So I know the work of a menial PA now.
I got back from the Nick Jonas shoot with the feeling I experienced a little bit of an anticlimax. Everything was very professional and everyone there was good at what they did, but it just a very simple shoot and not too exciting. I didn't have to work very hard (which is kinda nice) and it was a pretty short day.
I got to the sound stage at 6am and helped unload the truck and then hung out for a little while. There were two grips and two electricians who did all the rigging and lighting and they did not need any help. So the other PAs and I hit up the breakfast catering. Now that part was exciting - Eggs, bacon, french toast, omelets and a wide assortment of donuts and danishes. At around 9:30 or 10 the camera and lighting was ready to go, so we started the shoot. I don't know if I'm allowed to talk about whats in the video or the details of the shoot, so I will just be vague and give the bare bones of what happened. For the morning we had several actors dressed as a doctor or a firefighter or other characters do a little performance in front of a back drop. There were about 10 of these and each took about 20 minutes. When we got through all those we had lunch. After we ate, Nick arrived and he did his thing. He seemed like a nice enough guy. Young and good looking but nothing too special. I didn't get to actually meet him, but we did the universal man to man head nod, the form of acknowledgment that every guy knows and recognizes. We filmed him for about an hour then broke down the set and left. By the time it was all said and done I was out of there by 5 pm. Good Deal. My job for most of the shoot was to sit at a specific area and not let people walk by or else they would get in the shot. I also got things if needed like chairs or other random things. Easy enough, kind of boring.
I did benefit from this shoot in several ways. Firstly, I will get paid. That is always a benefit. Secondly, I met some people who may potentially help me in my career. One was Mike, he was the Executive Producer and I think he is a head of the production company who was in charge of the shoot, Three Foot Giant. I have a pretty special relationship with him because his kid is in class with my nephew. We actually met for the first time at their holiday recital, so we have that connection. The other persons name was Craig, a producer and the person who called me before the shoot. He is a pretty young guy and we got along well. At the end of everything, as I was leaving, I told him thanks for having me on and that I was interested in getting into the office to start learning all that stuff. He told me he would think about it and see what he could do. He seemed pretty earnest about it, so maybe something will come of that. Fingers crossed.
I've got some more good news. A little while back I applied to an internship with a production company called Aid+Abet Productions and they sent me an email to arrange an interview. SWEET! I had hoped this would come through, but with all the other things I applied for in the past 6 months, I didn't expect too much. The interview is set up for January 6th, which is the day after I get back to LA from the holidays in Houston. I am excited about this, it could be really good experience and a step in the right direction towards my end goal of being a producer.
So I have some good prospects for the future, as long as I play my cards right.
-Things I have learned: The relationships you build will be more important than you know and may come from the strangest of places (my step-nephew's classmate's father?).
-Plans for the future: To go home to Houston for the holidays. But it is not going to be all vacation for me, I am going to prepare for the interview as much as possible and learn as much as I can about the production company to be as ready as I can.
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