First Time to work on a set

ramsaur

ramsaur

Veteran
This is my first time to work on a set.
I got a call thursday from a lady I know who lives in West Monroe, Louisiana wanting two PA's on the set of the West Monroe's Varcity Inc. Two-A-Days documentary series coming out this year. And I happened to get in before it got booked. It's with ESPN and I will be going out tomorrow (saturday) to help on set for 10 hours with pay. Any pointers from anyone I should know or be aware of?
 
1. turn of mobile phone
2. dont anoy the important people or they will kick you out! (producer, director)

Good luck!
 
Always look busy, always ask if something needs to get done, but also stay out of people's ways. There will be times when you'll have nothing to do, so don't start setting up light stands for the gaffers, rather ask them if they need help.

Don't sit down when you have nothing to do, rather stay standing near the action and the second someone asks "let's get an apple box!" you're already there getting the apple box. Be on your feet and ready.

If you go out to pick something up make sure you know where you're going, and always keep the receipt. ;)

Being your first time on set, don't be afraid to ask questions! Make sure you know the lingo of the diff equipment. Don't bug the director or producers, but talk to your unit manager (or whomever is in charge of you're department, be it an assistant director, a producer acting as unit manager, etc...) or other PAs. It's better to ask and do the job right, then to not ask and do it wrong.

Keep the set clean at all times. Unless there's a caterer, you'll prob be in charge of the kraft (food) area, at least from my experince. So if you really have nothing to do, scan by the area and pick up garbage, keep it neat, etc...

Don't worry. Just do your job right, don't stand in anyones ways or annoy anyone important, and be ready to work hard at any given moment.
 
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The mobile phone thing annoys me so much.

The sound guy at our shoot yesterday went OFF about how much he hates iPhones because of all the interference they give off and how mad he was that half the crew has them (we're all in the bay area so no surprise there), then tells everyone to turn their phones off.

The crew does, at least as far as I know (I turned mine off as I always do), but the clients refused and sat next to the monitor & sound recording station all day playing on their phones. That's what pisses me off, and I find it ridiculously consistent - the people "in charge" never turn off their phones - I've had to record my bosses at jobs and ask them to turn off their phone, they don't, then it rings in the middle of a shot. Clients never do. Producers never do. I don't even know how many crew members do, but by the time the shoot was finishing out, I turned my phone back on because how much worse could _I_ make things when the producers & clients have been sitting on their phones all day?

Talk about setting terrible examples.
 
Luis Caffesse said:
Nice find Jared...
Think it would be in bad taste to print it out and hand it out to my crew next time?
:)
Click to expand...

Hmmm....That's a good question. I guess I can see some people being offended. If they're new and really need the help, I don't see the problem. But if they've been doing it for a while and consider themselves pros, then I'm not sure how you'd go about tactfully handing them a "noob booklet." It's always hard to teach someone who has been in the industry for a long time and should know what he's doing, but for some reason or another, still doesn't. They'll tell you indignantly that they've been doing this for x amount of years...

I just ran into someone yesterday who'd been using the dvx for quite a while and didn't know how to set the white balance. He'd been taught to hold the button in until the black balance was reset and had been doing it that way every time. People mistakenly assume that experience always comes with time. :)
 
You don't need the book.
Jon Starr already summarized the whole book.
Well done Jon.I guess I am going to print your post and give it to PAs.
 
mrWr0ng said:
the clients refused and sat next to the monitor & sound recording station all day playing on their phones. That's what pisses me off, and I find it ridiculously consistent - the people "in charge" never turn off their phones - I've had to record my bosses at jobs and ask them to turn off their phone, they don't, then it rings in the middle of a shot. Clients never do. Producers never do.
Click to expand...

Look on the bright side - at some point their insistence on playing with their phones on set, will lead to them sitting in an edit bay hearing all about how the sounds is unusable, and has to be re-recorded at great trouble and expense, because *they* had to be playing with their phones to show how important they were. And their bosses will be there, to hear it.
 
gear

gear

bring gloves. you're really gonna want gloves by the end of the day (gardening type, handyman type, anything to protect your hands)
 
Thanks for all the info guys. I've done my parts and had a good time. I also got to work with some band called Saliva for a Music Video. Now I am doing another football team in Ruston, Louisisna (Cedar Creek Cougars) and an extra in the Lifetime movie Queen Sized.
 
Jared Meyer said:
People mistakenly assume that experience always comes with time. :)
Click to expand...

Nothing comes with time except wrinkles. :furious3:


I have never met a pro that got offended at being reminded of the essentials as long as you didn't single them out and treat them like an idiot.

Glad things went well Ramsaur. Congrats on the gigs.
 
I might add - "watch where you walk". Most guys do the right thing with their cables, etc, but you still don't want to bring down a light/computer/camera by tripping over something.
 
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