Starting out in Hollywood
I met Adam Davis last year. He was a student at Drake University, my alma mater, and came with the high recommendation of a mutual mentor. Adam wrote and directed a lot of short films while he was at Drake, and movies were clearly his calling. He was wondering whether he should bite the bullet and move to Los Angeles. I said yes, definitely — but he should prepare to work his ass off when he got here.
Adam took me at my word. I’ve had lunch with him a few times since he’s moved here, and after our last batch of Baja Fresh, I asked him to write up his experience so far.
Every year, a few thousand recent college grads move to Hollywood, hoping to get started. Here’s how Adam did it. He’s very much mid-process, but notice how much he’s hustling to get his next job. How you can never tell who is going to pay off as a contact. That’s how it works.
With a goal of becoming a writer/director, I moved out to Los Angeles in late March with my friend from college to try to get work on sets as a production assistant. The first few days were an exhaustive apartment search, and luckily, we were able to find a place in Culver City within the week.
As we waited for our internet to be hooked up, I was able to piggyback on someone’s wireless signal and started the job hunt. I went to my three favorite websites, craigslist, mandy.com, and entertainmentcareers.net. Every day was spent sending out resumes and cover letters for any and all PA jobs I could find. Features, shorts, commercials, music videos, it didn’t matter.
The first week was terrible. No calls, nothing. The feeling of impending doom of being jobless, or even worse, having to get a regular job, was awful.
But in the second week, I started getting calls. I interviewed to be a PA on a short film that was shooting in late April for two weeks with a pay of $20 a day. Having nothing at the time, I agreed to it. But it still didn’t solve the problem of having a job now.
I had another interview for a feature which was supposed to start pre-production at the beginning of April, and got hired on in the art department. That was going to pay $50 a day, which I was ecstatic over. The day before I was supposed to start work, I got a call saying that the movie had been pushed back to August 1st.
So again, no job. Wanting to get on set and make connections, I took a job in the art department for a music video for no pay one weekend. I was told that they had more jobs that paid coming up and if you worked for free they would get you on the paying job. Since April, I still haven’t received calls for a paying gig from them. I’ve received many calls for more non-paying jobs, but none that pay.
But overall, it was a very interesting shoot where I got to spray the band members with chocolate-tinted water to simulate black rain. Just something you don’t get to do very often.
Becoming a little desperate, I started calling people that I had worked with and met last summer, when I had an internship with Marvel Studios. I had worked on a feature for a few days for free, and I called up the 1st AD, who remembered me. He said that the film he was on was fully staffed right now, but if anything came up, he’d let me know.
A day later, he called saying that he needed me to be a key set PA for three days. I snatched up the opportunity, and worked on “Dead Air,� a zombie horror film.
After that, work on the short film started. It was called “The Legend of My Heart-Shaped Anus,� a quirky comedy being submitted to Sundance. It was great working with such a small crew because I got to learn a lot about lighting and cameras. And instead of being a PA, I turned into a grip and electric. Wrangling cables, setting up lights, carrying stands, everything. In one scene, I got to drop heart-shaped poo, made out of chocolate, onto two puppets fighting. It sounds strange, but it makes sense when you see the movie. I started thinking that perhaps the mark I would be making in Hollywood is to drop various incarnations of chocolate onto people and things.
Then May rolled around. I applied to more jobs and had a few more interviews, one with Lionsgate in the office of the CEO. They were looking to groom future studio execs, and since I expressed my interest in the creative side, I was told that perhaps a desk job wouldn’t be the best thing for me. I knew that to be true, and I’m very glad they picked up on that and let me know.
Then I had an interview scheduled with a guy who needed a personal assistant as well as a PA on his TV show. I went to the coffee shop we selected to meet at and he never showed and never answered his phone. So that was another one that didn’t work out, but it was for the best because I had an interview to be a PA on a shoot for Fox Reality’s “Average Joe: Reality Revealed.� I got the job and got to help the producers out with some pre-production for the shoot. We shot the interviews that weekend, and apparently I impressed them enough because on Monday they brought me on board to be an assistant editor since I know Final Cut Pro.
The editing job lasted from May through early July, and during that time I was given enough freedom to work other PA jobs as they came up. The 1st AD that got me on “Dead Air,� called me to work on a PSA, so I worked as a PA during the day, then went straight to the office to edit through the night. I did that for three days, and luckily my brain didn’t explode due to lack of sleep.
