Hearing, But Not Listening

Passing out the latest draft of a script, I often wonder, who really cares?  I’m not saying the script doesn’t matter; I’m saying it doesn’t really affect most people.

The camera guys, the grips, the electrics– they’re just gonna show up where and when the call sheet tells them to.  They’ll set up where the DP tells them to set up.  What the actors do doesn’t really matter all that much.  The same goes for hair, make-up, costume, pretty much anybody.

If there’s a big change that actually affects the work, the department heads usually know well in advance.  Our construction coordinator told me, “If the first I hear of a new set is in the latest draft of the script, then something has gone horribly wrong.”

I was talking about this with our sound guy.  (Who, by the way, is always referred to as “the sound guy.”  What is his actual title?  Sound mixer?  Isn’t that done in post?  On every set I’ve ever been on, people always call the sound department the boom operator and the sound guy.  What’s up with that?)

Anyway.

The sound guy tells me he actually reads every draft, but skips over the dialogue.  That surprised the hell out of me.  ”Don’t you mean you only read the dialogue?”

“Hell, no, I don’t care what they’re saying.  Are they walking?  They need pads on their shoes.  Are they driving?  Are they going to be on a process stage, or actually riding down the road in a tow car?  If so, are the windows open?  All of that stuff that effects how we record is in the description.  The words don’t matter.”

So, the sound guy hears everything, but doesn’t actually listen.  I suppose it’s analogous to the camera operator, who’s making sure the frame is right, and doesn’t notice if the actor flubs a line.

NYC Vs. Los Angeles

First off, I’d like to congratulate friend-of-the-blog Elana on her newborn.  You can read all about the birth/near-death here.  Also, if you haven’t read her posts “Life of a Pseudo-Writer” and “Life of a Pseudo-Writer II,” you should.

On to PA business.  Tom writes:

I have made the switch from being a stagehand to being a Set PA for a sitcom out here in New York. Currently on our show the majority of the producers, coordinators, writers and our first AD are from LA, while the rest of the crew is from NY.

While we all get along fine, I find myself getting caught in the middle of having my first AD instruct me to do something that a PA normally handles in LA, but here in NY it is a union responsibility. For example, my other set PA is from LA and she tells me that in LA the set PA’s handle the directors chairs, but here in NY they are handled by the Prop department.

I am curious to know if you or any of your readers have heard similar stories about the difference between the P.A. experience in LA vs. NY.

First of all, it’s not “LA,” it’s Los Angeles.  ”LA” is a diminutive assigned to us by poncey east coasters who don’t believe Los Angeles is a real city.  ”Los Angeles” is already cut down from “El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Angeles del Río de Porciúncula.”  We’ve got this shortening thing down, thanks.

(For more on my feelings about New York, go ahead and take a look at one of my earliest posts.)

Okay, so, about your question.  Actually, directors’ chairs are technically handled by the props department in Los Angeles, too.  I have no idea why.  I can’t imagine a property manager complaining about a PA giving him a hand when the company is on the move, though.  I guess that’s New Yorkers for you.

The biggest difference I’ve heard between New York and Los Angeles PAs is that New Yorkers don’t drive nearly so much.  Perhaps my readers can expound on some other differences.

Secret Origins

Green PA commented on a post from a couple weeks ago, “The Curse of the Origin Story”:

I recently got very lucky and was able to finagle my way out of the mail room and into a sweet PA job on the lot. I have been scouring IMDB to find the origins of all of my producers, show runners, directors, A.D.s, etc, and none of them have any experience listed before they got to the level of “line producer.” Even the writers lack any listings before their first writing gig. Why do you think this is? Typical Hollywood -I -was -born -into -greatness BS, or should we take a page from their book and hide our true job titles when out of the office or off the set?

I’ve noticed this as well.  There is certainly an element of pride.  These guys aren’t going to add PA experience from the 70s to their IMDb page.

A larger part, though, is just that they’re old.  IMDb was only just getting going when I was in college.  While IMDb still doesn’t have all of my credits, it has a lot of them, including work on shows I’m embarrassed to admit I worked on.

If/when I someday become a famous writer, those credits will stay there.  I’m probably at the vanguard of filmmakers whose entire career, from PA to producer, will be available for all to see.  Thus is life in the internet age.

