How to Get on The List
Korey writes in: I was curious about how to go about contacting productions directly to be added to their “available list” for PA work. I know that a lot of productions operate under several different companies, and the information available on IMDb Pro isn’t always accurate. I live in Hollywood and have worked on some […]
Script Coordinator: A Way Out of The PA Doldrums
I have no intention of being a PA forever. As I’ve said before, I’d ultimately like to write and direct. Every path out of PA-hood is unique, but one way out that doesn’t get enough attention is the PA –> Script Coordinator route. A Script Coordinator is the keeper of the script. He or she […]
The Similarities Between My Job and ‘The Wire’
I wrote on Twitter that I’ve been using this lull in the pre-production schedule to make my way through Season 3 of THE WIRE. For those uninitiated to one of the greatest shows ever, THE WIRE follows a police unit’s investigations of the criminal underworld in Baltimore, Maryland. In the show, the police commanders have […]
You’re Not On the List… Sorry
I see, through your blog, that it is typically the AD or 2nd AD who hires set PA’s. My question is how do I get the contact info for the AD or 2nd AD (for a particular production), and what is the appropriate amount of time, prior to production, to first contact them? I live […]
Apple on set
Here’s a short digression from the normal PA stuff: Despite the disillusionment I still somehow find some good in my blackened heart to help friends out on their shoots (as long as they’re not, you know, on the beach) or foof around in filmmaking myself. Knowing firsthand the intensity, scale, and inevitable costs of production […]
90% of success
Script Goddess had a fun post last week about filling as an AD on a commercial. This passage in particular caught my attention: Day 3 Exterior House. My first time directing trucks and production vehicles. As I was arriving at the location My key P.A. called in and said he’d be late. How late I […]
Other People Work Hard, Too
I saw this video on a couple friends’ Facebook pages recently: I can definitely sympathize with the coordinator in this video. All day long, the only thing we in the office hear from the ADs are stupid requests for things they already have, or things we don’t even have yet. Of course, from their perspective, […]
Emailing Strangers
Danielle asks: I recently graduated college, during which I had internships on the corporate side of three different television stations (all headquartered in NYC). Since graduating, I’m looking to move into the production side but don’t have the contact base required, since the stations outsourced to external production houses. Through some serious stalking, I uncovered […]
Not Scheduled
Elyse writes: I was told by the UPM to go ahead with getting a job as a PA on the tv show set I’ve been standing-in on, and she told me to speak with one of the ADs. I spoke with one and he was going to set me up with the person to hire […]
Locations and Set PAs
In case you don’t read the comments, I thought it best to reprint Nathan’s comment on my previous post: Location Managers (and ALM’s) never hire the Set P.A.s. Anywhere. (I’m an East Coast Location Manager — trust me on this one.) Locations will hire Locations P.A.s, but their job is different from Set P.A.’s Example: Locations P.A.s don’t do […]
Clarification on Terms
Reader VJ commented on Friday’s post: Where in the hell does an “assistant” anything – even Director – get off being a dick to anyone? Unless the actual director is an überdick, then I guess it’s ok. But you would think they would save the dickery until they had a title without “assistant” right up […]
Rarities
Regarding yesterday’s diatribe, I wanted to mention an AD I know who is an exception to the rule. He is one of the nicest guys that I’ve ever met. And not “nice” on the evil-troll-to-asperger-syndrome scale that most ADs are rated on. I mean, even compared to normal people, he’s really, really nice. Other than the […]