February 2012
3 posts
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Holy Crap.
over 900 followers? I know some of you are old friends or themed blogs that just add a lot of people, but I’ve never thought an AD blog would ever even see over 500. I am psyched to be doing this job. No matter how tired I am.
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ADing like a mofo
So many shoots.
SLEEP is one of those things you take for granted until you have an overnight shoot plus a shoot in the morning plus an afternoon meeting plus an evening meeting plus another shoot in the morning plus a casting plus…
Dear future ADs: treasure sleep. love sleep. get sleep while you can. tell producers and directors and cast and crew to go fuck themselves in the pursuit of...
Anonymous asked: Hey, My name is James. I just moved to Texas and I to work in the world of indie-film. Yay! Generally I work as a 1st AC but this time around I'm switching departments and moving into the role of 1st AD/UPM. What software do you recommend? I've discussed it with the director. He used Gorilla last time around and wasn't a fan of it. Not user friendly enough for him. The other issue...
January 2012
17 posts
5 tags
Living in My Oblivion - A Life in Low Budget Films →
Awesome blog from one of my followers of an indie film AD, Production Manager, and Producer in NY. Lots of insight into a lifelong career in the indies as a production department member (not an easy thing to do!) He gave my blog some love and now I’m giving it back. ADs, producers, PMs, and just everyone in filmmaking should check this blog out!
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Got this awesome email yesterday... Thanks JB!
Hey
I’ve dropped note before, but I started out as a 1st AD and production manager a lot of years ago and LOVE your blog.
I TRIED to add myself as a follower, but it seems tumbler wants a web page, and wont take my blogger website as webpage? Go figure.
Anyway, so much of your blog rings true to me. I love it, and I can tell you, many film vets in NY I work with love it as well.
...
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Eights of a Page Explained
1/8, 2/8, 3/8, 4/8, 5/8, 6/8, 7/8, 1 page, 1 1/8 pages, 1 2/8 pages, 1 3/8 pages, etc…
If you’re not familiar with performing a script breakdown, hearing how long a scene is by the number of 8ths it runs can be really confusing. Film scheduling goes like this:
1 script page roughly equals one minute of screen time. This obviously varies when there’s stunts,...
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2 5/8th pages for 1 full day of shooting?!
I’m not bragging but…
I am.
EDIT: I never get to do this few pages in a day and not worry about it. Usually, I’m given like… 18 days to shoot 118 pages of stunts and special effects with 25 different locations and 50+ characters. *Sad trombone sound*
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Awesomely Offensive Things to Write into a Script...
Under WARDROBE -
Cum stain.
This is quickly becoming the year I PA for reality...
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Last thing I'll say about this.
Wikipedia’s black out message: SOPA and PIPA put the burden on website owners to police user-contributed material and call for the unnecessary blocking of entire sites. Small sites won’t have sufficient resources to defend themselves. Big media companies may seek to cut off funding sources for their foreign competitors, even if copyright isn’t being infringed. Foreign sites will...
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Platypus Underground: 1. Pre-Production →
platypus-underground:
C. Script
A note on scriptwriting: There is an industry standard for writing scripts. Forget it. Unless you are trying to sell your script to Hollywood, it doesn’t matter. Write your story. Put words on a page. You can’t direct a blank sheet of paper. (technically, you can’t direct paper with words on it either, you direct the actors who read the words off the page, but…...
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sometimes my job requires me to bend over...
Just sayin’
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So not ready to AD feature film and yet... so damn...
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December 2011
16 posts
6 tags
What is the deal with School Locations?
Getting a location for school scenes is like ripping hairs out of your head one by one. I cringe every time I breakdown a script in which we have school locations. Not because the scenes are not awesome, but because I’m filled with anxiety about the logistics of the scene. As an AD, I immediately ask:
Where the hell are they going to find a school that’ll let us film 7 consecutive...
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Anonymous asked: Not a question, just unadulterated praise. Found your blog today and am supremely enjoying it. Please don't stop. - Alex
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The Life of the Mind: Being a PA: 3 →
robbinsfilm:
Being a PA is not a healthy lifestyle. Eighteen hour days on your feet, standing around in tedium, with short but intense bursts of stress. I ate an enormous amount of food, mostly due to awe. The crafty truck had more than enough to keep me happy; ham and cheese croissants, yogurt, fruit,…
Ah yes, the trials and tribulations of PAs.
