In this blog, I generally hold court on the few topics I’m an expert at. I am just a PA, though, and there’s a few things I really don’t understand. Maybe one of my kind readers knows the answers.
Why is the props department in charge of the director chairs? Not that I want more work, but isn’t that kind of a PA job? Or craft services maybe? Hell, the DIT makes more sense, since they’re at least sitting by the monitor. In what way is a director chair a prop?
Why do the grips pack the set walls? D (of Dollygrippery) theorized that local 80 was just looking for more hours for its members, but under that logic, why didn’t the construction union fight for it? It’d be like the camera department cleaning up the set lights. (Like that would ever happen.)
Lastly, why are UPMs in the DGA? If you knew nothing about the process, and you just walked into a production office, you would assume a production manager is a step up the ladder from production coordinator. It’s easy to see how a best boy relates to a key grip (or gaffer); same with the various levels of camera assistants. But a UPM’s duties are vastly different from an AD’s. It’s weird.
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These links don’t relate at all. I just thought they were funny:
The 6 Most Pointlessly Elaborate Movie Murder Plots.
The X Most Blankiest Somthings in the History of Whatever.
Lastly, Patton Oswalt on screenwriting:
5 responses so far ↓
Nathan // December 11, 2008 at 8:45 pm |
I’m pissed that I’ve never even wondered about those questions much less know the answers.
A guess on the chairs. Since Prop Master sometimes make the props (a lot more in the old days), maybe the first time they wanted names on the chair-backs, someone just tasked the Prop Master to have them made?
I really should know the UPM answer…but I don’t. Hell, we just finished a decade long battle to get Location Managers into the Guild (and won in NY and Chicago…Yay!)
D // December 15, 2008 at 11:01 pm |
I know prop guys who don’t know the answer to that question. Seriously, most of the duties that the different departments have are a result of the different crafts locals dividing up tasks back in the early days. If you read the Local 80 manual (thick as a brick) there are whole passages devoted to things like “all ships rigging shall be under the jurisdiction of the grip department.” It all comes down to keeping everyone busy and locals defend their turf aggressively.
Nathan // December 16, 2008 at 8:37 am |
D is absolutely right…and it gets worse as time goes by. When I started out, the Set Dressers would threaten me with bodily harm if I dared try to move any of the layout board (floor protection) around. On my most recent job, I had to remind the Leadman that even though my department paid for the material, it was his guys’ job to put it down. He didn’t believe me until I made him call his Union rep.
Josh // June 4, 2009 at 5:17 am |
I’ve also started to wonder recently why PA’s are in charge of lockups. Shouldn’t Locations be responsible for that?
abby // November 11, 2009 at 10:44 am |
And animal wranglers are teamsters. Huh?