lol movie job

[DandyFop]

So Utah is a fairly hot spot to make cheap films and I've heard rumors that this summer is going to be pretty busy. I know a bunch of people who work on various things, and I actually saw one of them at the bar last week. I mentioned that I was quitting my waitressing job (last shift is Monday night), and that I was just going to see if I could get a job on some sets. I didn't ask him for one even though I know he's working on a movie, cause I didn't want to be like that.

But then yesterday he called and asked what I was doing for the summer to which I replyed "nothing". He said they are looking for a Director's Assistant for this movie. He asked if I had used Final Draft before and I said yeah (never touched it), and he asked some specifics and I'm all I've only used it a few times but I'm really quick with stuff like that. Anyway I guess I'm going to interview with the director on Monday or some shit. I'm nervous as all fuck. The Final Draft thing I'm not too freaked out about, it's just a screenwriting program and I downloaded the demo (pretty much the full version you just can't save more than like 15 pages) to mess around with. But I'm still freaked out as fuck, I've never been on a big set around a "real" movie and all that stuff and I'm so scared. But you gotta start somewhere right? Even if I don't get it I'm just going to ask if there's something else more low-key I can do.

Eeeeeee. Exciting!

[Waus]

I'm pretty sure this is how pornos start.

"So, you want to work on the movie, huh...?"




j/k - that sounds pretty cool! Do you have any idea what movie you'll be working on?

[DandyFop]

I think it's this one (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0799997/), judging by my friend's IMDB page.

omggg nervous.

[ToucanSpam]

That sounds off the chain, bro.(y)


give ya boi a holla on the details as they come.

[DandyFop]

nevermind, that isn't the movie. I don't know what it is...

[ToucanSpam]

I was half excited there, according to IMDB the lead actor from the I Know What You Did Last Summer sequel was in that movie.

[Knuckles]

I got my fingers crossed for ya Foppy. :)

[DandyFop]

I was half excited there, according to IMDB the lead actor from the I Know What You Did Last Summer sequel was in that movie.

Yeah I really hope it's not that one at least, because The Dance is another one of those "mormon" movies...most of you probably don't know what those are, but they are these comedies geared towards LDS folks with all these inside jokes, etc.

[ToucanSpam]

Irregardless of what the actual movie is this sounds like an excellent opportunity to do something fun for the summer. Definately better than serving up hamburgers or making phone calls to Americans asking what type of insurance they have.

[Documad]

That sounds like the coolest thing ever. I've read industry books so I know it's not glamorous, but still. It's your first big job in the industry! Whether it's a good or bad movie, you are going to learn so much just from being around it every day. Wow!

[b i o n i c]

ya done good!

just fuck around with that program and learn some terminology (http://www.filmland.com/glossary/Dictionary.html). be prepared for tempers, long hours, and craft services food... which can be a good thing.

congrats

[DandyFop]

Hey bionic, that link is awesome, thank you! That's mostly what I'm worried about, I have no idea what the fuck I'm doing. But at the same time, I think about stories that people tell about getting their first job in stuff like this...you just have to have some balls and go for it!

[b i o n i c]

Hey bionic, that link is awesome, thank you! That's mostly what I'm worried about, I have no idea what the fuck I'm doing. But at the same time, I think about stories that people tell about getting their first job in stuff like this...you just have to have some balls and go for it!
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even better (http://www.noendpress.com/caleb/edtech/index.php)

this one's just the basics (http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Movie_Making_Manual-The_Basic_Basics)

balls! the best/fastest way to learn to swim is to just jump in. (y)
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[DipDipDive]

Word. That rules. (y)

[na§tee]

hello!

look at you, well done.
as you probably know, i worked on a film called red road (http://www.glasgowfilm.com/redroad/default.html) as a production trainee [but was basically the director's assistant too - although i was never on set] which won the jury award at cannes last month, so i thought i'd give you some wee tipsters.

final draft is so easy. you'll probably only need it to make script changes, print 'em out, and distribute them to the cast/crew. you'll be fine.

my experience on the film was both disappointing and a revelation.
a revelation in that andrea, the director, was fucking awesome and really cared about what i thought - took me under her wing. it's also really great to have an oscar winner on your c.v, ha! a revelation in that i met some great people and spent lots of time getting drunk on other people's money. and have the lead actor attempt to kiss me. a revelation in that it is totally unpredictable - for example, on location shooting in a house when the landlord's came out and ordered us all OFFA MAH PROPERTY! and kicked out the druggie tenant who initially signed the location agreement.

disappointing in that it is totally not a hotbed of creative opportunities that i thought it would be. i mean, i was just there to photocopy photocopy photocopy. know your photocopier. i had to do all the call sheets/distribution lists/contact sheets. when it's near call time and they've just sent in the next day's call sheet - they need it THEN and NOW. no dillydallying. if the photocopier is fucked, you just have to find other ways to do it. lots of pressure. lots of running about. i rarely had a time when there wasn't a queue of things for me to do afterwards. always something.

