So, You Wanna Work In Movies - Page 6

Any nice swag to share here at least?

Mainly I have gotten t-shirts on shows. Got a couple of nice hoodies as well from shows. My favorite t-shirts though are the ones I got on FD4 which show some cool storyboards and a Fleur-de-lis on the back. My production t-shirts are starting to out number my Mississippi State t-shirts which I never thought would happen (My wife is from Starkville, so I am there often enough I either buy them or people give them to me as gifts).

New Orleans is actually getting to the point where you see people out in their production t-shirts.

Who fucking ASKS for swag? That boggles me. You're not here for prizes. You should be glad that you're even getting PAID.

I only have a few crew t-shirts from a few indies I've worked on, but other than that, mainly just a DVD in the mail at the end of it all.

Also, I worked a commercial shoot last week and the production coordinator ordered too many pizzas for dinner. Like, accidentally ordered TWICE as many. The result? I didn't have to go to the grocery for a few days. That's probably the best kind of swag: the kind that keeps your belly full.

It gets obnoxious sometimes. People coming in and asking for t-shirts because they saw one on set and they didn't get one. It's like watching someone desperately wanting to be one of the cool kids. I don't get it. The prod office often gets left out of on set swag so whatever, you get over it pretty quickly.

My thing is what are you here for? You are here to make a movie. As long as the check clears every Friday, the production doesn't owe you shit.

By the way, our tax credits at 30 percent with no sunset passed the House today. As long as Jindal doesn't fuck things up and veto it, we will be all good in two weeks (if he doesn't sign it within two weeks it automatically becomes law - and that is what everyone is thinking will happen since for some reason he wants the credits at 25 percent).

Battle: Los Angeles is shooting B.R. and the Shreve. Straw Dogs is shooting Shreveport. I am getting nervous since the end is coming quick on Expendables and nothing lined up yet and all these big shows we were supposed to have have not materialized yet (I got contacted for Battle:LA, but if they are going up to Baton Rouge, I doubt they will call me back).

Straw Dogs is shooting in Shreveport? Fuckin' A, man.

Rumor is a-twittering around town that Something Big is circling Austin to film in. God, I hope so. The last big production through here was Friday the 13th, and Predators and Rodriguiez's other stuff won't be up an running until the end of the year. And with that Waco moving falling apart because the Film Commission refused to give them the tax incentive (it was deemed too inaccurate), we're not out of the desert yet.

I was talking to a friend the other day, that really sucks about Austins tax incentive situation. You guys really need to get that sorted out.

Hey! Win win you beautiful bastard.

Aww yay!

Congrats Ryan.

Yeah a week ago or so it was looking like we were going to be slammed with productions coming in. Now not so much. All these productions which were going tobe coming here have either gone elsewhere or vaporized. No clue wht I am going to be doing next. And so ready for a new gig.

Fuckses. Got my first observation of how quickly a highly funded, staffed by professionals shoot can still fall apart based on the whims of the universe. We had a shoot lined up for next week that, while I was researching venues to purchase props from it, with a crew and vendors all in place, completely go buggo. Less than a week out and the shoot fell apart within ten minutes.

The reason? The shoot required some low-grade pyrotechnics, and since it's about 110 degrees daily here in Austin (I'm not even kidding), the city has pulled the card of every fireman in the county to be on standby in the event of fires/emergencies/the like. Since the shoot required the presence of fire/emergency personnel (for both the shot and to setup/control the fires), it now can't happen because the personnel is no longer available. So we've had to cancel crew, vendors, equipment, everything. Just goes to show that even at this level, nothing's for sure.

Anyone have a similar story of a shoot collapsing at the last minute? How did you guys handle it?

Jesus, there's no way you guys can work around the shots?

Never had anything collapse, but I've only worked on a handful of local shorts, and something as big as Supernatural simply does not get stopped by Murphys Law, too much money invested and talented people involved. That's not to say there isn't problems to dodge.

The concept of the commercial involves burning buildings, firefighters, police force, the works. It's not just a few shots--the firefighters were going to be front of the camera too.

Yikes. Sorry to hear that.

I was wrapping up Benjamin Button and scheduled to go on to Tulia. This was Halle Berry back with Billy Bob Thornton directed by Carl Franklin (who was the original director of The Riches pilot and who I was really, really looking forward to working for/with again).