Later in June, a contact that I met last summer during my internship called me with an opportunity to work on the new Judd Apatow produced film, “Forgetting Sarah Marshall.� I jumped at the chance, and got to work on my very first big studio flick. That single night on “Forgetting Sarah Marshall� was the most fun I’ve ever had on a set.
I then got a job as a PA on an indie feature that’s hopefully going to Sundance, “Thunder Geniuses,� so I had to end my time at the editing job. “Thunder Geniuses� shot at a studio, a school, and then in the woods for two weeks and it was the most demanding shoot I’ve been on so far. But it was also extremely rewarding since I was able to make some great connections with a lot of people that can hopefully get me work in the future.
After 18 grueling days, we wrapped and I got a call from the editor of “Average Joe: Reality Revealed,� asking if I could come back and help out with some more editing to finish up the project. That’s what I worked on last week, and this week I’m not sure if I’ll be working on it again, since we’re almost finished.
I also got a call from my contact to work on the new Will Smith movie, but I had to turn it down because of my previous commitment with the editing job. But my roommate was able to take my place, so that’s a benefit.
I’ve been applying for more PA jobs, but hopefully I’ll get to rely on applying less and less since my network expanded greatly after “Thunder Geniuses.� But as of right now, I’m back to updating my resume, searching the internet for jobs, and debating whether or not to bug my contacts for work yet. But that’s what I like about the job and the life in Los Angeles. The uncertainty and the excitement of never knowing what’s going to happen next or who might call with the next awesome job. I’d prefer nothing else.
Articles
August 17th, 2007 at 6:37 am
I wonder how many of us reading this are nodding ‘yep, been there done that’. Good luck Adam. Keep banging on doors. They let you in after a while.
August 17th, 2007 at 8:00 am
Lots of ‘irons in the coals.’ It’s the only way to get ahead in this biz. Keep after it, Adam!
August 17th, 2007 at 8:25 am
Good idea to post this, John! And for all those in a similar place as Adam, notice the importance of constantly networking (though you don’t have to call it that, if you find the term distasteful).
August 17th, 2007 at 8:32 am
Wow, that’s awesome. I’m excited for when I leave school to do this kind of thing!
August 17th, 2007 at 8:50 am
Wow, there are a lot of parallels between Adam’s Story and mine.
1) I moved to LA in late March.
2) I had an exhaustive apartment search (probably not so rare).
3) I “piggybacked” someone’s internet so I could go to the mentioned web sites and submit resumes.
Maybe my story’s not so unique. I ended up getting a steady job at a post house. Adam sounds like he’s having more fun.
For the benefit of those who are about to move to LA, I had two weeks with no returned phone calls. Don’t let it get you down.
August 17th, 2007 at 9:05 am
Wow, Adam got things rolling a lot faster than I did. If there’s one thing I’d caution him on, it’s this: try to avoid turning down feature work in favor of reality work (assuming that features are where your heart is). Reality TV dominates my resume, and it’s making it difficult to get scripted work.
August 17th, 2007 at 9:54 am
Good job and great article!
August 17th, 2007 at 9:57 am
My brother moved to LA last fall (only he wanted to be a rock star). One of his friends had moved there a year before. My bro basically got to piggy back off of his contacts. He started working as a PA on music videos almost immediately.
Recently, he did promo commercial work for the new Fox comedy, Back to You. The other week, we were talking on the phone. He was on set. I could hear his radio/walkie talkie whatever the heck you people use out there. Suddenly, he had to go. It was time to invite Patricia Heaton to the set.
August 17th, 2007 at 11:15 am
Just remember you came out here to write and direct. So whatever job you get make sure you have time or make time to WRITE and DIRECT.
August 17th, 2007 at 11:29 am
I came out in June and finally found a job at Equinox fitness in WeHo. Not exactly an industry position, but a lot of industry people come through so it’s an opportunity to create relationships.
August 17th, 2007 at 1:35 pm
You have a much more stamina than I. If I had
to drop fake poo on puppets I would probably cry and
then move back in with my parents for the next ten years.
August 17th, 2007 at 2:30 pm
Just wondering - have you begun writing anything?
August 17th, 2007 at 3:00 pm
Amen brother! My experience over year one in “the biz” has been pretty similar so far (sans the film degree though). The toughest part is finding time to write, usually it means trading sleep for productivity. However, once a page clicks correctly in front of you, well, the whole thing feels worthwhile. Keep grinding her out, we’ll make it through to the other side yet…
August 17th, 2007 at 3:10 pm
After 2 years as a PA in NYC, here’s something I learned that most pa’s don’t realize. Commercials are a great place to get a lot of experience for a lot of diff reasons.
