And the sequel would be named...

...Hoboken to Manhattan: PATH of Destruction.

It's over folks. The film tied for the top spot on my "worst production to work on" list was over this past Saturday. We worked about a 17 hour day and I got home at 630am to find the town I live in strewn with garbage and seagulls (they celebrate a certain Irish holiday here two weeks early. Believe me, I wasn't happy about missing the festivities). It was a tough job no question, but it's over, I wasn't unemployed for 6 weeks, and I was offered another, hopefully better, job from the people I just worked for.

It's funny to look back to where I was a year ago at this same time. I had just jumped off a job that I thought was beyond horrible and I was going into another one where I had no experience doing what they needed me to do. It was exciting and it was my first big budget film. Looking back though, last January/February were times when I was still scared to turn projects down for fear of not getting another one. In the freelance production assistant world, it's hard to pass up on a job for fear of A) not getting another one and B) pissing off the people that you said no to. Now, with so many productions going on, and my experience level a year older, I have the option to pick and choose the projects that come my way. I mean, it's not like I am being called constantly, but when I have the option between two jobs, it's nice to know I'm not feeling forced to take one or the other.

Overall, this past film was an experience just like any other. I wish the actors luck, even the ones I didn't really appreciate too much, but I hope the best for them. I hope they grow up and appreciate what they have. Who knows, maybe one day I'll be the ones hiring them and telling them to shut the F* up. :)

Worst...Movie...Ever

So we just finished week 4 out of 6 on Saturday and the days could not be going by any slower. This project has been one of the hardest I have worked on since I started my production career. It's been cold every day, the people have been beyond needy to deal with, and I really, REALLY want it to be over with.

One of the hardest things to deal with have been the conditions. A lot of night shoots, terrible locations that have made almost everyone get sick, and long days. Since most of the film takes place underground in tunnels, the locations have had to be dirty and miserable. Dust, dirt, and cold are not a good combination for making a film. What also hasn't helped the crews' spirits is the fatc that story is horrible and the acting is even worse. The villain is a tool and has an accent that he says he fashioned after Marlon Brando and Al Pacino from Scarface (in reality it sounds like a high-pitched James Cagny impersonation. It's beyond awful. I feel bad for the guy when he sees it on the big screen).

Overall, the film has made me pretty unhappy and snappy with people. I find myself being irritable before I even get to the locations because I know the actors are going to be over-the-top needy. They are mostly people who have never been the central characters in a film, but they act like they "think" they should act because they are at the top of the call sheet. It's hard for us all to take them seriously or respect them if they have no respect for everyone else. They aren't bad people, they just feel like they are owed much more than they are getting.

Two more weeks left. 10 shooting days and then I'll be done. In March, there will be a record number of television pilots being shot in NYC. 21 pilots will be shot over the next two months and I have already gotten calls about work on two of them. I think at least one will work out while the other might not work just because of the timing of the production.

When this is over, I will give a final status report. Hopefully I won't be fired before then because I couldn't keep my mouth shut.

PATH you have finally failed me

So I live in New Jersey now. Many of you know this of course. Before I moved here, or anywhere off the Island, my only reservation was being outside of the Island with a body of water between me and most of the jobs I was going to have in the future. People told me it wasn't a big deal, the PATH runs smoothly (except for late night hours when it only comes every 30 min.) and plus you will have much more room in your apartment. I would agree with all of those things up until today.

Today I had my interview for the new film I will be starting next week (yes, I got the job). The interview was at 11am. I checked how to get to the production office and I figured it would take around 45 minutes to get out to Brooklyn. Not convenient, but not terrible. The F train thankfully hooks up with the PATH at 14th st., and from there it was a straight shot to the stop I needed. So I leave my apartment at 10:05, easily enough time right? Wrong. The PATH line going towards 33rd st, the one I need and the only one I have ever used, has a GAS leak and the entire line is shut down. Immediate thought, great! First impression from the people hopefully giving me a job is that I am going to be late...maybe. The only other option from here is to take the World Trade Center line (which I have never taken before and I had no clue where it left me). I was not excited by this, but I was not dismayed. I figured I left with enough time to cover unforeseen circumstances like this.

Well, I was wrong. An hour and a half later, and one extra train that I wouldn't have needed, I am walking through the rain totally late. Now also, for those of you who know me well, I hate to be late. I LOATHE it. I have clocks everywhere in my apartment. I set six alarms when I have to get up early in the morning. It makes me irritable to be late. I will get places early and then do a few laps of walking around the block to waste time.

Thankfully though, my new bosses were very cool and they already knew about the PATH gas leak. I got the job. They told me about the film briefly. No names are attached yet because all the offers are still out (see: worried faces). But I do have the script and I have read about thirty pages so far. And...ummm...it's pretty awful. I think I got less intelligent after reading it. It's a teenage thriller. You know, those movies that teenagers love and they make a lot of money, but no one else likes them? Yeah, that's this film. When you see the trailers for those films you say to the person sitting next to you "Wow, that looks awful." Well, imagine reading the script for one. I can't even explain it.

