Tagged: South Florida

Jun 25

Making The Big Move

 

It is time for me to finally put on my big girl shoes and step out of my comfort zone of South Florida and step into the shark tank of an industry that is Los Angeles.

So what has taken me so long you ask?  Well the honest truth is that I was scared.  I have heard of so many stories of bright eye and bushy tailed film school graduates making the big move right out of college only to end up moving back home with their parents 6 months later.  I did not want to end up moving back home to Indiana, so instead of following the rest of my film school alumni I opted to stay in Florida and try to build up my resume and to most importantly grow up.

Deciding to stay in Florida was probably the best decision I have ever made.  When I graduated college I had a very jaded view of the industry and I honestly had no idea where to begin to find work.   After graduation I pretty much sat in my room dumbfounded on what I should do next.  From  pressure by my parents to find a job I quickly scrambled to find the first steady thing that I could which was a job at a small talent agency.  Now working at a talent agency is a very special experience, and I would only recommend it to people that are seriously interested in talent management who have extremely thick skin.  Talent agencies are cut throat, and there are a lot of people under you that are more than willing to fling you in front of a bus to get your job.

After only  lasting at the agency for nine months I quit and moved on to something else.  At this point I knew I wanted to work in production, however, I didn’t really know how to accomplish that.  I decided that working at a small production company would be the best fit for me.  I searched for months to find that no one was hiring.  Finally as my bank account slowly started to fall into smaller and smaller digits I got a job as a receptionist/office assistant at a small production company.  I took the job with hopes of being promoted quickly from after they saw what an amazing person I was.  After months of being frustrated by answering phones and ordering office supplies I finally got the chance to prove myself and help out with a commercial shoot.   I was suddenly flung into a whirlwind of productions where I got the chance to coordinate and assist in editing.

Then when this whole economic crisis hit business started to slowly fade.  Our company took a little bit of a hit and things were not looking so good for my future there.   I eventually left the company and decided it was time for me to try freelancing.  Through networking with people I already knew in the industry I landed the job as a casting associate for “Is She Really Going Out With Him?” on MTV.

After getting my foot in the door I have been fortunate to be a pa on several reality shows that have shot down here in Florida.

Over the years that I have spent  here I have certainly grown up from the shy Midwestern girl from Indiana.  Now it is time for bigger and better things out on the West Coast!

Check back often to hear about my new experiences in California!

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Posted in Being a Production Assistant, Production

Jun 08

New 2010 Tax Incentives in Florida!

South Florida is finally beginning to step up it’s game in production!   With the final passing of the five year $242 million transferable tax incentive program a lot more productions may be knocking on our doorstep.

For years shows like Dexter, CSI Miami, and Nip Tuck would film b-roll shots in Miami and leave the rest of the production to people in Los Angeles.  It was always so frustrating for me to watch these shows that are supposed to take place in Miami and then see California sets instead of Florida ones.  With these new tax incentives hopefully more productions like Burn Notice on USA and The Glades on A&E  will start to show their faces around South Florida.

Here are the program highlights (from the film in Florida website):

• 5 year – $242 million transferable tax credit
• $53.5 million transferable tax credits authorized for the 2010/2011 fiscal year
• 20% – 30% transferable tax credit
o 20% base percentage
o 5% Off Season Bonus
o 5% Family Friendly Bonus
• Three separate queues based on project type/budget:
1. General Production Queue
o Eligible productions: films, TV, documentaries, digital media projects, commercials  and music videos
o $50,290,000 in tax credits available
o Minimum spend: $625,000
o Maximum incentive reward: $8,000,000
2.   Commercial and Music Video Queue
o $1,605,000 in tax credits available
o Minimum spend: $100,000 per commercial or music video
o After a production company produces national or regional commercials, music  videos, or both and reaches the threshold of $500,000, it is                    eligible to apply (can bundle projects)
o Maximum incentive reward: $500,000
3.   Independent & Emerging Media Production Queue
o Eligible: films, TV, documentaries, digital media projects
o $1,605,000 in tax credits available
o Minimum spend: $100,000
o Maximum spend: $625,000
o Maximum incentive reward: $125,000
• An off-season certified production that is a feature film, independent film, or TV series or pilot is  eligible for an additional 5% tax credit on actual qualified expenditures
• A certified theatrical or direct-to-video motion picture production or video game determined by the Film Commissioner with the advice of the Florida Film and Entertainment Advisory Council, to be family-friendly, based on the review of the script and the review of the final release version, is eligible for an additional tax credit equal to 5% of its actual qualified expenditures
• Qualified high-impact television series (min $625,000 per episode with an order of at least 7 episodes per season) have priority for tax credits awards not yet certified
• Qualified projects must be certified (tax credits allocated to project) prior to principal photography or project start date (not applicable to qualified projects in the commercial and music video queue)
• Min 50% production cast and below-the-line production crew must be legal Florida residents on all qualified/certified projects (except digital media projects)
• Min 75% positions must be legal Florida residents on digital media projects
• Qualified production expenditures include pre-production, production and post-production but exclude costs for development, marketing, and distribution

For more information about the incentives and anything else to do with filming in the sunshine state  go to www.filminflorida.com

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Posted in Production, Production in South Florida

May 08

Being a Good Produciton Assistant

So let’s be honest…being a production assistant really isn’t that difficult.  That being said it amazes me how many bad production assistants there are out there and how few and far between a good PA is.

