Question Regarding Set PAs
E writes: For the past couple of months, I just went through a whirl wind tunnel of day playing scripted shows and some features, and just landed my first full time additional set PA job. I’m green, but at least I know enough to know that I’m green. With that being said, do you have […]
I Did That
I was walking through the set the other day with the art department PA. The script called for a scene in a hair salon, but for some reason, the location manager couldn’t find a real salon that fit our needs. (Something to do the cost of shutting down a salon for an entire day.) So, […]
Travel Coordinator: A Way Out
Another path out of the doldrums is to become a Travel Coordinator. This path is just as idiosyncratic as the path toward becoming a script coordinator, definitely not as clear-cut as the one that leads to production secretary. A travel coordinator plans the travel and hotel accommodations on a show that travels. As far as […]
How to Approach Another Show on the Lot
Ms. Key (a pseudonym, I assume), writes: I intern on a major studio lot, which has been an awesome experience so far. I plan to do everything I can to make this last as long as possible and parlay it into a paying gig. My problem is that I’m interning on a talk show, while my […]
Help! I Need Some Direction in Life and I Feel You Are the One to Help Me!
Krista writes: I’m graduating in May from college. Even though I majored in advertising, the film industry has always been interesting to me. If I’m able to land some type of internship in this industry, what are the work hours usually like for a PA? 9-5pm, 6-12pm…? and how much do you work on weekends…..? Considering how dire […]
TAPA On Set
An Office PA’s place is in the office. (Any loyal readers want to embroider that on a pillow for me?) So when an Office PA ventures on set, it creates a classic fish-out-of-water scenario. On my last show, I had to accompany the supervisor’s seventeen-year-old neighbor to set. She sat there, starry-eyed, watching take after […]
Foreign Experience
Max writes: I work as an office PA in Malta, which has a small but steadily growing film industry largely based on foreign films shooting here rather than our own local production. We have all manner of shoots here from music videos and small commercials to high-budget, high-profile American films and TV, and everyone pretty […]
Do I Stand a Chance?
Miruna writes: In november I’ve quit my job… The main reason I’ve quit my last job is that I desperately want to go back and work in the movie industry, it’s the perfect work place for me, I love it, I love everything about it. The thing is, I would love to work for real movies, […]
Get Your Head in the Game, Rook
One of the PAs in the office is on the chopping block. Every day, he’s working to keep his job – fighting to keep his spot on “the team.” He doesn’t know it, but I hope he senses it. Over the last few weeks, I hope he’s noticed that the office has grown more frustrated […]
Chatty Cathy PA
The new PA in the office caught a bad rap on his first day. Actually, he walked in with a bad rap, and his first day only confirmed it. He’s chatty. There’s a fine line between being friendly and being chatty. He has crossed that line, and, while he doesn’t know that the coordinator, APOC, […]
Day Player: A Way In
A day player is a PA who works on a show sporadically. He or she doesn’t have the luxury of a regular Monday through Friday prison sentence work schedule. They could work two days one week, three days the next, five days the next, and then not at all for four weeks. It all depends […]
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 […]