Production: Changing Toner

I spend a lot of my time playing with copy machines. Making copies, unjamming paper, dealing with staples, and adding toner.

I just finished adding toner to our machine and my hands were black. My nails still are.

Oh toner. Do you have any idea how many times I've found myself covered in toner? So so many. Hands, face, clothing. Head to toe. The worst are the toner cartridges like the one pictured above. No matter how careful you are, they make a mess. And if there happens to be a problem where the toner goes in, a broken copier, you're just screwed.

Yes, I have a toner story.

It was my first week on my first feature as a PA. I was attempting to make copies of script pages and the copier decided to give me an "Add Toner" message. I figured this was something I could handle, how hard could adding toner to copy machine be really? I could totally do this.

I ask the Production Secretary where the replacement toner is and I get to it. I pull out the cartridge, follow the instructions, so far so good. There is some shaking, some patting, and I'm ready to go.

Er, right.

I try to dump the toner into the machine. It doesn't seem to be going anywhere. You're supposed to be able to see the level of toner in the cartridge decrease. I see no such thing. So I'm thinking maybe it's emptied and I just don't know what I'm looking for.

Oh boy am I wrong. When I pulled that cartridge off of the copier... toner everywhere! Crap.

I clean up the mess and try it again. Still no luck but at least this time I know what to expect when pulling the cartridge off and manage to not make another mess.

Two goes and the copier is still out of toner. It's time to ask for help. The secretary joins me at the copier. The two of us together still can't get it to go but we at least manage to keep the mess to a minimum. Of course at this point, between my first spill and the subsequent failed attempts we've managed to waste about a quarter of the toner.

As the secretary and I are about to give up and call the maintanence guy, the APOC happens to walk by on the way to the restroom. He sees us struggling with the toner and decides that he can make it work where we have failed. Whatever. We step aside. The secretary returns to her desk to finish whatever she had been working on.

He goes through the shaking and patting and dumping. He has the cartridge on the copier, he starts to pull it away, I see what he's doing...

"Wait! That's going to spi..."

Toner. Everywhere.

He takes one look at the mess, looks up at me, laughs, and runs away.

"What the hell? I'm telling everyone you made this mess!"

He spares me one glance over his shoulder and grins.

"You go right ahead honey." And he disappears into the men's room.

I get to clean up the mess. At least ten people walk by and see me knee deep in toner.

"What did you do to the copy machine??" I get that question more than once.

"It wasn't me!"

Once the mess is cleaned up I call the service guys and make a sign warning people that the machine is out of service.

OUT OF SERVICE.
THE APOC EXPLODED THE TONER.
SERVICE COMING MONDAY.

Done and done.

Production: Climbing the Fence

First I must apologize for the lack of posts over the last week or so. As happens, when I'm working I just don't always have the time or energy for things like this blog. And in the case of last week, there were several things going on that made posting not happen.

That being said, on to a story. I love the stories that I have to share. Production work leads to some wacky, ridiculous situations that even those outside the production world can enjoy. Here's one of them.

I know I've mentioned several times that runs are a big part of my job as a PA. We go on a lot of runs for a lot of different things and the ones that I hate the most are the deliveries to people's homes. Finding residences is always a pain in the ass. Navigating neighborhoods, finding apartments, parking, it just takes forever and it's so incredibly easy to get lost. Plus half the time people live out in the middle of nowhere. As an APOC I worked with once put it, I don't want to drive to f*in Cartegena.

This particular run was a script delivery (we had revised script pages for the following day) to an actor's home. This particular actor happened to be out that evening at an Emmy dinner so the plan was to leave the envelope with the new pages at his door. He would get them whenever he got home and be able to prepare for the following day.

Good plan. Except.

I arrive at his apartment complex around 8 pm on a Saturday night. It's a completely gated complex. There is no guard, there are just lots of gates. And they are all locked.

Great.

My first thought is, well, maybe there's some sort of lobby area with mailboxes and I
could leave it there. I walk all around the complex. No luck. There's nothing.

My second thought is, well, maybe someone will come home and I can sneak through behind them. About five minutes go by and someone does indeed return home. I oh-so-stealthily walk up behind their car and get into the driveway area. However, the very clever designers of this particular complexforesaw the possibility of this sneakiness. The driveway area was completely separated from the rest of the complex. It got me to people's garages but nothing else.

I briefly contemplated climbing up the fire escape on the roof. But where would that have really gotten me? Other than on someone's roof...

Defeated, I left the driveway area and made my way back to the pedestrian gate. After staring at the gate hopelessly for around ten minutes, seconds away from admitting defeat and calling my boss, thought three occurred to me.