In reality being a PA is a lot like getting hazed for a fraternity or sorority in college, minus the forced drinking and paying for your friends part.  You are thrust onto a set where you have to prove yourself or you will be kicked out and replaced quicker  than you can say “walkie check”.  Why then will these PA’s come to set acting like they are too good to be a PA?

I blame it on what I like to call the “But what I really want to do is direct” syndrome.  New PA’s are usually fresh out of college or film school with a jaded view of Hollywood.  Most of these colleges and universities only teach film students certain parts of the industry.   With classes such as “Directing The Motion Picture” or “Directing Actors 101″ instead of “How To Be A PA”,  it’s no wonder why a lot of PA’s think that Dreamworks will be calling them in a matter of months to direct their next summer blockbuster.

How then do you be a good production assistant?  Well there really is no set way, however, there are a few things you should always keep in mind:

Come dressed ready to work

It amazes me how many PA’s I have seen that will show up to set wearing flip flops or a dress, especially when they are hired to be a set PA.  If you are working on set you are most likely going to be running around a lot, lifting things, and standing for most of the day.  Get a great pair of sneakers and check the weather the night before because you definitely do not want to be stuck standing outside in 90 degree weather in jeans.

Listen to what people tell you to do

Seriously listen.  If someone on set asks you to run and get something you better know exactly what you are getting and where to get it.  Listen to what they are telling you and repeat it back to them so that you both know that you understood the errand.  DO NOT TALK BACK.  If they start yelling at you just smile and nod and get out of their way quickly.

Always keep your walkie on

Never ever ever turn off your walkie.  If the production coordinator is frantically searching for you for an important errand, or a AD needs you to drive a crew vehicle they will most likely get pretty upset when they try calling you on a walkie and you are no where to be found.  If can carry an extra brick (a walkie battery) with you so you will always have a back up.

Be nice to everyone

This one is pretty obvious.  If you are mean and talk back to people no one will want you around.  You can end up meeting some really great people on set so try and get to know everyone.  On a good set the whole crew can start to become like a family which makes working with everyone for 12 hour shifts a lot more enjoyable.

Work hard and it will all pay off in the end.  People notice when you are giving 100% to you job, and the will most likely hire you in the future because of that.  Keep up the good attitude, listen and do what you are told and you will eventually be out of the PA hazing and on to bigger and better things.

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Posted in Being a Production Assistant, Production

Mar 05

Breaking Into New Things

 

So it has been a long time since I have actually sat down and attempted to write on my blog, which could mean two things for me.  I have either been so swamped with work that I haven’t had a chance to sit, or that I have not had any work and I am doing everything possible to find my next gig.  The truth is it has been a little bit of both.  It is season in South Florida so I have been kept fairly busy this winter.  I have started to step away from casting and get more into what I really want to do which is production.

Now production is wonderful, but I am pretty much the lowest person on the totem pole and the most expendable.  I am the ever so valuable (or in some cases invaluable) production assistant.  Without the production assistant production vans would not be driven, coffee and water would not be gotten, and most importantly no one would have everything they did wrong to blame on.  Don’t get me wrong I have loved some of my new jobs however I am starting to remember what it felt like to pledge a sorority back in college.  I have to prove myself worthy in order to be in the club.

Breaking into this “club” is extremely difficult.   You have to have either know someone or have experience to land a gig as a pa on a set, but the only way to know someone or gain experience is to have a job as a pa on set.  Essentially the industry is just a big catch 22.  How I got started is through casting.  A lot of reality television shows use casting recruiters to find participants to be on their show.   As a casting recruiter  you will go out to different places in your city and find people the would be great for the show.  The trick is you need to find real people that would fit the show, not an actor that wants to break into the industry and would do anything to be on TV.

There are other ways to start out in the industry.  You can try the assistant route where you are an assistant to a producer, director, or a high up executive in the industry.  In this job you will do a lot of scheduling, read a lot of submitted scripts, and learn a lot about what the person you are assisting does.  The benefits of this job is that you do have a normal job so to speak.  You will most likely be working normal 9-5 hours and get a steady pay check, but this job will be completely different from working as a pa on set.  This job usually leads you to working at a studio or a production company.

I think the most important thing to remember is what your goals are.   Sit down and actually think about what you want to do with your life.  If you want to be a producer then I suggest you try to work as a pa on set because you learn everything about production that way.  If you want to be an executive at a studio then work as an assistant somewhere and you will eventually learn everything about being a studio exec.  Do research.  Look into biographies of top producers or directors and see how they accomplished their goals and then try to copy them.  Just don’t give up.  I know being at the bottom sucks, but once the hazing is all over an done with you will be so happy to be apart of the club.