Hollywood directors and DPs do a lot of commercials and its not the same atmosphere as a film set, they are much more approachable and accessible.
The money is better than features, 200/day in NYC, I believe 150/day in LA.
Repetition. Where you might pick up equipment etc once every six weeks for a feature, you do it every week for commercials. You get to know the guys at the vendors which is helpful when you need a favor.
Catering rules.
Exposure to many diff styles. On 150 commercials, I’ve worked on all budgets, specs, with all kinds of lighting, stunts, cameras, film, video.
That’s my NY experience, anyone have any LA experience with commercials?
Good luck!
August 17th, 2007 at 3:57 pm
John, how many PA jobs did you have before you did Go?
August 17th, 2007 at 4:10 pm
John, thanks for encouraging Adam to write his story. To Adam, I am glad to see that we are in your list of favorite resources and I am trying not to take it personally that you listed us last ;). The next time you are in Brentwood, Baja Fresh is on us.
Brad Hall
Founder, EntertainmentCareers.Net
August 17th, 2007 at 4:16 pm
Charlie Don’t Surf said it best. While set jobs can be great spots to learn, if you’re spending all your time networking, chasing employment, and locking down sets, you’re not spending time writing and directing.
That said, don’t let go of your enthusaism. Right now it’s the best weapon you have.
August 17th, 2007 at 5:02 pm
Enthusiasm. Don’t let go of your spell check either.
August 17th, 2007 at 5:06 pm
Drew (#15):
While I was in film school (USC), I had one unpaid internship, one paid internship and a freelance reader job. I then worked as an assistant for about six months, answering phones and making copies. I wrote a novelization for $7,000, which was enough to live unemployed for a few months before I got my first paid screenwriting job, adapting How to Eat Fried Worms.
It wasn’t until I got my second gig (A Wrinkle in Time) that I finally bought a bed. I’d been sleeping on a foam mattress for two years.
Go came a year later.
My mom paid my medical insurance until I got into the WGA. And good thing, too, because I had a kidney stone. Which sucked, and would have cost $6,000 I didn’t have.
August 17th, 2007 at 5:14 pm
I had written and directed many shorts throughout college like Adam. However, I am dead-set on becoming a writer.
Another person like Jason hardened in the fires of the NY PA scene. I’ve done two independent features, shorts, commercials, the whole thing. I worked for a long time free before being paid for it. I started working as a PA in high school and I did it here and there for years. Thinking NYC is really a television town I took an internship for an amazing Late Night talk show. Best job ever.
I graduated college like many in debt and broke. Los Angeles seemed and still seems like an impossible dream. I did not have any money to move cross country and neither did my parents who have fallen on seriously hard times. The only thing I had going for me was a friend in Queens with a 1-bedroom apartment who wanted to cut back on rent. So, a year ago I moved in with him. I’m still there.
I got an office job at a major network in NYC. It isn’t a creative job. It is in syndication, the end of the line. This is the graveyard of the television industry. I have hit rock bottom. The pay isn’t enough for me to move out of the 1-bedroom or even upgrade us to a 2-bedroom. I am a working full time professional living in a living room; without benefits.
Being in this business a while I really don’t know if there’s a point at all to being a PA. Or an office worker. I am the point now that I don’t think you can find anything in these side-line industry jobs.
I’ll work, try to survive, and write. Hopefully, one day I’ll be good enough to get somewhere with it. Then I can actually be somewhere. Right now? No where. The PA path is a dark one (at least for me.) I hope Adam has better luck and hopefully it is easier in LA. I am actually considering applying to film school in LA just as a way for me to get cross the country. The aide and loans I could get as a student seems like the only way I’d be able to move.
August 17th, 2007 at 5:53 pm
Jason G (#14):
I’ve heard that commercials are the holy grail out here for money, etc. Still trying to figure out a way to get into that.