My third thought is, well, I could totally climb that fence.

Other than one jean ripping incident as a kid I've always been a pretty good fence climber.

Keys and cell phone safely secured in pockets, script clutched firmly in hand, I begin my ascent. It was actually a pretty easy fence and I made it to the half way point pretty quickly.

But of course this story can't end that easily. Before I start to climb over the top, I hear footsteps. Someone is approaching. Now that is exactly what I need. To be arrested for breaking and entering while trying to just deliver these stupid script pages.

I quickly climb down and hope that whoever it is that is approaching has maybe not seen me and that if they have that they are, pretty please, not a cop (I really didn't want to deal with even just a rent-a-cop. Not on my Saturday night!).

Through the shrubbery I see a little grey haired head making it's way towards me. It doesn't turn, it doesn't even pause, it just comes straight at the gate.

This guy is either leaving or he's definitely witnessed my fence climbing antics. With my luck I'm guessing he's seen me.

He walks up to the gate and stops. In an incredibly thick Russian accent he asks, "Oh, is the gate not working?"

Really?

"Um, actually, I'm just trying to make a delivery and the person I'm seeing isn't home."

"Oh, Okay, I can let you in."

And with that he opens the gate. And walks on his merry way.

I waste no time in delivering my script pages and getting out of there. It is a Saturday night after all. And at 9pm, the night is not over yet.

Production: Studios, Boredom, and Ambition

One of the coolest things about all of the runs I have to do is that I get to visit all of the studios. I've been on Warner Brothers, Universal, Sony, Fox, Paramount. I worked on the Universal lot for two weeks and yeah. Golf carts are awesome. Free tour of the backlot anyone?

Universal is huge. Sony is smaller, I've actually been able to walk rather than drive around there. There is a lot of construction going on there right now. It's craziness. Paramount and Fox I've seen less of. WB I like a lot. It's nice, it's easy to get around once you figure out where the buildings are, and it's pretty. I'm a fan of trees.

I still get a kick out of telling people that I get to work on the lots. It's neat.

There is the coolness of the lots. And then there is boredom. Oh boredom. Being a PA can be so incredibly boring sometimes. When there aren't runs to do or copies to make... there can be a lot of down time. I hate the boredom part of my job. It seems that with these last couple of shows I've worked on there has been a lot of the boring. I'm ready for something more exciting and challenging.

Which I will hopefully find soon. I'm ready to work on something bigger, something huge and crazy and complicated. I have a possibility. It's just all a matter of timing. And whether or not the coordinator liked me. But I will find out in a couple of weeks. Maybe then my problem of boredom will be solved.

Either way, I'm just about ready to not be a PA anymore. Which may sound like a weird thing to say. Because really, who ever wants to be a PA? Why would you want to be at the bottom?

Being a PA isn't all bad though. It's a great place to learn. I have learned an enormous amount about production these last eight months. Being in the production office is also a great way to meet everyone. I get to meet the heads of all of the departments, the producers, sometimes the director and writers, and even the talent. I get to see what everyone else does and that helps me to figure out what I want to do.

For example, I know I definitely do NOT want to be an AD (Assistant Director). That is one crazy stressed out department right there.

Meeting people opens doors. It gives you opportunities to work in different departments, people will recommend you for jobs, someone may even want to buy your script (ok, that's maybe not so likely. But stranger things have happened).

We've said it before and we'll say it again. It's all about who you know. That "who" can be anyone though, it doesn't have to be someone big and famous and powerful. It just has to be someone who maybe has another job coming up and likes you.

I've learned. I've met. Now I'm ready to grow. Make the move up. Get that promotion. Hopefully that will happen soon. One or two more PA jobs I can deal with. Beyond that, I think the boredom may actually drive me insane.

Not that I'm not already insane. I am trying to work in the film industry after all. Where's the sanity in that?

Production: How Networking can be a real pain in the buttoody

So, for all of you who have or are trying to get into the film buisness I'm sure you've heard the words "Networking is key." This always scares the shy at heart for we were never good at saying "hi" to someone just because they might be able to get us somewhere.
You try to think of it as making friends then. But that too can get tricky.
I know this girl who is trying to get into the camera department (don't read into this). Unfortunatly when ever she works on a show with a new crew someone in her department hits on her. This makes "networking" difficult. How are you supposed to keep in contact with the head of your department without him thinking you like his advances. She's told him she's with someone and she's told him she just wants to be friends but the advances keep coming. There is a potiental job for her coming up but she wont get it unless she keeps in contact with this prosuer. Poor girl. What is she to do.

