How to be a good PA.

MattinSTL

MattinSTL

Sound Modulator
I just finished doing sound on a national show with a new PA (nobody I knew) and a few "common sense" issues came up that really surprised me.

Feel free to add PROS and CONS to this list... what to do... what NOT to do. This list is not in order, but a good starting point for anybody who wants to volunteer to be on a shoot in hopes of getting more exposure and experience.



1) Don't take a job, then try to get out of it the day before the shoot.

2) Be early.

3) Better gigs always have crafty, but eat first. You should not be off grabbing a muffin when the shoot is being set up.

4) Don't complain about anything... ever. If it's hot, cold, whatever... your comments aren't changing the fact that everybody else, including the talent, is dealing with it.

5) Be quiet while the camera is rolling. Can you believe I actually have to say this? That doesn't mean sneak around or TRY to be quiet while you take a drink or eat something... no, you should NOT BE MOVING OR DOING ANYTHING AT ALL. (Yes I can hear your plastic water bottle popping and your footsteps, but I can't say "shut up and be still" while we're rolling).

6) Do not volunteer opinions on how to do something unless somebody specifically looks to you for input.

7) If you're asked to do something you don't know, admit that you don't know and ask for clarification, or ask somebody in that department for clarification. Don't pretend like you understand and try to figure it out.

8) Even if you don't know much about production, and you've had to ask for help on some things all day, don't say that you don't know anything. If you had to ask for help on six things through the day, all the production knows is that you didn't know those six things. As soon as you say you don't know anything... you just threw yourself under the bus.

9) Frankly... if you don't know anything about production, why did you want do this in the first place?

10) I suggest you have gloves, a leatherman, and a flashlight. If you're a PA you may not always need any of those items, but if somebody else does and you're ready... that's props to you... and if you do need any of those items, they're indispensable.
 
A lot of great points, Matt.
I would add one that I've seen become a problem in the past:

Respect the chain of command on the crew. If you have a question or issue, talk to the person directly above you, not to their superior or an unrelated department head.
 
Luis Caffesse said:
Respect the chain of command on the crew. If you have a question or issue, talk to the person directly above you, not to their superior or an unrelated department head.
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That's one of the seven deadly sins there.

Also... thought of another one... if you are moving (or doing anything) and somebody pushes their hand towards you like "stop"... they aren't waving at you... and it doesn't mean "stop for a few seconds, then continue on your way"... It means that whatever action you were doing was affecting the shoot and at that point you should be concerned enough to be EXTRA still and quiet until the cut.

Luis... the sad thing is... "a lot of great points"... I mean... is that amazing or what? That you'd have to TELL somebody to be quiet and still while the camera's rolling? Are you kidding me? I almost went Christian Bale on this dude.
 
MattinSTL said:
1) Don't take a job, then try to get out of it the day before the shoot.
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I just had this happen. Not very happy about that. I realize that being a PA wasn't glamorous for someone who dreams of being a director/scriptwriter, but I told them explicitly what they would be doing and what would be required, and they still said they wanted to do it, and then after having a taste, they just completely bailed on the production.
 
Why pick on PAs? This applies to everyone involved during production.

9) Frankly... if you don't know anything about production, why did you want do this in the first place?

Everyone has to start somewhere, right?
 
Chris... I'm not picking on PAs... I'm offering some common sense... or what SHOULD be common sense. The thing that really got me is I assumed EVERYBODY knew that you have to be still and quiet if you're in the same space with camera and sound during the shot.

It was mind-blowing that this guy couldn't grasp that concept.

Also... notice that I only emphasized the word "anything"... I don't care that somebody has an interest in production... but if you don't know anything at all... learn a bit on a forum like this... or on a film festival project... not on a paid gig.
 
11) If you haven't been told to do something, go find something to do. Don't stand around doing nothing, or worse, sit down. A PA should never be seen sitting down except at lunch break.
 
I can't believe how #6 is not more obvious. Had a PA giving "advice" to the producer/director on a small shoot a few weeks ago. I work for this production company pretty regularly, and was not surprised that I never saw the kid again.
 
Yeah, it's completely misguided if you're doing it to impress someone or to get "noticed." Show your initiative in the job you actually have.
 
David Jimerson said:
Show your initiative in the job you actually have.
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There's so many things in Matt's post that make me want to re-post it in bold and 100-point font, but this one, this little nugget slipped in by DJ, is so frickin' important...