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Posted in Production, Production in South Florida

Oct 07

Production in South Florida

 

This is just a really short tidbit of thought but has anyone else in South Florida realized how the Film Miami sites and Film Florida sites rarely update what actually is being shot in Florida??  Is there some site that I don’t know about that has all this updated info?  How do I even find this info so I can put it up myself??

If anyone knows of any site like this please let me know!

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Posted in Production in South Florida

Oct 07

Is it really that hard to answer your phone?

 

So my casting booker called me today because she needed help with calling our prospective douchebags.  At first I thought this would be fairly easy… boy was I completely wrong.

I got the list in my email around 2:30pm.  This is where all the drama began.  Apparently microsoft office now has a new version of their program.  Me being not the most computer savvy person did not know about this.  I see that it is an excel document but there instead of the normal .xls on the end of the title  it is  now some new .xlsx  Now you would think that magically excel would be able to recognize that it is a new form of the program and just allow you to choose to open it in the older version…but no.. microsoft has to be difficult and make it so you buy the new version of the program to see the damn document.

I do a quick google search and find that there is some converter thing that you can download that will help with the problem.  I search for a good two hours to find this so called converter only to find that they do not make one for macs.    I finally give up and head over to a fedex kinkos and open the document there and send it back to myself saved in the old format.  Finally when I get home it is 4:00 pm and I have yet to call a single douchebag.

I start going down the list and begin to call people.  Little did I know that this would just cause even more drama.  The first 10 people on the list don’t pick up so I leave a message .  The next 10 have no idea what I am talking about, and are extremely confused why I am calling them.  As I try to explain the show to them, they get all pissed that I am calling them a douchebag and some of them hang up on me.   The last few people I call answer the phone and say they were really drunk when they met the casting associate and don’t really want to do the show.

Honestly people, I know you are drunk when you go out..but if you don’t really want to be on a reality show then why do you give your number to someone who is telling you that they want to put you on a reality show?

It is now 6:00 pm and I still don’t have a single person scheduled for a interview with my casting director tomorrow…crap!

Thankfully I did get some calls back and booked a couple, but I have to say I have a new found respect for my casting booker and the drama she puts up with.

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Posted in Douchebags, MTV Casting

Sep 24

Hunting for Dbags

 

Casting for a reality show can really be hard.  Especially when you are casting for a show where one of the participants is basically getting made fun of the entire time.

Is She Really Going Out With Him isn’t like The Real World, or Survivor.  There are no prizes to be won, no cool houses you get to live in.  However, there is the whole getting to be on national television, having an entire episode about your life, and getting paid part that sways most peoples opinions about the show.  Like I’ve said before this show takes a very special guy to do it.

I went out to a local Irish themed bar last night with hopes of finding some great couples for the show.  First off it was a Monday night, and honestly there usually isn’t much happening on Monday nights.  So I was really excited when I heard from one of my college contacts that this Irish bar has beer pong and drink specials on Mondays.  I got to the bar around 11ish took a seat, ordered a beer and began to look around.  At first there weren’t too many prospects, just a few normal looking people playing beer pong and a couple of cute girls at the bar.  As time went on though a ton of college kids began to show up and drink their Monday night away.

As I was sitting at the bar a guy walks up and tries to get the bartenders attention.  The bartender was busy doing another drink order so the guy was forced to sit and wait.  Apparently this was just not acceptable.  This kid leans over the bar and yells “Hey Yo!” at the bartender and tries to grab her arm.  She nudges him off, gives him the death stare, and walks off to help another customer.  At this moment I smile because I believe I have found a prospective douchebag.

The guy tries to get the bartenders attention again and of course fails.  He looks over at me and smiles.  Now is my one shot, I hop out of my seat and introduce myself.  I begin to tell him about the show and he interrupts me.  “Wait.. you don’t know who I am?”  I am now confused.  Have I met this d bag out before?  I smile innocently and say “No am I supposed to?”  He laughs and says “Yes, I am a big sports celebrity.”  I quickly rack my brain for any “sports celebrity” that I would know of that would be down here in Florida.  I am quiet for a second and the guy starts to look surprised.  “Do you watch golf?” he asks.  I start to laugh and say “Absolutely not.  I hate golf.”  This kid then goes on a rampage of how he is a “famous” golf player, he’s on the PGA tour and that I really should know who he is despite my hatred for what is apparently the best sport in the world.

Once he is finially finished with his rant about golf, I smile and say that I will be right back.  I quickly ran to the bathroom, pulled out my cell phone and started to google this cocky d bag.  To my amazement this kid really did play golf, and really did play for the PGA tour.  I continued to look his stats and smiled when I found what I was looking for.  He sucks.  He has lost every game he has played in the last year, and has never qualified for any of the bigger tournaments.  This kid obviously thinks he is amazing, which just makes him an even bigger douchebag.

I run back up to the bar and thankfully he is still standing there attempting to flirt with the bartender now.  I tell him all about the show and of course he is super excited to be on tv.  I have officially found our “golf bag”.

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Posted in Douchebags, MTV Casting