Simon W (#12):
I actually just finished the first draft of my next feature, which leads me to…
Charlie (#9), Colin (#16):
While on the set of “Thunder Geniuses,” I really started to get the itch back to be my own boss and make my own films. I figured that I didn’t want to keep sacrificing my stuff to make rent, even though making rent is important. So another upside to working on that film is that I now have a few people from it who are interested in helping out with one of my unproduced short scripts I have sitting around. So I haven’t been directing recently (really getting the itch) but I have been writing constantly, so I’ve sacrificed some directing time for focusing on my writing. That was the best part of the editing gig. It was like an office job, so I could go home at a decent time, relatively still peppy, and write.
And I suddenly don’t feel so bad about sleeping on my Ikea mattress pad on my floor.
August 18th, 2007 at 7:04 am
Great article! I am going into my third and final year of film production here in Ontario Canada. In January we get the chance to take an internship with a writer, director or production company that we admire. While most of the students take placements in Toronto, I am researching opportunities to do mine in L.A. Does anyone have any insights to how one should go about applying for unpaid internships?
Thanks
-Calvin
August 18th, 2007 at 12:18 pm
Calvin -
http://www.entertainmentcareers.net lists some internships and your school should be able to get you the UTA Joblist which lists production companies who are looking for interns.
August 18th, 2007 at 7:56 pm
Adam Davis: If you want to start PAing on commercials, there’s a comprehensive list of commercial production houses on LA411.com. Just cold call ‘em, establish a contact and let them know you’re available for work. If you get in with a good shop (like Anonymous Content), there can be a ton of work and everything Jason G said is correct (though you could likely do better than 150/day.
August 18th, 2007 at 9:18 pm
I’ve always wondered, especially for a writer, if it makes sense to quickly move out to LA after graduating from a non CA school. The costs of living are so much greater out here and the majority of “industry” jobs pay so poorly that it seems like one would be better off living back home.
I ended up coming out here cuz I thought I needed to be in LA and work in the industry if I wanted to write/direct.
I did the intern thing then the agency thing, got sucked into that world and now am doing the development thing. Working 10-14 hour days for crappy pay isn’t what I would recommend to any aspiring screenwriter. Sure I have made a ton of great connections and am at the point where a career in development/producing is in my grasp, but if you hang out at the food court by CAA or simply use Facebook you can make the same connections without the years of pain and suffering.
If I could do it all over I would have lived at home (free rent!) or in a apartment back home for a couple of years…and then wait to move out once I had 3 or 4 polished specs that were Top 4 worthy.
Course most writers don’t seem to have a clue as to what exactly qualifies as submission worthy…so maybe that is a bonus to moving out here.
Anyways…good luck Adam.
August 19th, 2007 at 6:47 am
Hi John … great blog. First time I have found you but I have put you on my favourites list.
I have written a script but had no luck getting an agent … and believe me I have tried …. So I have taken an unusual step and I wondered if you would give me your comments on my idea.
I have started a blog
http://www.screenplayfreedom.wordpress.com/
that chronicles my screenplay one page at a time for 90 days in the hope that it will get spotted and taken by an agent. Feel free to check out the script if you like and any advice would be welcomed. Good luck out there. Graeme
August 19th, 2007 at 4:12 pm
Getting an agent is easy.
Writing a great script is the hard part.
August 19th, 2007 at 5:18 pm
CharlieDontSurf seems to be against this, but is it possible to go the writer/director route by working in development for a few years? As someone thinking about their move to LA, I really need to know from those who have done it before!
Most of the kids from my school go the PA route, but I’m not interested in the technical aspects of film much (I don’t want to be an electrician or grip) and from my experiences on student film sets (different, I know), I really get no satisfaction from being a goffer when I never get to help on the creative pre-production side.
The again, I’m still not sure what I want to do. But I imagine that screenwriting is my calling and my pie-in-the-sky dream is to be a director, so perhaps Adam’s journey should become mine too.
Thanks, Adam, for writing all this up– I’m sharing it with all my film friends!
August 19th, 2007 at 6:11 pm
It is possible to go the writer/director route by working just about any job.
In reality your best bet is to have a living situation that does cost you a lot of $$$ and have a job that allows you to survive and requires you to work the fewest amount of hours possible. Thus all those free hours can be used writing your scripts and directing your shorts.
Very few development jobs will be any more enjoyable than a gofer job. Youll essentially be a secretary, but work much longer hours 10-12( sometimes more depending on the gig) and make much less money($8-$13) usually. Plus your boss will often be a complete asshole.
Working as a PA or as a development assistant isn’t going to launch your career as a screenwriter or director the vast majority of the time.
Writing a good/great screenplay or directing a great short will.
