When you work as a PA, do you ever talk to others on how they got where they are at? Everyone started somewhere, and I'm sure it was at the bottom. How did the DP get where he/she is at? How about the Assistant Director?

I think it's cool that you can start with no education and still work your way up. Sounds like an opportunity to me!

I agree in a lot of ways and it is very hard to decide if i should be saying anything at all. Its just that with this attitude, at what point do you realize they are just taking advantage of you...like company X needs 30 hours of transcription done, or 30 hours of footage logged and captured, well they are on a budget and thus put in add out for an intern to do their work for them with no promise of anything besides a resume building credit of 'intern'. Maybe you see this as an oppurtunity, but I see this as exploiting people under false pretenses. If you wanna be a chef, do you start your career as an unpaid dishwasher with the vague hopes that after 3 months they will hire you?

Interning or being a PA is all about networking. Meeting folks you would never have otherwise had a chance to meet. Each one is a potential job in your year long internship/job search/whatever you want to call it. That is how you have to look at it or you will go crazy.

RJSchwarz

quote:

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Originally posted by nordberg
If you wanna be a chef, do you start your career as an unpaid dishwasher with the vague hopes that after 3 months they will hire you?

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I know nothing about the restaurant business. But I've
been in the entertainment industry my entire working
life.

I started by doing free work. Lot's of it. For about three
years. That got me paid work - very low pay, but paid.
For about two years. That work got me better jobs.
And because of the experience I got building my resume
as an "intern" I was able to direct my first feature at age
24.

I'm glad I saw what you call exploiting people under false
pretenses as the first rung on a ladder that has been my
entire career since I was 17.

But if you feel working for free is exploitation then I see
nothing wrong with you holding out until you get paid.
I don't think you're alone in that feeling. But there are
a lot of people line me willing to work for free so you
have to compete with them.

But it sure seems like this is the only business where
people start working for free. I guess even the dishwasher
hoping to become a chef gets paid...

Are you a director now or are you doing another specialty?

Similar story here. I started fetching coffee and scrubbing toilets. My first movie work was free. Then I did some corporate video work and that paid a bit more. Then I met some people who were working on bigger projects and got involved with them. Some of my first work was in NYC. Just network like crazy... Looking back on it, most my NYC friends are with me here in Los Angeles. So you'll meet people. Those people will become your network.

Go here: www.filmmakingstuff.com

well how long do I transcribe interviews for $2 an hour before I:
A: Quit
B: kill myself

A friend of mine worked as a PA for two years and saw no opportunities. It is not a sure thing by any shot. It is what you make of it and if all they have you doing is transcribing and not meeting people you will have less opportunities.

Still if the person abuses their people all the time that will be known and showing that you survived that would have a lot of value to other players.

RJSchwarz

I dont mean to be hijacking this thread (even though i started it)with my own random situation, but with this last question I genuinely want to know from people who have experienced what you would do in this situation: My job now has been laid out for the foreseeable future which consists of roughly 35 hours of interviews to transcribe. It takes me on average 4 hours to transcribe one hour with timecode added (and that is not to bad from what i've read). This equates to about about 140 hours of transcription with my pay at just over 2 dollars in hour...in new york city. All of you who are beginners or sort of beginners, you would suck it up and do it, hope for the best at the end?

I would think you're wasting your time because it doesn't seem to lead to any opportunities, I'd rather work for free as a PA for people who could and would actually hire me.

quit that job. there is obviously nothing in it for you. wasting your time as an intern is not the only way to make it. you could work an unrelated job and save up to produce your own film, or do a million other things to build up experience and meet people. how many connections are you making doing slave labor? what do you get from doing mind numbing work for people who dont value you?

be creative. find your own way to get where you want to be without giving away your life for pennies. dont spend another minute of your time on people trying to swindle you.