One Simple Tool Every PA Should Have
As a PA, you have to remember a lot of things: people’s names, directions to set, the producer’s favorite brand of liquor. It can be a bit overwhleming, especially if you don’t have an eidetic memory. So what do you do? There’s an Easy Solution Get a notebook. Not a notebook computer. Not The Notebook. […]
When Your Boss Gives You Work That’s Not Your Job
Samantha writes in: I work as an office PA, but cover also as a runner and as our Post PA too. I have a quick question to ask if I’m getting taken advantage of or not in my workload. Now, the question I have pertains to a Sr./ Co-EP Story Producer asking me to go […]
Don’t Spend Your Own Money
It appears an old scam is circulating again. The gist is, someone offers a job to a PA (who is, presumably, fresh-faced and naive), which sounds great. Then, they say they’ll give you a check, which you’ll deposit into your bank account. You’re to take your pay from that check, and also make some sort of […]
How to Choose Your Credit
Larry writes in about choosing the proper credit: I just worked on a show as a PA and the director said I could have an AD credit instead if I wanted, because the crew was so small (6-7 people) that’s what I ended up actually doing. This is the second show where I’ve been hired […]
6 Essential Traits Of A Production Assistant
Our friends at FilmToolKit wrote this inspiring post about working as PA. You should check out their site; there’s lot of great info. If you’ve read this blog for very long, you’ve probably realized that being a production assistant is not for everyone. Anyone can be hired, but in order to continue working in the […]
No Lunch Break for Office PA’s?
When you work on set, you’re supposed to break for lunch after 6 hours of shooting. Some people break before that, if they got to set particularly early (like the drivers and location manager). Sometimes hair and makeup artists do, too, so they can get the actors camera ready for the first shot after lunch. […]
Probably Don’t Quit a Show
Last week’s post, Never Quit a Show, seems to have caused some confusion, judging by the comments on Twitter, Facebook, and the post itself. “Never” is hyperbole. If you’re being harassed, if you’re not being paid what you’re owed, if you’re working in unsafe conditions, then yes, quit. I thought these were pretty obvious caveats, […]
Weekends Are for You
Yesterday, I got an email from my boss asking me to take care of some specific things as soon as I got into the office in the morning. I emailed him back: “Sure thing!” A few minutes later, I got another email: “Why did you reply to my email?” I was genuinely confused. First, because […]
It’s Not Your Fault
Wise words from Robin Williams (in full Serious Beard Mode) in Good Will Hunting, but just because it’s not your fault, doesn’t mean it’s not your responsability. Story Time Last week, I woke up to a text from one of my boss (an associate producer) asking to meet him at his boss (the producer)’s storage […]
Don’t Be Redundant
I’ve been noticing an issue lately when editing resumes: redundancy. You’ve got to fit everything on one page. Anything more than that looks ridiculous, especially for a production assistant. And when you reduce it all to a single sheet of paper, it can’t look cramped. Remember, these are people who are used to reading scripts; […]
Ageism in Hollywood
Dianne writes in about ageism in Hollywood: Like most people who patrol your site I’m seeking work in the industry. However, I finished college 8 years ago and my major was in English and Creative Writing, and my internship (though competitive) was with a newspaper in Oregon. I would happily intern for no money to […]
Why Are All the PA Jobs Listed for a Limited Time?
Diana writes in about job listings that appear to be for limited time-frame gigs– I am looking for some PA jobs but most of them are only set for a certain amount of time like a week or a few months. I thought PA’s were a permanent position. How long does the average Production Assistant […]