Friday morning of my last day on Button (we were in wrap in New Orleans) someone tells me they heard there was trouble on Tulia. I go in Monday and thEre is no one there. Someone finally comes in the office and asks why am I there did I not here the news. Tulia was shutting down. Differences between Berry and Franklin and script problems from what I was told.

So the 4-6 months of work I thought I was going to have turned into 2 weeks of me wrapping out an office for a movie that never was.

One good thing did come out of it though: when the Prod Supervisor and UPM of Tulia came back to town with Final Destination 4, they called me back in.

Not really movies, but last week I was contracted to do some recording of this lady whilst she stayed in London.



http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/i...rson-indonesia

I've never met an Indonesian celebrity, let alone a politician - but this woman's apparently managed to get Indonesia through the economic crisis - and even to grow, whilst taking a real hardline stance on corruption.

Lovely lady, got to sit in on a BBC interview too which was a bit of a highlight for me.

Got distracted by the hardware they were using though.

Live events are so exhausting.

Hey everyone, I have a question.

I graduated from college last year with a degree in Business management but I recently decided that its a deadend and that my passion is cinema. My question is to get a bassic job what kind of stuff do I need to do that looks good on a resume?

I really want to try directing but the only stuff ive ever done was made some home movies when I was little. I'm gonna try to get a cheap 16mm camera or something and find some people in the area and start shooting some short films soon. Any help and recommendations is appreciated.

If you are looking to work in production, then you simply have to start applying to be a PA on films in your area. Not to be mean, but really, no one in production cares if you have made a short film or not (please, do not drop off a DVD with your reel, no one is going to watch it). Also, no matter how many indie or short films you have made, if you haven't worked in the local production circles you are still going to have start off as a PA.

Just start putting in your resume and take what comes along.

If you go back a few pages you can see where we gave Harley advice as well. The same still applies.

Sorry if that came off cold or mean, but its just the best straight advice I can give you.

This didn't come off as mean at all. I appricate any info I can get. So even if I want to get into directing I need to beef up my resume by doing lots of PA work first? Is there like a website or magazine that lists local production circles?

Thanks for the help!

Well start with the local film commissions for your state and area. Craigslist believe it or not isn't a bad place to look. Mandy.com is a good national site. Below the line is another site, but I find their info is often out of date or wrong.

That is all for if you just want to work in film production. You want to be a director, well like all artistic endeavors you need to just keep trying until someone either gives you the money to make your projects or you get something out there in distribution.

Well, not sure who will appreciate this, but got one of those nice things tonight: I was told my title in The Expendables credits will be as Production Secretary and I can change my resume and IMDB page to reflect that. Some of you might know how nice that feels. I have basically been pulling three jobs on this show: Office PA, UPM Assistant/bitch, and Production Secretary.

Congrats Casey! Heaven knows you earned it.

Rock on, Casey. Before you know it you'll have your own collection of PA bitches to boss around.

It was a nice way to end a very long work day. Thanks guys. Being labeled a PA was a bit of a step down for me, so was nice when my prod coordinator told me that today.

Congrats, that's excellent news!

Guess who's playing Construction Worker #4 in the new Miley Cyrus movie "The Last Song!"

I gotta say, being an extra was one of the easiest jobs I have ever done. Ten hours of waiting around, one hour of standing in the background, one hundred dollars in the bank.

Now to get back to trying to get a job as a PA...

Extra work is a really good way to make some extra (yuk yuk yuk) money. I keep trying to get on to Friday Night Lights as a PA, when that doesn't work I hop over to extra work so I can still keep the money flowin.

One of our Set PA's picked up extra work when he wasn't working. Good way to make sure people know your face and name.

I just read this entire thread, kinda hoping that it'd crush my spirit and I'd give up.

WRONG.

For the last couple of years, I've been working at a local independent production company, working on anything from a corporate conference to a nationally broadcast commercial. Mostly, I've been in post, as an associate editor. But I've also been the go-to production assistant whenever they could use me.

Sadly, shit has dried up since the start of the year and...and here's where you guys might come in.

I have no idea how to move up. I have no idea where to go next. I'm an experienced Final Cut Pro user and I'm quite fond of post-production, but I'm also the first person to admit a very seldomly admitted fact:

I don't know shit, but I'm willing to bust my ass in order to learn.

