Easy Day
The other day, I came into the office around eight in the morning, along with the rest of the office staff. A scout was scheduled for that afternoon, at two. The executive producer rolled in around, oh, two thirty. The scout didn’t end up leaving until three. At nine PM, my boss told us it […]
Production Assistant Portfolio
Reader Drew commented on an old post, yesterday: I’m just starting to put together a resume for future jobs – I have two independent films under my belt – and for the examples I find, they have a portfolio section. What goes into a PA’s portfolio? Production photos of them? I think they just crammed […]
Starting from Scratch
Reader Alan writes: I’m enjoying your blog, got a question. How do I get in as a PA on a upcoming pilot or a show currently in production. I’ve been in the biz for a couple years now as an editor on the east coast, don’t have any contacts in LA. Kinda like starting from […]
Who Needs a Car?
Reader Jeff writes in: I’ve been interested in film for so long, however after graduating from college as an English/Film major, I still don’t really have a production skill I’ve mastered, so I think my best resort is to start out as a PA. Of course, I want to move out to California where all […]
Thanks for Ruining my Day, JohnD
Last weekend, in response to my post regarding a story producer who asked me to do his job, reader JohnD said: They have jobs because they are smart enough to go to the pool of assistants and solicit them for 50 ideas for free. They’ll stay a story producer. And of course, assistants who just […]
Poking the Frog
Every once in a while, the hype surrounding 30 Rock overwhelms me, and I decide to give it another chance. This is always a mistake. I can count on my hand the number of times I laughed at the show (“Did a Korean person die?”). I tend to turn it off after the teaser, when […]
Metric Time
Here’s a favorite joke from one of my student films– PRESIDENT: I want the file by oh-twenty-four hundred hours. CHIEF OF STAFF: Sir, twenty-four hundred would require a twenty-five hour clock. We’re not on metric time, here. Imagine my surprise when I was filling out my time card the other day. I had worked the […]
Where to Begin…
Reader Robert has a few questions– I have no experience in the entertainment industry – do productions ever consider or hire candidates with absolutely no experience? Having no experience is one of the key qualifications of being a PA. If you had experience, you’d find a better job. But the truth is, you do have […]
Life Cycle of a Show (Act III)
Step Nine: The News You might think that there is a fixed schedule, by which you can determine when your time on a show will be up. You would be wrong. Even when you can see the ratings drop week by week, the producers put on a happy face. “They’re giving us time to find […]
Life Cycle of a Show (Act II)
Now you’re on the job! What happens next?
Life Cycle of a Show (Act I)
Step One: Hear About the Show When you’re looking for a job, anything sounds good. “They’re strippers who are also spies? That’s totally plausible, and I wouldn’t be at all ashamed to tell my mom I worked on that movie.” Step Two: Research Once I decide to apply, I immediately IMDb everyone involved in the […]
Whenever
Do you ever get this at your work? “Hey, [your name here]. Can you do X?” “Sure. When do you need it by?” “Whenever.” When, exactly, is “ever? ” Are we talking by the end of the day? By the end of the week? What? It’s worse when they give you multiple whenevers. Which ever […]