Resuming The Job Search

I'm a student. My main priority right now is to graduate college. That's it. Not get married. Not to party. Not to please anyone else. Get that useless piece of paper. At this very moment though, my life right now, is summer vacation/work. Although, my financial situation has deterred any form of extracurricular activities , I find myself putzing around my apartment on most days.

My original plan last fall was to find some landscaping company, or something along those lines, around Spring and ask if they had any open "gofer" positions come summertime. Nothing wrong with that. You're outside, an honest days work.

Well, mid-October I had an unfortunate injury. Tore the achilles. At 30 years old, this was something I never planned on happening (who plans injuries?).

- When I was in my teens, I tore ligaments in my knee that has been a consistent issue.
- Prior to that, I dislocated my pinky finger in a fight at school.
- In 2009, I had bilateral hip surgeries.
- 3 herniated discs in my spine. Probably related to the hip surgeries.
- Arthritis in my left ankle (the same ankle I tore the achilles).
- Sleep disorders.

The last 4 issues are directly related to my military service. Uncle Sam takes care of me, sometimes. I can't really complain, there are others out there that have had less-than-fortunate experiences with the Veterans Affairs, but I've had my issues with them. No one said it would be easy. Anyway...

I'm mobile. Fully capable of working. Looking to find employment in an industry I like, I scour the internet for job postings and post my pleas on social networking sites. Fortunately, a friend was looking for a Production Assistant on an upcoming reality web-series that would later be broadcasted on a network. He knew I loved the industry, had some understanding of the industry (all theory of course), and that I'm reliable (read: would actually show up on time).

Considering it was my only option, minus delivering food and torturing my car, I jumped on board (Note: I wasn't about to turn away my opportunity to work, nor a chance to work on-set).

- It was a small crew, like 5-6 people. I was the lowest man on the totem poll. I knew my place and didn't speak unless spoken too. Being the new PA, it was like being a Private in the Army all over again (something I know extremely well).

- Reading TAPA's blog and others like it sorta prepared me for the "on-set experience". I kept my expectations low and was nice to everyone.

- The "Talent", just like all people, are hit or miss. Some are prima donnas. Some are humble. My job with them was to make sure they had what they "needed" and assist everyone on the crew... decaf,  grande chai latte, not too hot, soy milk, with a straw.  Get coffee, pfft, too easy. Get coffee multiple times, too easy. Move this. Move that. Sit here. Watch this. Don't let anyone come through here.

- People don't like being addressed as "Sir" or "Ma'am".

- Your day rate is for 12 hours. The equation is 8hrs+4hrsOT=day rate. Anything after that is double time and golden time.

- Read your deal memo. Otherwise you might not get those things.

- I'm lucky I got paid at all, considering I had ZERO set experience.

- Be prepared to work long hours, but only actually work for a few of those hours.
Hurry up and wait. Just like the Army!

- Eat now, taste it later.

- HYDRATE!
The last two days of shooting were a scorcher in NYC and I nearly passed out.

- Know your lingo. The rest of the crew doesn't have the time to explain what something is. Even though it's not a bad thing to ask questions (this shows an genuine interest in a field, people love talking about themselves), but you should have a common understanding of what something is: a bag of dirt/sand, C Stands, big babies, etc.

- Pack the vehicle in accordance to gear importance. If the camera has to be unloaded quickly, it doesn't help if it's packed first, with 20 road cases stacked on top of it.

- Save receipts.

- Always make sure you have gaffers tape.

- Some people aren't what they seem to be. Some suit saw that I was wearing a Bouncing Souls t-shirt and we went on to have a discussion about the "scene" and all the bands we've seen.

- Even if you're absolutely sure you know how to do something, don't say anything. It's probably someone else's job and that's not why you're there.

- Be eager to assist, but not over eager. Just like in the Army, when you volunteer to do something, the next thing you know, you're digging trenches on the grenade range. That being said, you're never "above anything".

That pretty much sums it up. I'm sure there are other things, however I can't recall much. We did so much in such a short timespan that everything's a blur.


So what's next? Back to scouring the internet for some jobs. I made a few contacts on those shoots, so hopefully I can email them asking if they need any assistants or whatever. It's a long shot since I'm still green, but it never hurts to ask. Hell, I might even do something for free, just to get experience. We drove past a couple of big shoots in NYC. Part of me is tempted to walk up to the sets and ask for the PM to see if I can get hired on the spot. Doubtful though, I've read that it's a No No to do that.

Regardless, school starts up again in the fall. I'm eager to get back into the swing of things. I just have to decide what to actually declare as my major, haha. Talking to those on the crew, everyone either majored or minored in Filmmaking. But they also said that it wasn't necessary. Just work. No one has ever asked to see their transcripts or their degree. Production below the line is all blue collar. A trade just like carpentry or plumbing or electrical.

I know what you might be thinking, "Just major in Film, you seem to enjoy it, and that's what you want to do with your life, so study that". The problem with that is it's expensive and Uncle Sam doesn't cover a lot of those costs. The big two film schools are NYU and USC. No one gives a shit if you went West Milford University and studied under some schmuck who worked on a Demi Moore movie in 1994.

When you're first starting out, they only want a reliable body.
- If you're on time, you're late.
- When you're at work, work.

I told myself that once I started down this path, I'd study something else, something to fall back on and pursue my "dream". The problem with that is nothing else appeals to me.

- I'm terrible at mathematics.
- The business world is too uptight.
- I don't understand the IT industry.
- When I worked in kitchens, I never ate.
- Kids piss me off.
- I don't want to work in any sort of Law Enforcement or Civil Service industry.

In 5 years, I'll be an alcoholic selling used Toyotas, haha!

But at least I'll have my degree.