This applies to anything.

I just don't know where to start, especially here in NC. I've had no guidance and have hardly any contacts. I don't even know what my resume is supposed to look like.

I just know I'm willing to bust my ass.

Resumes should be quick and to the point and have as much truth on them as you can.

If I am in the office and have to look through resumes for a set pa, I want to know what shows or gigs you worked and who you worked with (either the 1st AD/2nd AD/or UPM). And don't lie. Don't say you were a key set PA on a show when you were a day player.

Skills are ok to list, but keep them related to what we do (ie computer skills Word and Excel and anything production related).

Really, if you want send your resume to me and I will review it: caseyko74@gmail.com. Put CHUD in the subject line. I have a couple of others I am reviewing now, might as well add your's to the list.

So tomorrow is my last day at my (non film related) job, and then the start of trying to get a job as a PA or helper here in Vancouver starts. I guess I`m just going to head over or call a bunch of production offices and ask if they need any help. My resume looks a little bleek considering I have yet to work on anything film related, but I`m willing to learn and work hard. Their seems to be a bunch of productions going on at the moment or starting up in a few weeks, they are all Motion Pictures or TV series. I just wish there was a place to look for lower budget films, I`ve been looking at craigslist every day but no luck.

There are better places to find low-budget-film-related job listings than Craigslist. For starters, I'd recommend mandy.com and - believe it or not - facebook groups. I belong to a number of Torontonian facebook film groups that regularly send out job notices (both paying and non-paying gigs.) If you're looking to start beefing up your resume and gain some experience, I'd recommend the latter. Do a little more digging.

Although, I'm sure some of the other guys could probably offer a few more suggestions as some of them are actually working out in Van.

Good luck, mate!

I have done BC Film Orientation/WHIMIS, Traffic Control and SHAPE Safety Awareness, those are the three things you need to join the DGBC. I guess I was only looking in non union films to get some experiences first, but I'll go straight for the union productions to start out.

I didn't even think of facebook, I'll have to go see what I can find.


Thanks guys!

Should you desire work as a PA on a big show, don't simply drop off your resume to the fax number and call it a day. That's not nearly enough. Call up the LM's, and discover what LM is hiring PA's for the next start date or new location, and then hound that person. Should you fail to get on, which you probably will, keep calling back and hounding the LM's until they know you by name.

It shocks me to look around and see so many people trying to get onto big sets and experience the real productions, but they simply lack the aggression. You're not going to get anywhere without getting your hands dirty.

I desire PA work on any show at this point in time and that's exactly what I was going to do is contact the ALM's.

So I realized last night watching the first movie I worked on here in Louisiana, that I have ben doing this as my only job (film and tv production) for the last 4 years (we moved back to New Orleans in June 2005, and I got on Labou in July 2005. I have gone from working on a film whose initial budget was $600,000 to working on a $60-65 million dollar action flick.

I am not exactly where I want to be yet, but I am working and working consistently.

Basically just putting this out there for those who are trying to break in. Yes it can be a viable career. It won't always be easy, and you are going to struggle professionally and financially at times; but if it is what you want to do you can.

To give you an idea of how things have gone for me, four years ago I was working as a PA for $70/day. Now I am finishing as production secretary on The Expendables. I have had producers approach me to UPM and Line Produce low budget horror films (sadly they fell apart, but the offers were there).

Hope this serves as a boost to some of you, as some of the people in this thread have served as a boost to me.

I didn't know it that hard to get in touch with LM/ALMs, and when I ask if I can drop off a Resume the PA`s who answer the phones are like no please fax or email it. I managed to drop off my resume at a couple production offices even though the Locations people weren't present at the time, the office PA`s took them. I'm going to head to Vancouver Film Studios in a couple of days, they have a number of productions going on. Although I heard it`s not that easy for a kid who is just dropping off resumes to just waltz through the security gates.

Anyways, it`s only been a day so I look forward to hounding more offices with my resume.

-------------------------------------------------------------


I saw this article last week and then tonight I saw a story on the News.



Film industry warns of War!
Other provinces upping incentives to entice movie makers

Competing film industries across Canada are “declaring war” on Vancouver, and “Hollywood North” could collapse if the provincial government doesn’t react soon.