In Addition

Andrew writes in:

My fiance recently fell into a PA position and landed a couple days on a movie.  After day two/three she was told they had enough PA’s for the next day and they would call her.  It has been a few days and no word back yet.

A family member of mine works in the industry (in an unrelated position) as well, he recommended she try calling and contacting the person who hired her to ask for work.  She has tried phoning this person only to find the voice mail box full.  At this point I have a feeling she is a bit worried that with the lack of experience gained and the potential of not hearing back her PA career could be over as soon as it started.

Is this commonly how additional PA positions are handled?  Are the additional PA call backs usually done via some rotation or at the AD discretion?  How often is too often when calling to trying to get work?  Would it be considered crazy to show up on set if it becomes impossible to reach via phone?  Is there anything she can do with her couple of days experience that may open some doors that would otherwise be closed to someone without experience?  What types of experiences are usually desired on someones resume with little to no PA experience?

Additional PA days are always done at the discretion of the AD.  If they like you, they’ll call you back.  If they don’t, they won’t.

Calling to remind them that you’re still available is good advice.  It’s unfortunate that the mailbox was full, but there’s not really much you can do about it.  Just showing up on set would, indeed, be crazy.  Not ill-advised crazy, but call-the-men-in-the-white-coats crazy.  Unless they happen to be filming in your neighborhood, and you tell them so, I wouldn’t do it.

“Too often” is a tough call.  Depends on the kind of show.  If you’re talking about a sitcom, where they hardly ever leave the studio and need more than their usual compliment of PAs, I’d wait three to four weeks.  If they’re on location a lot, like for an action show or a procedural, maybe every two weeks.

If you don’t have experience as a PA, try to at least have some kind of industry experience.  Working the desk at an agency, being a personal assistant to a producer, something.  ”Starbucks barista” isn’t gonna do anything on your resume.

Paying Off Debt

If you’re curious about working in Canada, be sure to check out yesterday’s comments.  Which reminds me, I recently got another email from America Jr:

As a recent Canadian(Vancouver) graduate from film school I am in debts from upwards of 5000$.

I quit my regular serving job in the summer to be available for on-call PA work. I have only formally worked on one big feature for about 11 days and I am currently non-union.I have received little work but made many contacts who may call me in the future again.

My savings have dwindled, and I want to make a commitment to pay off those debts with another serving job and hopefully be able to have another shot at being an on-call PA again. I have begun training for my steady job, but unexpectedly, a film contact I met prior contacted me, asking if I could come in for a day call on a new show.I declined her offer, because of my other commitment, but I feel like I may have missed out on an opportunity.

So to my question,  Am I making a big mistake by declining work that could lead to future opportunities and contacts? Or should prioritize paying off my debts and making the habit of following through with the commitments I make?

First of all, what’s with putting the dollar sign after the amount?  Is that a Canadian thing?  So people know it’s your Monopoly money, and not real dollars?

Anyway.

This is always a tough question.  I’ve known many people who’ve tried to focus on their entertainment career for several years, only to eventually drop out due to debt, late rent payments, and so forth.

On the other hand, once you start working a regular job with regular hours and regular pay, it gets hard to give that up, even when your student loans are paid off.

My natural inclination is to pay off debts as quickly as possible.  If we were talking about credit card debt, I wouldn’t have any doubt at all; you’d lose a fortune with a 5000$ balance.  Luckily, student loans tend to be low-interest.

The question becomes, how quickly can you pay off your debt, and get back to working in whatever the Canadian equivalent to Hollywood is?

Does Age Matter? – II

Adam writes in with another age-related question:

How old are most office and set production assistants?  I mean, ignoring the happenstance of Hollywood, not to mention just finding those first few jobs, isn’t one looking at a commitment of several years just as PA before even the possibility of moving to a position higher up shows on the horizon?

And speaking of finding those first few jobs–I doubt any tv show or movie will hire someone with no volunteer-PA experience, correct?  Or is that at all plausible?  Of all my questions this is the worst.

Have you befriended any other PAs or is there really no opportunity to?

How much has networking on the set helped you find other jobs?

Lotsa questions there.

Almost all PAs are in their twenties.  I’ve met a few older ones, and they were either people who waited a long time to decide on their path in life, or people who just failed at life generally.  A thirty-five year old PA is a sad sight.

That being said, it can (and does, in my case) require years of work to be promoted.

