Advice for first time PA/Grip gig

sheeep

sheeep

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Finally, after the seemingly endless submissions of resume's and desperate emails to every job posting I could find, I managed to find a legitimate looking film to do PA/Grip work on.

So I guess now would be a good time to learn what the hell a PA does eh?

I kid, I kid. I get the gist of it, I'm the guy who does everything meaningless, the carrier of boxes and watcher of parking spots. I'm fully prepared to get yelled at, get coffee, and be blamed for whatever goes wrong.

I've read through the PA's Pocket Handbook and searched the internet far and wide for information, but I'm looking at whatever advice you guys could give me.

This isn't my first time at a shoot, but it's the first time where I'll definitely be surrounded by people with loads more experience than me, so I'm a little nervous but more so excited.

thanks for the replies

Omar
 
If you don't know DON'T FAKE IT. Nothing bothers me more on set then a PA who wastes every ones time to trying to figure out on his own something he does not know. Don't try to impress people with your knowledge. Impress them with your work ethic and teachable attitude.
 
How large of a set is it?

Regardless, show off your work ethic and don't become complacent.

Always ask, "Do you need help with anything?" to everybody who looks like they might need anything (or even if they don't).
 
It doesn't seem overwhelmingly large, which is great. There's about 30 people signed up on the contact list including caterers etc.

Just double checking with you guys, is it normal to be asked for the last 4 digits of your social for insurance?
 
I disagree that PA work is 'meaningless.' Film crews run as lean as humanly possible; if you are being paid to do a job - hell, if you have been assigned a job title, even un-paid - it's because it's a set of tasks that need doing.

When PAs wander into my office and gripe about not being given sufficiently important work, I just ask them to list their tasks for the last couple of days, and then imagine what a mess we'd be in, if no one had taken care of completing them.

Put another way, when I hand a PA a task to execute, he had damn well better not treat it as though it's meaningless. He'd better not think it loud enough for me to hear, either.
 
The PA Pocket Handbook has great stuff in it.

Show up early, bring gloves and wear comfortable shoes, and be prepared to work hard doing all the things no one else wants to do. Listen. Smile. Make other people look good.

The only other thing I would add to what others have said is this. Don't let other people's experience intimidate you. Everybody starts off not knowing what they are doing. You will find that there are some people on the set who will remember that and will appreciate an enthusiastic, hardworking person who is honest about his ignorance.

You'll do fine.
 
If i may add, dont just grow from this to other sets, but grow on the set as well. Use what you learned 10 minutes ago on the set later on in the day, its a great way to show your immediate growth and will also create better efficiency for everyone. No one likes to continually ask for the same thing, so when you can get in a rythm and understanding of who you help , just like a good QB and WR combo, you can help out and be on the spot much better, making you that much more awesome! :D
 
my brother and i just did this kind of work for the first time a couple of weeks ago. it was a national commercial for the National Guard. i'd say in addition to gloves and comfortable shoes, a roll of tape and a pair of scissors will probably come in handy. Get leather gloves because rubber will melt. The first half of our day was not fun because the key grip was our boss and he was not nice. But the gaffer showed up at lunch and he was hilarious and a great teacher and very experienced (a number of well-known features). Our first exchange with him went like this:

gaffer: you know what a 650 is? a 200?
us: um, just by looking at the labels.
gaffer: that's okay, i have to look at the labels too.

the best advice i can give you is know when to help and when to shut up and get out of the way. also, be vocal about everything. if someone asks for something, respond out loud "comin up" or "copy." make sure they know they've been heard. when someone hands you something, say out loud "i got it." when you walk in front of the camera say "crossing." when you turn on a light say "striking" or "light coming on". it seems that on a set people are rarely looking at each other and need to hear that everything is ok.

since you're in NYC its likely that most of the people on set live in the city. On our set, people came to vermont from all over, florida, mass, new york. We invited everybody over to our place for beers and took them to a nice place for dinner. We got to hear all kinds of great war stories and made some new friends who we hope to work with again. Maybe even hire for our own projects when we have the money.

its kind of like minor league baseball. Of course, first and foremost, you want to win. But also, you're there for development. To prepare for the big leagues.
 
On the PA part, try to smile, esp in the morning. Many PAs get hired for their next job from someone who liked them on the current film. And they can move up fast if they are smart and personable.

Bring a handkerchief and those paper mints.
 
Walk right up to the Director after the first take and say, "I could have done that better".
 
Last edited:
alveraz said:
Walk right up to the Director after the first take and say, "I could have done that better".
Click to expand...
tsk, tsk.

Be on your toes, and be ready to volunteer for anything that's needed, unless you are already assigned a specific task. I would add to your list of stuff, a Camelpak.

Keep your eyes, ears and mind open. Show interest in what you are doing, even if it is just schlepping boxes around. Asked to get coffee? Ask if they take cream and sugar as well.

Being a PA may be "grunt work" and "unglorified", but as someone else said, it is a necessary role, and an excellent way to see how a set works and runs.

Good Luck, and learn everything you can.
 
Just did my first PAish gig working with Fat Monster on their latest project. Very fun. Very hard work. Be ready to give 110% all day long. The camelbak is a brilliant idea Doc especially on an outdoor shoot. Wish I had thought of that before... Next time. And just remember every thing that might seem like a little job is just as important as the rest. The day wont go nearly as well without fresh coffee, stocked water, or whatever else it is that the production needs to function. Whatever it is that needs to be done do it the best that anyone ever has and you'll be great. Stay organized, keep your receipts organized and take written notes of lists and what people need. And yeah if you dont know how to do something or where something is find out. Ask. No ones going to make fun of you if you dont know how to work a c-stand. And if they do laugh with them and say "seriously show me how so I can be good at this." Super Luis gave me 30 seconds of c-stand knowledge that saved me a half an hour trying to get those stupid things to collapse. And be happy and optimistic. The set should be a happy smily place and it makes it fun even when **** is hitting the fan. Oh and a good hat and sunscreen if you're shooting exteriors. That and a camelbak and you will be set. Oh and bring two pens and two notepads. You're first set will become lost, stolen, or a prop quickly. Dont be caught without one. And good leather gloves. Ok thats the end of my rambling. Enjoy.
 
Hustle, all the time. If you're asked to do or go get something, try and get it done fast. Nothing worse than a PA or Grip that takes the long slow walk to get diffusion, added up over a shooting day it's a big time killer right there.
 
Hey guys, day 1 for me just ended. It went very well, the 2nd AD and Key Production assistant were great guys... actually everyone was super nice.

A lot of blocking off work, and holding umbrellas for actors, all worth it. Near the end of the day I had heard the 1st AD and Director talking about hiring a set photographer. I brought up the fact that I'm a photographer, and now my cameras are all packed for a day of shooting tomorrow.

Need to go to bed, gotta be up in about 4 hours.
 
Another case of fate favoring the observant! Good job!

Being a PA should always be looked at as a stepping stone to bigger and better things.

I learned the hard way about the Camelpak, one day on a set. The next day I had one.
 
An accessory to a Camelback - those tie-around-your-neck thingies filled with water-absorbing crystals. Let one soak in cold water overnight, and by morning you have this sort of flexible sausagey thing that keeps you cool via evaporation when secured around the back of your neck.
 
Yesterday was again a fun day, indoor shoot so I got to see tons of lighting techniques.

Going to the train in an hour, hopefully I'll do a full write up with pictures.
 
The shoots over now and all in all everything went really, really well. I got linked to two other shoots from people from this one, so I'll be kept busy for the next few weeks.

Some pictures...

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