Review: 3:10 To Yuma

Cross posted at Epinions



3:10. It’s the time the train to Yuma Prison arrives in Contention. The air is silent. The men are still. The guns are cocked. The clock is ticking. Praying won’t stop time. 3:10 is coming. Death may be coming with it.

3:10 To Yuma is remake of the 1957 Glenn Ford film and both versions are based on the story by Elmore Leonard. It is the story of gunman Ben Wade and rancher Dan Evans. Wade is caught after robbing a Pinkerton coach with his gang. Evans volunteers to join the posse escorting Wade to Contention. As they move closer to Contention and the 3:10 train, as Wade’s gang closes in on them, as they face a myriad of other difficulties in the wild west, it all comes down to a battle of wills between Wade and Evans. When it’s no longer about the money that will save Evans’s dying ranch, will Evans still make that walk to the train with Wade? When the guns are all pointed in his direction and death seems like the only option, will Evans still make his stand?

What makes a hero? Where is the line between right and wrong? When both sides are comprised of evil men, where do you make your stand? What do you fight for? What do you die for?

3:10 is about the battle of wills; it is about these two characters, men so different that they may actually be a bit the same. Russell Crowe is Ben Wade and Christian Bale is Dan Evans. If you’re not convinced to go see this movie right there, well, you should be. While I’m not always a fan of Crowe I think he is perfect for the Western genre. He has a roughness about him, that dangerous gleam in his eye. He belongs in the untamed, lawless lands, of the old west. He looks like a gunslinger. Christian Bale on the other hand is just brilliant. He is one of the best actors working today and I will see him in pretty much anything. Put the two of them together and nothing else matters. What you are going to see will be brilliant.

Not to say that it is going to be perfect. 3:10 To Yuma is not. There are a lot of problems with the film. I really was not a fan of the script for one thing. I don’t think it was very well written, there were a few plot elements that didn’t work for me, character development wasn’t great. The only thing that saves the story is the performances by the two lead actors. If it wasn’t for Crowe and Bale this would have been a mediocre film at best.

The other performances are all solid. Logan Lerman (The Butterfly Effect) is good as Dan’s son William. Ben Foster’s performance as Wade’s second in command, the psychopath Charlie Prince, is right up there with Crowe’s and Bale’s. Peter Fonda, Dallas Roberts, Alan Tudyk (Serenity), Gretchen Mol, and Kevin Durand are all solid as well. I think Mol, Lerman, and Benjamin Petry, who plays Dan’s younger son Mark, would have all benefited from better writing. As it is they’re all good. They just could have been better. The same goes for several of the other actors.

There is a tense moment when Wade and Evans have taken cover from gunfire. They crouch low together, catching their breaths. Evans is filthy and bleeding, Wade has been shot. Evans looks at Wade and tells him that he is not stubborn. He tries to explain to Wade why saving a small piece of dessert land is so important to him, what it means. Wade’s response? “Why are you telling me this?” Evans: “I don’t know.”

My point exactly. Why are we being told these things? A major flaw of this script is how much is just told to us through dialogue. I don’t want to be told about it, I want to see it. I want the story to evolve out of the visuals and the actions. I don’t want to be told who these men are. I want to discover who they are, I want to believe. Telling me story after sad story doesn’t help me get into a character’s head. His actions do that. It’s the bits that are unsaid that make a character into something more.

The cinematography and direction are not the best either. Director James Mangold and cinematographer Phedon Papamichael do not impress me. They did a great job working together on Walk The Line. However, for this film I don’t feel like they really grasped the needs of the story. I don’t really like a lot of the handheld, shaky camera work, especially during the beginning sequence. I found it to be incredibly distracting and off-putting. This improves as the film goes on but I don’t think the visuals are ever as good as they can be. There are a couple of explosions, one of which I definitely did not need. And as much shooting as there is, I almost wanted there to be more (more shooting but a little less gory blood. I like gore but here it felt unnecessary). Of course, that does go back to character development. At the end I did understand what they were going for but I’m still not sure I like how they went about it.

I did really enjoy the music though. The score by Marcos Beltrami is fantastic. It’s the kind of music you want to hear in a western. It complements the action and sets the tone. It just fits.

As a fan of westerns, especially Clint Eastwood’s, there was no way I was not going to see this movie. Especially with it’s cast. While I do think it could have been better, in the end I am happy with it. Again, that is almost completely due to Russell Crowe and Christian Bale. I’ve been a fan of Crowe in the western genre ever since Sam Raimi’s Quick and The Dead. I’ve been a fan of Christian Bale since I was a kid watching Newsies. Seeing them together is an absolute pleasure. 3:10 To Yuma is worth it for that alone.

