […]
Booking Agent for PAs
Martin writes in: I was wondering if you had ever heard of Booking Agents for PA’s. I found a job posting through a networking group on Facebook for a two-day PA gig which pays the normal rate. The contact person sent me an email stating this “Thank you for your submission. I would like to […]
Outdoors in L.A.
Wow, people were not pleased by yesterday’s post, where I criticized a fellow PA for getting the lunch order wrong. To be fair to me, this conversation didn’t happen outside my head. Sometimes I write these imagined conversations out on TAPA for your amusement, but clearly I failed in this regard. Takeaways for readers that […]
Names Are Important
Did you catch the mistake in the tweet I responded to yesterday? No? Here it is again: @TheAnonymousPA Hey do film producers require film school? Think Jerry Bruckenheimer. should I go to college? — C.J Davis (@lifeischess027) July 21, 2015 Who the hell is Jerry Bruckenheimer? To tell you the truth, I didn’t notice the […]
There’s No One Way to Make It
C.J. tweeted at me: @TheAnonymousPA Hey do film producers require film school? Think Jerry Bruckenheimer. should I go to college? — C.J Davis (@lifeischess027) July 21, 2015 Film school is a topic that comes up often on this blog. There are some good reasons to go to film school,{{1}} but a degree isn’t one of […]