However those above jobs could lead to a career as a Creative Exec, Story Editor, VP of Production, Producer, Grip, 1st AD, etc etc.
August 20th, 2007 at 2:47 am
LadyUranus,
I would really search your soul about how much do you really want to be a director (and to an extent a screenwriter if you’re “not interested in the technical aspects of film much.”
I appreciate you don’t want to be a grip or an electrician but you should still be excited about being on a film set. And you should make it your mission to be as well versed in the technical requirements of filmmaking as you possibly can.
Being familiar with the technical aspects of film is a big part of your toolset as a director AND screenwriter. Otherwise it’s like wanting to be a plumber but not being interested in how to work a wrench.
And, in my experience, you learn a ton of useful stuff from grips and electricians on a film set. Some of the practical solutions I have seen grips suggest and implement have been pure genius!
Needless to say, I have appropriated a lot of their tricks so that now, when I’m directing, I can come off as the genius for suggesting practical ways of achieving shots and save everyone time and money in the process!
August 20th, 2007 at 6:53 am
John,
How important do you think it is for a director to have a lot of technical knowledge? Can’t he just hire a good crew that knows what they’re doing instead of trying to learn the minute details of gaffing and boom operating?
August 20th, 2007 at 8:08 am
Drew,
Sure. Maybe. But what most people (even film people) think “directing” is, is only about 10% of the job. Now, it varies from individual to individual, but being a director involves everything from knowing what shots are coming up to every little detail of wardrobe, art, and lighting that he or she wants, to just plain and simple management of the thousand combinations of people and things at any given point on a film set. The strongest ability a director can have is to be able to answer a lot of questions, very rapidly, and be “right” as much as possible.
That said, the broader knowledge a director has of any given aspect(s) of production can only be a benefit. There are an awful lot of directors that are resented by crews for their genuine technical ignorance or competence. And a manager who’s resented by subordinates is rarely ever going to be an effective manager.
And a final caveat: Sure, when you have the money, you can hire the best of the best, and they’ll do a great job. Until you have the money, though, you’re going to be scraping by (relatively speaking) and hiring a lot of people for key positions who, truth be told, are not the best of the best. Sometimes, you’ll realize they’re actually quite far from the best of the best, and you’re going to need to replace them. But you’re not going to actually know that if you don’t know enough to tell the difference.
August 20th, 2007 at 10:43 am
Great story. Such a clear reminder that it’s a people-based business, and if you’re willing to work at it, small contacts lead to more small gigs and contacts, which can grow, but only with a lot of work and commitment. He definitely picked the right time in his life for it–it gets a lot harder once you’ve got a partner and kids and house and all that stuff.
August 20th, 2007 at 11:55 am
Directors take all kinds of shapes and forms… ranging from the David Finchers to the Kevin Smiths.
I don’t think wanting to be on a film set to learn all the technical stuff has much to do with wanting to be a screenwriter. As a director…yes you figure that would interest the person…but only somewhat depending on what type of director you are achieving to be.
August 21st, 2007 at 6:19 am
According to Spielberg, PAing is the last thing you should do if you want to direct. He says if you want to write and/or direct, then you should write and/or direct. These days all you need is a $400 camera and a good story to show what you can do (and if you’re smart enough to write a good story, don’t tell me you’re not smart enough to come up with $400).
I’m not saying all you LA PA’s aren’t going to succeed, but I’m very glad I’m not paying the rent you’re paying. The less money I need to make, the more time I have to write. (For example, notice that John’s break came when he had enough money to live unemployed for a few months.)
August 21st, 2007 at 11:17 am
John,
Thanks for posting this. As a junior in college I’m really doing my best to scrape up every last bit of self-esteem to move out to LA after I graduate, and hearing that it CAN work if you put your mind to it is a great thing.
August 21st, 2007 at 2:36 pm
A couple of comments on a couple of comments:
Spielberg’s right: If Adam wants to write and direct, he needs to write and direct. But there’s a limit to how far he can get in Des Moines, Iowa. He needed to move to Los Angeles. (Or New York.) He showed up here knowing no one, and now he knows PA’s, grips, gaffers, directors, line producers, editors, etc. — all the people he needs to make a movie when the time comes.
A screenwriter can honestly remain ignorant of a lot of the technical aspects. There are Oscar-winning screenwriters who couldn’t tell you what aspect ratio their movies were shot in. I’m more hands-on than most.
