Monkey's Work??

[Nigel]

A poster mentioned that being a PA is "Monkies work".

I have to say that I agree with them. I was a PA once and it was a waste of my day. The PA's I get handed from a Director are often 16-20 year olds that want to make movies but are more often than not to lazy to get anything done.

Example--Night shoot. My Gaffer and Grips are setting lights and can't find any C47s. They send out a PA to get some this is around 5:30pm. At 10:30pm they hadn't returned the shoot was done for the night and they didn't show up the next day.

Now, I admit that PAs don't get paid all that much usually 100-150USD a day. But, then again if you think that you are underpaid and don't like the fact that you are doing grunt work then don't sign up.

That 100-150 bucks is easy cash and the work while mindless is easy. So easy that if a Monkey could drive--They really could be a PA.

Good Luck

[untamed_aggression]

Originally posted by Nigel:
That 100-150 bucks is easy cash and the work while mindless is easy. So easy that if a Monkey could drive--They really could be a PA.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Yeah, but if you phrased questions into yes or no answers and held up cards and the monkey could point, a monkey could direct too.

[peter_g]

The person who you know will always show up and will always keep their promises, even if the work is monotonous, is a valuable asset. That is, in fact, a skill in and of itself. I get paid about $100 a day (plus some good perks) to work the night shift in a convenience store located in one of the roughest places in Dublin. Being a PA sounds like a dream job to me (I doubt the work is consistently available though).

I think that the one resource inexperienced directors frequently undervalue is crew morale. That is why I have a tendency to assign people with more enthusiasm to more boring jobs, all other things being equal. I know that it will take more to completely sap their resolve. Perversely, this often means that good people do the donkey work while self important turds get what is perceived as more glamorous work.

[jb_617]

Let's be honest, all film work is a piece of piss for pretty good money.

That's why none of us want to get real jobs.


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Flame away punks, you know I'm right.

[Chance1234]

Let's be honest, all film work is a piece of piss for pretty good money

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I am hoping that there is irony in there, otherwise that just explains a lot about Jb.

[miker]

My Gaffer and Grips are setting lights and can't find any C47s

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I have no idea what a C47 is, but I've monkeyed around enough to know that a half decent company like AFM will send you a huge f5ckin truck with everything you'd ever need in it. Sweet.

[miker]

Let's be honest, all film work is a piece of piss for pretty good money.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Or deferred payment. Or no money.

I'd hardly call stuntwork a "piece of piss" and I wouldn't call film accounting a "piece of piss" either. Perhaps I'm missing your ironic tone?

It's a piece of piss to post ill-informed generalisations though (I should know, I do it often enough).

[Nigel]

C47s are--&gt; http://www.eclothesdryers.com/clothespins.htm

I don't know the origin of the term but I have asked for a "Clothespin" and was handed a Paperclip....Go figure it was a Monkey--I mean a PA.

Good Luck

[jb_617]

Man, it's hard to get severe sarcasm across while typing. Having worked as a "Monkey" for a couple of the mighty bwana's on this board and in other places I stand by my statement. Working for around 12-18 hours a day is pretty tiring, but film work is manual labour so that's what I expected.

The couple of times I did actual grown-up work for real filmmakers (i.e, they paid me) it was brilliant. The whole industry is so heavily unionised that there are about 4 times the number of required people. One time I got about ?125 a day for 4 days grip work which was reasonalby demanding but not excessivly so. We'd unload the truck, do a setup, wait around while someone who'd failed to memorise a page of writing did their thing, then did another setup. Not bad work if you can get it.

So, here's my point. Yes, film work can be hard. It is a skill and a trade that is reasonably demanding. But let's get real, it's no harder than learning to fix a car, or a washing machine. You do need to have a good eye for it and the artistic side is a mental challenge (Chance's films aside since he says he doesn't make art). The hardest thing, I think, is the writing and the directorial (that may not be a word) planning.

Anyways, I prefer to do small personal work these days, mostly animation. I'm a hobbyist, I work in my spare time, I'm not going to be the next big thing in Hollywurrrd, and frankly I don't want to be. But if you take the attitude that PA's and the like are "Monkies" (especially when your deadbeat ass can't afford to pay them for showing up) then neither are you.

After a hard day at my regular job, curing cancer, I find it a little laughable that things like filmmaking and accountacy are considered challenging professions.


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ALL scientists are arrogant shits, just like me.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ January 23, 2005 08:44 AM: Message edited by: jb. ]</font>

[Spunkey1pestic]

You know, It really separtes the men from the boys
on this one...
And thanks Nigel, but I do know what a C-47 is...
Here's my two cents, seeing as I have PA'd a bit.
If your really wanting to get into the industry- you'll take whatever job you get!!!- Even if it's with craft services, for crying out loud!

Is being a PA glorius?? No!!
Is meeting Director's and Making contacts worth being a PA? Absolutely!
If your wanting to make it- everyone will pay their dues at one point or another!!
So I wouldn't be so quick to call PA's Monkies, b/c sooner or later those monkies will be pitching their work, while others who refused to do such are still bitching about union fees...