#set pa

Not too personal at all. I work as part of the assistant directors team. My job title is Set PA (which is basically a fancy title for 'runner'). Mainly our job is to help run the floor.

We mainly assist the cast in whatever way they need, whether that's making sure they get checked by HMU (hair&makeup) and costume before they shoot. Making sure they get food and drinks topped up throughout the day, helping to travel them to and from set. But aside from the cast, a large part of my job is to look after the people who run the floor, like the director (if they don't already have an assistant), the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd assistant directors and sometimes the script supervisor (who, all of the above, often find it difficult to leave set during the shoot day).

We also help keep everyone quiet during takes by locking off the area closest to where we're shooting, and letting people in that area know when we're rolling, we do an abundance of tea and coffee runs, and we liase heavily with all other departments.

I eventually want to have creative control over things. I want to collabrate, and write, and direct. As of right now I am following in the path to become an AD (Assistant Director), and getting into the Directors Guild is what i’m working towards. Once entering said guild, the work becomes harder to get as an AD. And I don’t want to AD forever, this is merely a stepping stone. I just interviewed for another pilot that would take me into mid- January. And after that, I want to drive out to LA and spend time out there. I don’t want all my resources to be solely in Atlanta. 

A year ago, I threw weekly parties to watch this show. I obsessed over it (still do, really). But now I get to see it in a whole new way. I get to know the people who create this literal and figurative monster. And the amount of things I've learned since day one is enormous.