August 21st, 2007 at 5:20 pm
Man, I don’t even remember how I stumbled across this but it could not have come at a better time in terms of inspiration. Thank you John and Adam!
I never went to film school, but did some interning and PA work at MTV back in the day, and got Avid post-production certification from Future Media in NY. So while the Golden Dream has always been to write and direct, I have almost no technical knowledge or noteworthy production experience.
I knew what the financial realities of moving to LA were, and I didn’t want to be like every other poor shlub, fresh off the bus with stars in their eyes and $50 in their pocket. So when a car accident sidelined me for an unfortunate chunk of years, I used the downtime to give myself the business education my English BA didn’t prepare me for. And now that my LLC is generating enough to pay the rent pretty much on autopilot, I find myself, finally, in Los Angeles.
It’s the “What Next?” that I’m stuck on.
Most of the acquaintances I had out here gave me the “Oh sure, once you’re in LA I’ll hook you up” line, until I actually moved out here, and now they seem to have left the planet.
And the advice I have gotten is so contradictory.
Some have suggested that with zero directorial experience, I follow Adam’s PA path, especially since I can afford to do it for the learning experience and not the paycheck. Of course I don’t know John August or have any award winning college films on my reel — or even a reel at all — so how much more difficult my road would be remains to be seen.
Others have said that since I’m closer to 30 than 20, there are plenty of people competing for the same jobs that are a decade younger but with 10X the experience on their resume. According to this school of thought I might be better off just buying an HD camera to figure it all out on my own. How much you can actually Learn By Doing without any frame of reference — pun not intended — I’m not so sure, but I suppose it would be a deductible business expense.
And then there are the people who say I’m sort of living the Writer’s Dream without even appreciating it, in that I could sit around in my underwear all day and work on my scripts without getting a 9 to 5 at all. This argument says that if I have faith in my talent and ideas, a good script is the best bargaining chip you could hope to have in this town, and eventually someone will let me direct my own work if they want it badly enough, even if it means hiring people to carry me while I learn. But I feel like I didn’t need to move to LA if I just wanted to sit around in my underwear all day.
So what do you all think? Right now I’m scrambling for a new place because my subletter lost her lease and I’m a week away from homelessness, but then I can devote my full efforts to whatever plan of attack seems most sensible in my situation.
August 21st, 2007 at 9:30 pm
Just a quick little update:
Today was my second day on a commercial for a Pfizer drug, so I finally got into that unattainable commercial world. And strangely, it was the gaffer of “Thunder Geniuses” who got me on the job. And speaking with some of the “salty” regulars, I’ve found it really is all about referrals for them.
Subterranean (#38), it all depends on what you want. John nailed my situation on the head. I want to know as many people as I can in the industry, because who knows who can help you out? I figured that getting real work on sets might provide me with more opportunities than being a waiter hoping to seat Spielberg.
So I say, why not do it all? Why not PA on whatever you can? It’s freelance so you do get days off between gigs, and you can write or shoot then. That’s how I’m approaching it.
But being 30 instead of 20 has rewards as well. You may get more respect if you don’t look like you’re twelve. I think I’ll start growing some facial hair now…
August 22nd, 2007 at 1:38 pm
Adam,
You have a lot of tenacity. I wish you well in your L.A. adventures.
Mark
August 22nd, 2007 at 3:42 pm
If you really want to get started, why not send your best writing sample and a polished/professional reel to John’s agent at UTA. He’s not only one of the most respected lit agents in town but he’s also a partner and soon to be boardmember. John, what is DK’s direct dial….
August 24th, 2007 at 7:54 pm
Hi John or Adam,
Inspired by the Starting out in Hollywood post and learning for the first time about Mandy.com, I promptly visited the site. I then applied for 2 no/lo/deferred pay script reading jobs, although I have zero experience. I thought what the hell, I live in Washington and these positions were the only ones that didn’t require a physical presence in LA or NY. Well I got a call back and it was most curious phone interview. After being asked about the types of films I liked I was informed that this company made “a-typicial” films. I was then asked how old I was, and as an attorney I recognize that inquiry as dangerous for various legal reasons. I then thought, screw ADEA and EEOC concerns, my god I’ve applied to read porn scripts–although I am completely open-minded, it’s not where I want to gain experience. I guess I am curious about no/lo/deferred pay script reading gigs and what I am really getting myself into when I apply for these positions.