Production: Saying No (and Speaking Too Soon)

Sometimes you just have to say "No."

It just sucks when you have to say "No" to a job offer. Especially when you don't necessarily have another job.

Yesterday I recieved a call from an APOC (Assistant Production Office Coordinator) about a job. Unfortunately, they needed someone to start today. I don't finish this pilot until tomorrow. You're probably thinking, "but you gave up almost a month's worth of work for two days??" Yes, yes I did. Even if it would have meant working for another few weeks, I have an obligation to my current production. I started here with the understanding that I would work until we wrap. We don't wrap until tomorrow so I am obligated to work here until tomorrow.

Sure, my coordinator may have understood (I'm actually sure she would have), but leaving a job early is just bad form. It is not a habit you want to get into. And leaving with no notice, that's just not cool. I mean, sometimes a better opportunity comes up and you would be insane not to take it. There is a correct way to go about that though. And given a decent amount of notice is key.

Getting called at 4 pm to start the next morning... that's not really enough time to give proper notice. It's just unfortunate that they couldn't have waited until Monday. I easily could have started on Monday.

In a case like this, I just have to suck it up and figure that it wasn't meant to be. It sucks but what can you do? I like the people I'm working with, I might like to work with them again, and I don't want to be a jerk. Especially two days before we finish.

Oh well. Maybe I'll get a job on the new GI Joe movie they're making instead.

[Edit] Only hours after writing this post, I get a call back from the Coordinator. Apparently they decided they could wait until next week after all. I start with them on Tuesday. How excited am I? Oh very. And bonus, a crew member I was just working with on this pilot will be on this next feature as well. He's an awesome guy and I'm really looking forward to seeing him around set again. You really can speak too soon.

Thoughts: Here On Earth

I hate this movie. Absolutely, completely, totally HATE this movie. Normally, it's not the type of movie I would bother with. I am not a fan of the melodramatic teen drama romances. But I took a chance on this one because of the cast. Leelee Sobiesky, Chris Klein, Josh Hartnett. Especially Josh Hartnett. Have I mentioned my Josh Hartnett obsession yet? I'm a little bit in love, have been since... The Faculty. High School. Some crushes die hard.

Anyway, I watched it for the cast. I really wish I hadn't.

What's so bad about it? The script. The acting (even good actors can give poor performances). The cheesy direction. The bad music. The lame plot. The fact that it just never makes me care. About any of it. And the melodramatic, overly emotional, ending.

It's all about making the audience cry, but why should we shed tears for people we don't care about?

Whatever. Don't watch it. Please.

Production: Wrap of a Pilot

The office I've been working in for the last month is wrapping. We've finished shooting so now we're taking inventory, boxing stuff up, finishing paperwork, clearing the place out. What I'm doing... mostly nothing.

There really isn't much for me to do at the moment. I've taped up a few boxes. I've gone on a few runs. Yeah...

After today there are only two days left. Which is good and bad. Good in that I'm a fan of having some time off. I've been working for the last two months and spent the two months before that incredibly stressed out while trying to find work. And then before that I was working, a lot. And now I feel okay about taking a break, mentally at least.

Bad in that I can't really afford to take the time off. I need to keep working, or at least start working again soon. Especially if I want my plans for the fall to work out. So hopefully I'll get a good phone call in the next week or two. Hopefully. Something will come up.

But back to wrap. Wrap is boring. Wrap can be hell (it was on the last show I wrapped). Wrap in the office is the part of production that you just don't look forward to and can't wait to finish. Even if all that waits for you at the end of it is unemployment. And personally, I hate packing boxes.

Countdown to Unemployment: 2 days 2 hours 30 minutes (more or less)

Thoughts: Superbad

Yay for Labor Day and three day weekends! I decide to escape LA for a couple of days and visit my little brother out in Phoenix. Sometimes it's good to get away. And when I have three days with nothing to do... why not?

Anyway, I got into town yesterday and last night my brother and I decided to go see Superbad. Finally. I've been really wanting to see it. After Knocked Up and all of the reviews it's been getting, Superbad was definitely near the top of my To See list.

It didn't disappoint. I have a soft spot for teen high school movies and Superbad is another good one. People have been comparing to the likes of Dazed and Confused (one of my favorites) and I think the comparison is a fair one. While it's not quite as good, it's certainly an excellent little flick. It kept me laughing pretty much constantly, even if the plot does stall occasionally.

I also have to say that Seth Rogan is one of my new favorites. He's brilliant. And sort of adorable. Good times.

So yeah, Superbad. It's great. Check out. Definitely good summer comedy fun.