That’s the warning coming from members of B.C.’s film industry after Quebec and Ontario both doubled their film tax credits to 25 per cent — matching B.C.’s — in efforts to woo foreign producers.

Alberta announced on Wednesday it’s increasing the maximum handout from $3 million to $5 million.

The tax credits in Quebec and Ontario, however, cover not just labour but other related costs such as the purchase and rental of studios and equipment — a hefty sum amounting to up to half of total costs that B.C.’s tax credit does not cover.

“Without matching their tax credits, we’re basically finished,” said Chris Helcermanas-Benge, a local still photographer who recently sent a letter detailing the industry’s plight to Premier Gordon Campbell and all MLAs.

Shawn Williamson, producer and partner at Vancouver’s Brightlight Pictures, has faced the problem first-hand.

“We ran the numbers on a $10.6-million movie,” he said.

“The tax credit here was $950,000; in Ontario it was $1.7 million. I don’t want to move, but from a business point of view, I can’t ignore it.”

Additionally, the predicament could potentially be worsened by the implementation of next year’s harmonized sales tax. Certain expenses that are currently exempt from PST — food, equipment rental, clothing and props, for example — will be subject to the additional seven per cent tax, Helcermanas-Benge said.

Kevin Milligan, an economics professor at the University of B.C., is skeptical of the cries to invest more into the local film industry.

“The tax credits aren’t free,” he said. “Every dollar taxed away in order to pay for the movie industry guy’s tax credit deprives some other business of money that could be used to employ people or some other family of money that could be used to buy their children a bicycle or school books.”

Helcermanas-Benge countered by saying the industry contributes upwards of $1.2 billion to the local economy each year.

Fuck resumes. A resume doesn't have a force behind it, you're not a person who's super interesting in working for the show. Calling the biggest part of getting a job. When you call up and they answer for the phone, ask for (Insert ALM's name) in Locations. Don't explain that you're a PA, don't say anything but that. Once they put you through, either leave a voicemail or explain to the person who you are and that you're eager to work for them. Rinse and repeat about twice a week. You should know all of the ALM's and they should know you before you get a job.

Ya I guess a resume with no film credits is pretty useless, and ya a couple of ALMs took my name and number and then asked how much experience I had...lol, But Ill just keep hounding them.

I also had a question, what is a TAL, Temporary Assistant Locations...

Are you sure you don't mean TAD?

You have to tread that line between being persistent and being annoying. Its a hard one yeah, but that's the bottom line. As for bringing your resume in, that at least shows me in the office you want to be there and you will actually show up. And follow your resume with a phone call later.

Not sure how it works in Vancouver, but we have certain building and areas where productions learn to set up. Get to know them well and visit them even when you haven't heard of a show being set up there. Never know when you are going to come across an office just getting set up or run into someone with info.

I was looking at all the productions on the DGCBC website, and some shows had LM, ALM, and TAL in the locations department.

Here:

http://www.dgcbc.com/productions.pdf

Got my next gig. Call came tonight. Looks like I will be production secretary on The Mechanic (the prod cord said we could come with a more manly title if I want). Looking forward to it. I start next month and looks like I will go into early next yer with wrap.

Congratulations!

Thanks Renn. Pretty excited. There is a lot coming, but this was one of two gigs I wanted on (the other was Treme, but found out while I was working on The Expendables I wasn't going to get the gig I wanted on that show). Its going to keep me working into next year with wrap from what I was told. Also, big deal to get the title and the pay; I was willing to settle for the title and PA pay, but they came through. Means I will have spent the majority of 2009 working for Millennium/Nu Image.

So very excited and happy tonight.

I have been told we have 16 - 20 films coming to Louisiana this fall. Of course now we have to battle Iowa, Michigan, and Georgia. I actually almost ended up working in Iowa, but the production coordinator couldn't get the production company to cover my place to stay.

Fantastic news Casey, happy for you.

We just shot in the old Watchmen street set on Thursday, and man oh man did the folks on that show do an incredible job, and props to our team for making the place look as apocolypsy, 28 days later as they did. A really cool day.

Also got to work around 9 this morning and just got home after a small tale gate beer party as of 4:37am, so yeah. Sleep time.