August 25th, 2007 at 9:04 pm
Hey Lisa,
I’m not sure how often companies don’t pay for coverage, since being a script reader is a paying gig. As an unpaid intern at Marvel, I did coverage, about 15 over the summer for experience and to bulk up my writing samples. So if you have the free time to do coverage to build up your own portfolio, I say go for it. I guess it’s not a big deal you’re not getting paid, I never got paid to do a book report in school, and that’s what it feels like to me.
And then on the other hand, you’re not going to want to send out writing samples for “G.I.L.F.S. Part 5.” I’d say research the company, or straight out ask them what “a-typical” means. It could be like “Being John Malkovich,” for all you know. But if you’re not comfortable reading that material, don’t. Again, it’s not like you’re being paid.
It’s all about what you’re comfortable with. Early in my time out here, I got a job on a film that had “nudity and violence” in it, and I was fine with that, it’s a movie. But I researched the company and found they made grossly realistic sadism/torture porn flicks and I quit right away. It was something I definitely didn’t want to be involved with and it really gave me that uneasy feeling inside. So trust your instincts.
But overall, I’m pretty amazed that porn utilizes scripts. What are they, 3 pages long, then repeated?
August 27th, 2007 at 11:27 pm
Thanks for the reply. I was able to check out the company and it seemed within my comfort zone so I shall see what becomes of it. I assumed porn movies had scripts but I guess I got that notion from my only porno production experience, Boogie Nights.
Anyway, good luck with you and I wish you success.
August 28th, 2007 at 10:22 am
Is it normal to get paid 20$ a day on a set? Is it even legal? What’s the average rate? Here in Montreal, if you’re interning and you’re getting paid, you at least get 10$/hour as an union rule.
August 28th, 2007 at 11:35 am
It really isn’t normal to get paid $20 a day, but it was a short film being paid for out of the writer/director’s own pocket, and there’s no money in short films anyway. The $50/day jobs aren’t really legal, because it’s way below minimum wage. $112.50 is the California state minimum pay for a 12 hour day. Usual rates go from $125/12 to over $200/12 (on commercials) plus meal penalties and overtime.
August 29th, 2007 at 6:16 pm
Adam is a great guy and a wonderful friend of mine. He’s one of the few people that I knew when I first moved to Hollywood from Arkansas. He’s got tremendous talent and a very steady drive. He’s one of the most passionate people that I’ve met out here. I’ve only worked with him once (and you were a great actor, haha!) But I look forward to working with him in the future. Adam always has a spot on my crew!
-Good luck, buddy!
Eric England
August 31st, 2007 at 6:01 am
Hey! I met this kid!
I’m fairly sure I met Adam when he worked his one night on the FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL set. Adam, were you working on the night they shot at the Egyptian Theater’s courtyard?
If so, you struck me as a really smart, solid guy getting his first foothold in the business even in our brief conversation. So funny, because you actually made an impression, and then I read this and realize, “Yeah, that’s exactly how he came across in person, too.”
Nice work.
September 7th, 2007 at 7:03 pm
Right on Adam!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Been there, oh yeah!
Hustle and the bustle brother!!!
You’re in your own Zone.
Bust it all around, smile, always say yes…and get as much coffee as possible in ya until your eyes are seeping out with it.
Right on, right on.
If I was down there in L.A. right now and one of my projects was going…
I’d hire you in second!
You’re work ethic is right there.
October 9th, 2007 at 4:43 pm
Just a word of caution to those moving to L.A. to begin making short and/or independent feature films. It costs ALOT of money to film here! It can become incredibly frustrating when you need to pay thousands of dollars to shot a short film in a rundown soundstage in a dead-end area of Los Angeles or having to drive hours outside of the city to find an area of desert where you can shoot without harassment from police officers and noise from cars/airplanes. I won’t even go into the film permit and the one million dollar insurance requirement to shoot anything in the city of Los Angeles…
My advice is to get your first reel together in Des Moines, Duluth or wherever you’re coming from before you come to L.A. What cost you pocket change at home will cost you thousands of dollars to produce here in the city of (expensive) angels.
November 28th, 2007 at 2:52 am
Adam was the best damn p.a.! We were really luckily to have him as part of the Thundies team. Hang in there, I know a girl that I met while she was a p.a. and she directed her first low budget film this year. Hopefully, you’ll take your people skills with you, it’s an essential part of being on any set. And as a key, we can lose sight of them and rely on the help of kind p.a.’s to save us on occassion, in the woods…