Tagged: “on set”
Sparkman On: Judging A Book By Its Resume
To piggyback off of my last post about networking, let me talk about its sneaky friend that can sink into your mindset: judgment. While navigating our industry where “it’s all about who you know,” I found myself seeing people only for their resumes.
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Breaking In Series: Tara McHugh “Waiting for the Right [Spider] Man”
After racking up some fairly impressive entry-level production credits on several commercial shoots and reality TV shows, Tara McHugh took a giant leap of faith and left the business (and NYC) to save money while waiting for a bigger opportunity to come her way…and it paid off.
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Sparkman On: Taking the ‘Work’ Out of Networking (Mostly)
Networking. It’s a word that used to fill my soul with intimidation and anxiety. And I would stare into the dark abyss of terror as my brain beat me up.
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Breaking In Series: Stephanie Wise “When One Store Closes, A New Career Opens”
If you’ve ever watched The Blacklist, you’ve seen Stephanie Wise’s work showcased on canvasses that include James Spader’s face. She’s been the Key Make-up Artist for the NBC television show since its premiere in 2013.
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Sparkman On: When Size Doesn’t Matter
As PAs, we are often asked to perform tasks that could easily be mistaken for something small and unimportant. For example, we might be asked to get extra printer ink for the Honeywagon.
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Breaking In: Dana Zolli “Outside the Box”
Second Assistant Director (AD) Dana Zolli sat on our FACE the Experts panel in September and spoke about her work on such projects as Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, FX’s The Americans, and NBC’s Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
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Sparkman On: Being the Best BG Actor You Can Be
Seldom does a day go by on a NYC film set when someone passing by doesn’t approach the PAs and ask if they can be an extra. Hanging out on a movie set with famous actors? Sounds glamorous, right?
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Breaking In Series: Tiffani Gray “Waiting for the Click”
In addition to being the FACES Treasurer, Tiffani Gray is a Production Manager of Original Programming at AMC Networks. But she didn’t start out on that track. Not that track, not that field, not even that industry. In fact, she spent years in the totally wrong profession before realizing her calling. Before something finally clicked.
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Sparkman On: Loving Thy Bogies
Bogie (noun): One who should not be in a film production’s shot but has walked into it either accidentally… or otherwise.
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Breaking In Series: Jennifer Truelove “When Preparation Meets A Van Driver”
As one of our all-star speakers from September’s FACE the Experts panel, 1st AD Jennifer Truelove was able to use her vast experience on TV shows such as Younger and 30 Rock and features such as Moonrise Kingdom and Rachel Getting Married to offer invaluable insights
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Sparkman On: Post Production Blues
When I booked my first crew job on a major feature film, to say I was ecstatic is an understatement. I was high on life and wanted to know every single person on that crew.
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Sparkman On: Major F*ck Ups
Every single person in our industry has f*cked up. Badly. Comically badly. In this line of work, it comes with the territory. And I love that. But I’ve learned that when we inevitably mess up, what matters most is that we take responsibility, problem solve, and learn from it best we can.
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Sparkman On: Why PAs Are Important AF
A looottt of people complain that being a PA (aka Production Assistant, aka lowest woman on the production totem pole) is the worst job ever. I’ve heard people brag that they’ve never PA’d. I’ve heard crew members laugh as they warn PAs that their job sucks. I’ve even heard someone compare PAing to slavery.
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Breaking In Series: Sparkman Clark
My name is Sparkman. Seriously. It’s not my last name. That’s Clark. So first name Sparkman, last name Clark. (That’s the rundown I give the baristas at Starbucks.) I currently work on a 30+ million budget feature film as the Director’s Assistant.
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