A paycheck is a paycheck though. At least I'll get to run around in the subway tunnels.

SST

I have a new job. Well, I am on the precipice of getting a new job. By tomorrow morning at 11:08am I should have my new job to work on. It will be six weeks long which is nice because a lot of pilots and other films will be starting in early March. But the bad part is I have no idea who is in it or what it is really about. The only thing listed on IMDB is the director, a few producers, and that is classified as a "thriller."

Other pieces of the puzzle that I can surmise from the limited information I have gotten is that I need to go for two days of Subway Safety Training. That's right, I need to go through two days of safety training because we will be shooting in the subway tunnels! I can't decide, is this cool or is this going to kind of suck? Supposedly a bunch of kids are being chased and part of it takes place in the tunnels. Am I just going to be taught what and what not to walk on? Like, that thing is about move if you touch, so don't touch it. It's also a little troubling that no cast is listed. It starts shooting two weeks from tomorrow so either A) the people in charge of this kind of thing are slacking or B) (which is a little scarier) they don't have most of the parts cast. I can't believe that B could be the answer. No way you get this far and not have the main parts cast. I think they are just slacking.

I'm sure I'll get more info tomorrow morning. Hopefully.

Merry 2008!

It's 2008 and I don't know what to do with myself. Do I change something about my daily routine? Was I supposed to give something up? Well, if I was supposed to, then I didn't. So THERE!

Ok, ok, so we are really back to where we were last year around this time. Currently I am unemployed for the year 2008. Any possible employers out there send me an email or call me! I'm available!!

But seriously, I really have nothing to do and I'm trying not to spend money in these first few dry weeks of the production season. Usually nothing really happens in terms of production until mid-January or even February but so much is coming into the city soon that things will pick up. Gotta love those tax incentives.

I finished the year on a high note with a smaller independent film with a few celebrities. It was an easy job especially after four months on that craptastic failure of a tv show for a network that will remain nameless (they still only know what they are doing on one night of the week, the other 6 days they are left wanting). Being on an indie can sometimes be tedious because the resources are lacking, but this one was fun and I enjoyed everyone surrounding me. For the most part, the people were cool and nice, and the days went by rather fast.

Now we move onto 2008. I'm sure it will be a good year. I'm confident 2008 will be a GREAT year. But before the year really gets started, I decided to start a new blog. I'll probably update that one more than this one, but I'll try to keep it equal. You can find it on the right sidebar or right here: Pictures Not Porn.

Like I said, my cell phone is on...all the time. Please call.

The Unpaid Holiday

I love having the day off. I love being able to sleep for more than a few hours. I love being able to wake up and see the sun and not have it still be dark out. This is what I get on my days off. Like today, a lovely holiday filled with lots of food and good ol' family fun. I slept in today after getting into my hometown pretty late. It was nice. Tomorrow will be just as nice regardless of the fact that I will have to throw up some crappy Christmas lights at some point. The drawback to sleeping in and getting days "off?" Not getting paid.

When you work in the film/tv biz, and you aren't in a union, holidays and other days associated with holidays (like Black Friday) are unpaid days. So this week, I have a three day work week, but also only three days that I get paid which puts quite a crimp on the monthly financial outlook of my personal budgetary needs. It's not like I'm going to go hungry or I won't be able to get my two slices of pizza after work for $4.07 (I hate that .07 cents of tax by the way, it's total BS), but I do have to watch where I go and what I buy for longer. But hey, in the world of freelance, at least I'm working and I'm not hunting around for another project. I had a total of five days in between my last job ending and my new one starting. That's rare, and I know I am lucky.

Also, the new film I am on is the polar opposite from the tv show I was on for four months. It's been so chill for the first 6 days. All the people are nice, the actors are very cool, and it has been stress free for the first 1/4 of filming. Hopefully the last 3/4's of the film will be just as nice.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The end of an Era (?)

Not really. The end of an era sounds more like I have been working on one job for years or even decades. No, it's been more like four months and now I am moving on to another project. Ironically, at the time this blog started last year, I was entering into a new project with a lot of the same pedigree as my current one. Low budget. Indie. Star power. Let's hope everyone realizes we don't have a lot of money and acts like it.

Oh and by the way, the show I was working on, was officially pulled altogether and can now only be watched in its entirety online at the networks website. How lame is that? The network puts the show in the worst timeslot (weekend night), it doesn't do well (no sh*t), and they pull it completely from the schedule. Ah well, at least the wrap party was fun last week. Watching "celebrities" doing karaoke never gets old. Especially when you have pictures of every single one of them.

The new film is smaller and story driven. The writer is making his directorial debut (always a scary thing) but has written a few very well recieved films in recent years. The three main people have appeared as Ripley, a surfer (where she hasn't looked good since due to lack of weight), and a young girl who cut her curly locks in 1999 and supposedly got her show cancelled because no one liked the new look. I have heard mixed reviews about the first one, nothing about the second, and great things about how sweet the third one is.

That's about it for now. Hopefully the first day tomorrow goes smoothly. I promise to try and write more in the next 30 days.