Just Joking
When you’re carrying something big and heavy around a corner or down some stairs, it’s usually good form to call out a warning, like “Points!”, to make sure you don’t smack someone in the face. It doesn’t really matter if it’s pointy or not; it’s just what you say. Sometimes people try to come up […]
Quick post tonight (it’s late), then a serious one tomorrow. I googled several combinations of my anonymous self, and found some interesting results. I hold the number one spot for both “anonymous production assistant” and “production assistant blog.” I’m right behind anonymousassistant.com in a search for “anonymous assistant.” But if you look up “production assistant,” […]
Dressing for the Part
The show I’m on recently had a flashback to the 70s. (Don’t ask me why. As far as I’m concerned, the only good things to come out of the 1970s were Star Wars, Jaws, and my wife.) Seeing a rack of bell bottoms and wide-collared shirts, I struck up a conversation with the set costumer. […]
Simple Etiquette
First of all, let me apologize for not posting in a while. Rexwas almost right. Nobody’s found out that I write this blog, but that’s only because I’ve been very, very careful of late. One of our set PAs fell sick, and I had to fill in for him. (The other office PA had no […]
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 […]
Another Way to Network
I was hanging out on the set today, and I overheard a background actress talking with one of the set PAs. At a certain point, she asked “casually” (those are sarcastic air quotes; I actually paused while writing this to wriggle my fingers in the air): “Say, who’s in the office right now? Is [showrunner’s […]
Manly Men
I’m not the most macho of men. I don’t know anything about cars or sports (although I do have an avowed fondness for boobs and explosions). Still, there is a kind of silent male communication I can participate in. I was passing out callsheets, and I happened to be walking about ten paces behind one […]
Learning the Hard Way
Well, maybe not the hardest way, but still, I learned. I got myself a fancy new phone last week, and the first thing I did was figure out how to turn my phone on vibrate. This is a very important feature on any phone, when you work on a film set. In fact, if you’re […]
Pick Ups
This funny little story was related to me recently: The office PA was sent out for a few items that were needed on set ASAP. (Everything’s always needed ASAP; I’m not sure why anyone even bothers to say “ASAP” anymore.) The art department needed some rubber gloves; make-up and wardrobe were low on Polaroid film, […]
Colorful Response
Just over a week ago, I related an anecdote about the producer’s assistant indirectly checking that the intern was doing her job correctly. A lot of people took exception to the assistant’s methods. Final Girl’s comment was typical: What a passive agressive moron. I hate people. I have to admit, this surprised me. At the […]
Miles and Miles
Sorry for the late post today, but I was sent on a run the moment I walked in the door. Runs are one of the main differences between set and office production assistants. Set PAs stay on set all day, everyday (or longer; they’re the first to arrive and last to leave, other than teamsters). […]
Colorize
This morning, the showrunner’s assistant came in the office and asked our intern, “Which pot has the decaf coffee in it? The orange or the brown?” The intern replied, “I think orange is always decaf.” “It is. That was just my polite way of making sure you knew.” Makes me wonder how many questions he […]