A Book Recommendation (it's a really short book, I promise!)

Hi! Becca here. For anyone who's interested in going into film or TV/is planning on working as a P.A. on a professional shoot at some point, I have a book recommendation. For Christmas, I got a book called The Production Assistant's Pocket Handbook- it's actually a large-pocket-size book that's only 59 pages long. It gives you advice on what to do/not do as a P.A., jargon that you need to learn, what different P.A. jobs are like, and basically tells you how to be the best P.A. possible so that you can be promoted quickly and get past that bottom rung. I learned a lot of odd things when I read it, like:

- If a gaffer lets you keep the gloves he lends you after you help him with something, telling you that "you've earned them," don't stick them in your back pocket for all to see. The gloves tell the other gaffers that you're willing to help them move large, heavy objects, coil cables, etc. So it's kind of a trap. Give the gloves to someone else or hide them.

- You'll be driving a lot as a P.A., and if a producer or director is driving with you, drive really smoothly. A jarring stop or start won't get you fired, it just won't get you rehired. It's a subliminal-sounding thing, but too many tiny mistakes while driving can set the already-wired producer/director on edge, something that generally won't make you too high on their "rehire these people" list.

- Second-unit P.A. jobs are cool because it's a smaller crew. You can get a better view of all the different job opportunities on set, and there's a good chance they'll give you more responsibilities when you're there.

Maybe all of that was obvious, but I had never heard of those things before. There's a billion other little tips and facts like those in the book, so if you're interested, I recommend getting/borrowing it.

Have an awesome weekend :)