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The Black & Blue Camera Assistant Blog has a BOOK! →
and you can get a free e-copy by clicking the link above.
This is one of my favorite film blogs ever and I’m super psyched for Evan. Evan’s written a guest post here on It’s a 1st AD Thing and his entries on being an AC in the industry (both indie and union) are poignant and helpful for any self-starter. I HIGHLY recommend this read.
Anonymous asked: I have recently finished uni and have a Bachelor of Film and TV. I was 1st AD for 90% of my studies and it's what I want to do with my life. Any tips for getting in to the industry?
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Tis the Season...
…of absolutely no work. I have pre-pro I can begin on a project, but I need some scratch this month. oof. Absolutely hate this time of the year. Anyone want me to prepare a breakdown or schedule for them? Slashing my rates here…
yetanotherfilmy asked: Hi Michelle! Just wanted to say hi from Australia, awesome blog and I love your bingo sheet! What an awesome idea!
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Occupy Wall Street Occupies Law & Order OWS Set →
OH.
MY.
GOD.
What I would have done to have been an Assistant Director on that shoot!
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WatchLOLOLOLOLOLOL the world’s worst 1st Assistant Director.
Anonymous asked: As you state in your description, "making a directors dream come true". Why is that something you want to do? Why do you want to work your ass off for something no one will recognize you for? Are you a creative person, or a methodical, efficient worker? Thanks, love your blog!
cetzilla asked: Any super comfortable shoes you've found for shooting on location (paved/unpaved/dirt)? I just took part in my first 24 hour film challenge at school, and we're gonna be having one every quarter. I'd like to be a little more comfortable next time.
faithlovedestiny asked: Great blog!! You are the first tumblr blog I came across dedicated to production. Thank you! :)
November 2011
4 posts
5 tags
The picture of the girl holding a poster that says “if they enforced bank regulation like they do park rules, we wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place” is me at a rally we held Thursday night here at Occupy Austin. I never expected it to go viral. What a weird thing to see my photo all over Facebook and tumblr…
justinpeter asked: You sir, are some strange cross breed of a genius, and a saint. Please don't ever stop doing what you do!
acelluloidjam asked: What a wonderful blog! As a currently volunteer first AD and film student diligently attempting to reduce my set-suck, this is a goldmine. Cheers to you! Following like a boss.
October 2011
14 posts
Anonymous asked: I just had one of the worst film shoots. I was working for free on a film shoot in London that was utterly ridiculous. I was given a schedule by a horribly optimistic producer that had us do five locations in ten hours, not including lunch, then told that it was pretty much unchangeable because of what times we had the locations. When were 2 hours over with one scene cut, the entire thing was...
Oh Tumblr...
…I miss you, but I have been dearly dearly busy. Soon, my friends…
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Thinking about starting a script...
It would be a small side thing, but if I were to start an indie script scheduling/breakdown service with sliding scale fees based on the project (student, micro, low budget, short, music video, commercial, etc.), would anyone be interested?
johnrom asked: I'd like to know if you'd be willing to view a film I made for Campus MovieFest, the world's largest student film festival. Currently, we're gunning to win the CMF WildCard category, which is awarded to the video that has the most views from it's school by Nov. 10. I would link it here, but Tumblr doesn't allow links in Asks. If you're interested, let me know....
jasondruss asked: I love you, I love your blog, and we would definitely get drunk after the day wraps! Please come to philly/new york and show the AD's over here how it's done?
filmmaker-thing asked: Hello Michelle, As part of my University course, I am working as a 1st AD on our first short film. Some of my fellow co-workers seem to have a distinct lack of a professional attitude and commitment to the project. How do I get them to pull their weight, so that we can get a top quality film? I want to make the best film possible, and I want to remain professional whilst doing so, but I don't...
Anonymous asked: Hey Michelle, I am a film student who is ADing a mostly student run, 8pg indie short film. This is my 2nd time ADing, and it's with the same Director/DP but this time the stakes are higher. The previous shoot I worked on involved about 40 shots over 2 nights on Super 16, and each night we went about 2-3 hours over. The DP is talented, but extremely meticulous. Now he wants us to get 105 shots...
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