... don't try to do somebody else's job! Do the job you were brought in to do!

I can't tell you how many times I've had someone "help" someone else out, and in doing so, were neglecting their own duties. That's not helping you "move up the ladder", instead, that's ensuring that I never bring you on any other production. Do the job you've been given. Do it extraordinarily well. Let me be the one to ask "what else can you do?"
 
I find it helpful to reach out to other crew on the actual shoot for recommendations. DP's usually have good recs for grips and PA's who have been vetted on their shoots. And vice versa, sound guys can often recommend really good DP's.
 
Isaac_Brody said:
I find it helpful to reach out to other crew on the actual shoot for recommendations. DP's usually have good recs for grips and PA's who have been vetted on their shoots. And vice versa, sound guys can often recommend really good DP's.
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I've had cam-ops (arguably "DPs") ask me for an opinion on almost every gig I go on. They ask what I did last week, last gig, whatever... then comes, "Who were you working with?"... then immediately, "How'd he do?"

That's what I'm talking about to anybody who thinks these criticisms are harsh on a new guy. If any of the stuff that's been brought up here isn't burned-in... a guy could be his own worst enemy and not even know it.

I'll give you my own example. In the previous election (not the one we just had)... I was working for Fox News doing the bumps when Shep was going to commercial... I'm not sure if he still did field reporting then, but I think it was Doocy. So anyway... he's got the Mccain rally going behind him (way back behind) and there was this little terrace that had been vacant all day. About 8 minutes before the next bump... a bunch of hefty gals decide they're going to watch us from this terrace (which is only about 20 feet behind the reporter)... they're looking right down the lens and all I could think was, "it's a perfect shot of the rally behind our guy, except for these chicks ruining the shot". The cameraman looks at me kind of amused at how these ladies stepped into the worst possible place... and gestures to the monitor like, "do you see this?"... God only knows why... but the spot was still 8 minutes away... and I decide that I'll help the shot by asking these three girls if they would mind watching from this other terrace that's not blocking the shot of the rally. Seems reasonable no?

GUESS WHAT?

NO! That was not my place... and luckily it was only me and the cameraman who saw me do that... and honestly, I thought the cameraman was almost asking me to do it... but he DIDN'T ask me to do it. After the next bump and we had more downtime... this guy (who I've worked with many times since, and I like very much) gave me a serious lecture. We've been great ever since then.

I'd have way rather read an anecdote on DVXuser and realized just how important ONLY thinking about your own department is, on serious gigs. The main point being self-awareness, in all of this.

Better to learn it on a forum then blow your first impression on a new potential circle of work.
 
Great points. Another one to add:

Don't stand in the actors eyeline. Very easy way to screw up, especially on a big shoot.

Also, focus on your main job. It's been somewhat said, but there was this one girl on a job recently.... she screwed up a few things that I felt were common sense, and I could tell she wasn't the brightest pea in the pod. She was the set PA, but she was also asked by one of the producers to take some behind the scene photos with a simple camera. Unfortunately this seemed to take precedence over her actual job. Just as an example, she was asked to grab one of the props form the actor during the shot. She was there, ready, but it started rolling and she saw a 'shot', so she took it. The actor was left hanging, and the DP had to jump in and grab it. She didn't even notice. When we needed her she was always taking photos... it was so infuriating.
 
When you are starting out, if you're not the first guy to show up AND the last guy to leave, you're doing it wrong.
 
HorseFilms said:
When I used to PA, my mindset was that I needed to work harder than everyone else.
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This should apply to almost any position on a shoot, and it is the way I always feel. (gotta prove I'm no fraud!)

I 100% agree with the 'focus on your job' comments. Unless you are hired as Producer/Director/AD, etc it is not your place to be worrying about other areas of the shoot. Focus! (especially if you are pulling focus (sorry, cheap joke)).
However:I have been on one or two low budget shoots where I am the most experienced there. The sound guy has never seen a mic before, the PA has literacy issues and the director thinks his primary role is getting doughnuts. What to do in that situation? Pick up the slack or let the shoot fail? I tend to pick up the slack. I realise that this is a different scenario than was originally posited. In that case, a rookie PA should act like a good coffee table: always there with whatever you need and be convenient to offload onto. (Any PA's reading this: no offence meant! :))

D.
 
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