very long hours, early mornings, but that's not so bad. you get lots of random enquiries. the director would call up and say "is it okay for security men to have beards?" and i had to call up london security firms and actually ask them this. it was hilarious! or "find me a song like x for the wedding scene" and i would download loads of songs and put them on cd for her. then you have to find clearances for everything - for songs, for brand names that appear on screen etc. you can't just have your lead actor walk past a huge sony advert and keep it in when you don't have their permission. isht like that.

disappointing in that this business, at least in the uk, is mostly freelance and you will struggle to find continued employment. all of my colleagues who were scotland based (i.e not the director, the dop, the actors or the focus puller) were so bitter and in competition with each other for the next hot job. the wrap party was like a cattle market - seeking out that next opportunity for a pay cheque. the film wrapped in december and i have not had a job since, apart from being offered a few running jobs on music videos/adverts, which i couldn't even get because i am TOO YOUNG FOR RENTAL CAR INSURANCE.

yeah, i wish someone had told me that would limit my employment prospects before i decided to go down on this path, pfft. so, in all honesty, having an oscar winner on your c.v doesn't really help at all. because she lives in london. she said she would have be again on her next project like that - but i'm in glasgow. everyone, you'll notice, in the different departments - sound, production, locations, camera - they employ the same teams, the same buddies, again and again. so if you're a newbie like me, you're screwed. while would my line producer employ me on her next job when her friend of 8 years has always been her production assistant? it's really, really hard.

this is why i am having to seriously think about my future now. i don't want to hussle for jobs collecting actors from the airport and photocopying call sheets for 10 years for no pay-off, and when i really actually want to be doing something creative. unfortunately my film degree was more academic based, so i have to learn this somewhere else - the practical stuff. so i'm thinking of doing a practical masters somewhere. but i don't have a showreel. so i need to go on short courses. but you need to pay for them, so i need to get a shit office job for a year to fund it. so right now i am struggling to find a super crappy office job to fund my short film making that i don't even know will be good enough to get me into art college/film school. yeah. whatevs.

anyhoo that's my stuff.
i'm sure in the states there are loads more opportunities. it's just that here i see people massively less talented or intelligent or good craic than me get these jobs, and it's upsetting. i'm piss poor and they're just jammy bastards. plus production is not what i want to do, anyway.
director's assistant sounds fun though. go for it. all they are after is someone who is hugely enthusiastic, willing to put up with lots of stress and lots of tiredness, and able to order lots of starbucks. you'll be fine!

[abcdefz]

So Utah is a fairly hot spot to make cheap films and I've heard rumors that this summer is going to be pretty busy. I know a bunch of people who work on various things, and I actually saw one of them at the bar last week. I mentioned that I was quitting my waitressing job (last shift is Monday night), and that I was just going to see if I could get a job on some sets. I didn't ask him for one even though I know he's working on a movie, cause I didn't want to be like that.

But then yesterday he called and asked what I was doing for the summer to which I replyed "nothing". He said they are looking for a Director's Assistant for this movie. He asked if I had used Final Draft before and I said yeah (never touched it), and he asked some specifics and I'm all I've only used it a few times but I'm really quick with stuff like that. Anyway I guess I'm going to interview with the director on Monday or some shit. I'm nervous as all fuck. The Final Draft thing I'm not too freaked out about, it's just a screenwriting program and I downloaded the demo (pretty much the full version you just can't save more than like 15 pages) to mess around with. But I'm still freaked out as fuck, I've never been on a big set around a "real" movie and all that stuff and I'm so scared. But you gotta start somewhere right? Even if I don't get it I'm just going to ask if there's something else more low-key I can do.

Eeeeeee. Exciting!




Final Draft and Movie Screenwriter are both easy-as-hell to learn. Seriously. If you don't have it down within about ten minutes, I'd be surprised. (y)

[GetYourWarOn]

good luck.

[marsdaddy]

Awesome!

[jabumbo]

i hope its not that movie for your sake



i mean, who in the hell names their kid McKay? i have no idea if thats a man or a woman


pretty cool though (y)

[DandyFop]

Wow, Claire, thanks for the reply! It's nice to hear about someone else's experiences in this kind of stuff.

The guy didn't call me with an exact time for an interview or anything tomorrow so I don't know what's up. I'm really freaked out, to the point where I'm psuedo wishing it doesn't happen, just because I wanted like two weeks to get shit shorted at my house before looking for something. But duh I obviously shouldn't pass up the opportunity to at least be on a "real" movie set. So nervous still!!

Thanks for all the tips and all, everyone. I have been looking at Final Draft, easy sneezy. I don't know what to wear to this interview though, and I have nothing that resembles a resume yet.

[b i o n i c]

you like to dress kinda funky, no?


dress how you normally do... you cool, yo

[beastieangel01]

that rocks, best of luck! :)