No matter which department you are working in on a film or television set you will more than likely have to deal with petty cash or expense reports. The key to both petty cash and expense reports, is to BE ORGANIZED! Petty cash is usually issued to members of the production team, such as the […]
Archives for January 2012
HowToFilmSchool’s Film Set Walkie Talkie Etiquette Guide
The Walkie Talkie can be one of the most import tools used daily on a film set. They can ease communication between the crew, various departments and help Assistant Directors run the set. An Assistant Director without a walkie talkie is like a hockey player without a stick. With all that power comes…Walkie Talkie Etiquette. […]
Working as a Production Assistant
One of the best places to start when working in the film and television industry is as a Production Assistant. A production assistant can have many different responsibilities, which puts you in a great position to learn about all of the different departments. When getting hired as a Production Assistant you have to be prepared […]
TV Suggestion: Parks and Recreation
One of my absolute favorite shows on TV right now is Parks and Recreation. Currently in its fourth season, if you haven’t heard of it or seen an episode than you are missing out! When the show first started, it wasn’t quite sure what type of show it was. Instantly compared to The Office, a […]
Checklist for Creating a Film Schedule
Being an Assistant Director is an incredibly stressful and difficult job and it’s very easy to miss things. Even the most experienced AD’s make mistakes from time to time, especially in the creation of a films schedule. It is also possible to have more than one person working on the schedule such as the Production […]
Work Smart, Not Hard
‘Work smart, not hard’ is a phrase you will hear often on a film set. In no way does it mean be lazy, in fact it means quite the opposite. The truth is that working in film can be incredibly hard…so why not do little things to make your day a little easier? At first […]
Academy Award Nominations
The Academy Award or Oscar nominations were announced today and I thought I’d share my thoughts on them. First of all they were a bit of a let down for me, very predictable and tame. Hugo was the front-runner with 11 nominations, it was a fun and magical movie and definitely deserves the technical accolades […]
TV Suggestion: Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
Today’s suggestion is one of my favorite shows ever! Unfortunately all of my favorite shows seem to get cancelled too soon. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip only lasted one season so chances are you didn’t catch it. Studio 60 is a dramatic look behind the scenes of a sketch comedy show. Due to the […]
HowToFilmSchool’s Guide to Film Set Etiquette
Film Set Etiquette is very important on set and having bad set etiquette can go as far as getting you fired or put on someone’s blacklist. Bad etiquette is something even the most experienced person is guilty of from time to time, but it is most common with people new to film sets. The problem […]
TV Suggestion: Episodes
Seeing that the The Golden Globes were this past Sunday and Matt LeBlanc is fresh off of his win, I bring to you Episodes.The show has only had one short season but I think it is worth catching up on in preparation for season two. Episodes is available from Amazon.com Episodes is a half hour […]
Movie Magic Scheduling Tips
When it comes to making a schedule for your project, be it a short film, music video, feature film or web series, I will always recommend using Movie Magic Scheduling, you can get your copy on Amazon. Created by Entertainment Partners, it’s a fantastic piece of software for the AD department. Movie Magic Scheduling Tips […]
Lighting Technician Tools
So, you’ve decided that you want to be a lighting technician, that’s fantastic! It’s a fun department to work in, can pay very well and gets you right in the action where you can really learn a lot about film making. Sadly, most film schools don’t actually teach you about the tools you will be […]
