Workin’ on the Night Shift
One of the worst things you can read in next week’s script is, “EXT. [WHEREVER] – NIGHT.” Say goodbye to your weekend. Say goodbye to your wife and kids. Say goodbye to good, old fashioned sunlight. You see, we can fake a lot of things in television, but when you’ve gotta shoot outside, day is […]
DGA Trainee Program
If you want to be an AD, the DGA Trainee Program is a pretty good deal.
Tiers
The Hollywood Juicer wrote about a director on his blog recently: it seemed clear that he considered the camera operators and production support people (ADs, script, and camera coordinator) to be “the crew.” The rest of us – the juicers who sweated atop 12 step ladders re-hanging heavy lamps on a swing set after the […]
Perfection
Following yesterday’s post, I had a few more thoughts on mistakes. I used to be a personal assistant to a producer. He asked me if I ever wanted to be a director, and I said I did. He told me I could never do that job until I could do this job perfectly. This statement […]
Say Yes
If you’ve ever taken an improv class, you’ve heard the rule, “Say Yes.” If your partner says, “Man, it sure is cold up here on the moon,” you don’t say, “No, no, this is the old west.” You’d be surprised how many people want to do this. PAs have a similar rule, or at least […]
What’s in a Title? – II
It’s already a demeaning job; do we have to call them “extra,” too?
Intimacy
I was working on a short film this weekend, and we shot an “intimate scene.” Basically, the actress was nude. As is common practice, we kicked out everyone who didn’t absolutely have to be in the room. This was all well and good, but it reminded me of a terrible AD on one of my […]
Oh, Canada!
AQBemp writes: I’m in the UK and just about to finish uni (nothing film related). There is a scheme here where you can get a work permit/visa for Canada for a year once you’ve graduated as long as you get there by January 2010. At the moment I am really considering going to Vancouver. One […]
Office PA Vs. Set PA
What is the difference between the two main types of production assistant?
Who Hires a PA?
Samantha writes: I’m a soon-to-be college grad, and I’m planning on moving out to LA this summer. I was wondering who it is I should be contacting to get a PA position? People have told me numerous positions like the AD and the UPM, but I don’t know who I really should be getting in […]
Following Up or Pestering?
Reader Janice emailed this question: I’ve been a PA for three gigs now but never on a “visiting” set, where the main production happens in, say, NYC, and small portions are filmed in, say, DC. The PA from NYC called on Monday and said that I’d be working today through next Monday on a feature […]
Questions, Questions
In response to yesterday’s post, univoked asked if writers’ conferences could be helpful in finding an agent. Ugly Deaf Muslim Punk Gurl! replied: Writers’ conferences aren’t really for screenwriters, they’re for BOOK writers. So if you’re looking for a literary agent for a BOOK you’re writing, then you could go to a conference. Otherwise, don’t […]