Due to various labor laws, you can’t work on a show for free.  You can, however, intern in exchange for school credit.

Of course I’ve made friends with other PAs.  It’d be kinda weird if you didn’t make friends at work, right?

But that kind of networking doesn’t tend to lead to jobs.  Since just about anybody can be a PA, just about everybody knows someone who wants to do it.  When a set PA spot opened recently on my show, I asked the AD if I recommend a friend.  He said, “Sure, but there are about thirty other people who also have recommendations.”

And all thirty of those people outranked me.

You’re not going to get a job by networking with your peers.  (At least, not anytime soon.  If I make it as a writer, and one of my friends becomes a studio executive, then I suppose he can get me a job.)  You also need to network with your superiors– ADs, coordinators, even producers.  They’re the ones who make the decisions that actually affect your job.

Does Age Matter?

Reader Dan writes:

I am 17, soon to be 18. When I am 18, or sort of maybe a few months after I’m 18, I wanted to be a PA for reality tlelevision. I’m worried I’m a bit too young to do this. I’ll be ready late this year or early 2010, depending on how much I can save for a chance to move to LA. Do PA jobs prefer or even require someone to be a certain age?

I have never heard of any age limit, other than being old enough to drive.  I’ve worked with nineteen and twenty year olds in the past.  PAing is the very definition of “no experience required,” and that includes life experience.

My main recommendation is that you should recognize you know nothing.  You were, what, ten when Survivor came out?  Whatever you think you know about the creation of a reality show, you’re wrong.  And for every one thing you’re wrong about,  there are a thousand things it didn’t even occur to you think about in the first place.

The main purpose of taking a PA gig is to learn.  You work horrible hours for terrible pay and zero respect, but if you shut up and listen, you’ll advance quickly.

I, on the other hand, can’t keep my trap shut, and I’m still a PA several years out of film school.  Learn from my mistakes, Dan.

Is There a Lawyer in the House?

Reader Matt writes:

I, like you, am a PA/aspiring writer.  I met a producer recently and pitched a script.  To my surprise, he said he wanted to make the movie!  He’s drawing up a contract, and now my writing partner and I find ourselves in need of an entertainment lawyer.

I’ve asked the writers on the TV show I work for, but all of their lawyers are incredibly expensive.  It’s a Catch-22: I can’t afford a lawyer until I get paid, and I can’t get paid until I sign the contract.

Since you’re in a similar point in your career, I thought you might know a more affordable attorney?

You’ve sold a script, and now you need someone to look over your contract? This is a classy problem to have, my friend. I wish I was at a similar point in my career.

I asked some of my own writer acquaintances, and got the same response. A lawyer’s gonna run you several hundred dollars an hour to review a contract, and even more if you want to retain him. (Which is not advisable at this point; one script does not a career make.)

Sorry I couldn’t be of more help. Maybe one of my other readers can offer a better suggestion?

Overheard in the Production Office

I was filling out my mileage form yesterday, and I wondered how much it was going to be worth.  The current rate is 50.5 cents, and that extra half cent threw me off.

“Goddamn it, why can’t they just use whole numbers?  Decimals just screw me up.”

Without looking up, the coordinator said, “Use improper fractions.”

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On a completely unrelated note, why is “maggie gyllenhaal” the most common search leading to my blog for the last month?

Insults

A friend of mine wrote in response to yesterday’s post:

What’s the difference between a grip and a PA?

A PA can spell “grip.”

Now, I like grips, but I had to laugh at that.

It’s strange how making fun of each other is a way of bonding on set.  People are constantly busting each others’ chops.  Within a department, between departments, up the chain, down, whatever.  And man, you should hear what our writer’s assistant says to the showrunner.

Just the other day, my boss showed me a picture of his kids.  I said, “Cute.  Take after their mother, do they?”  He gave me a little swat on the back of the head, but was clearly amused.

Why does this work?  Shouldn’t I be fired for something like that?

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On a completely unrelated topic, you should check out the On Set Podcast.  It’s a great little program where they interview real crew working on real movies and TV shows.  It’s fairly new, so there’s only a couple of episodes yet, but still worth checking out.

They actually asked to interview me at one point, but I said I needed one of those voice modifier things.  They felt that wouldn’t fit well with the general tone of their podcast.  Alas, you’ll have to wait until they find some other exceptionally eloquent and erudite PA to interview.