I just made the move from Virginia to Los Angeles and am currently settling down and beginning the search for work as a Production Assistant. My end goal is to become a First Assistant Director and become a member of the DGA. A few facts about myself: I'm a vegetarian, i love cats, and my favorite color is purple! Nice to meet you :)
Introduce Yourself : My name is Lindsey.. by Lindsey Deaner
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It's nice to meet you, Lindsey! I'm new around here too, and I hope you find a satisfying position soon. :)
Lindsey, do you want to direct one day or do you want to be an AD?
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I want to be an AD. I really enjoy scheduling and keeping things on track!
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Kudos on the move! I live in Va myself and have thought about making that move to LA. I hope everything works out for you.
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Welcome aboard, Lindsey! Enjoy the community :)
Hey, Lindsey! I'm Shawn, my favorite color is black, but purple is a very distant second! :) Great to have you with us! I moved form Va. to Denver. Where were you at in Va?
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I was in Lynchburg, Va before moving out here. So far I've really enjoyed getting to explore and learn more about my new home :)
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That's great Lindsey! Knowing exactly what you want to do will have you ahead of most people coming to town. If you're looking for PA jobs to get started, just remember- While it's good to get work where you can find it (and surely it's great to meet people as a PA) just don't loose sight of your goal. If you want to be an AD, don't be a PA for too long, otherwise you can get known as a "great PA" and people love to pigeonhole you in this town. They want to define you with a title right away. This is not a bad thing. A good PA is a valuable asset to any film. But if you want to break into being an AD, you need to be an AD yourself on a small budget indie. Really hone your craft, even if you've done this work before coming here. LA is a different game all together. It's all about what you're doing right now, meeting the right people and of course, who is prepared when opportunity comes. Get on someones short film right away on Stage 32. Don't make the mistake of waiting. It happens to the majority of the people who come here who have the best intentions. After you're been here for a year, the PA who's trying to be an AD doesn't have the same ring as AD. And I GUARANTEE there's people who became an working AD within an year. People can make indie films so fast now. So don't wait too long. That's my long, long, long winded advice. Thanks for listening. It's gonna be exciting! And when you're ready you can apprentice as a 2nd AD on a bigger film. At that point, if you got the chops, you're in. You'll know the right people within a few years. But on the the other side, it could easily be a 5-10 year delay in your career, if you go the PA route. And why bother when you can pretty much cut to the chase after a few months? Good AD's rarely have to look for work. It is an extremely valuable skill to have, because many "would be" AD's are secretly wanting to be directors, or producers, or worse.. actors. You'll be surprised how many people want to be actors in LA! You really have to own what you're doing if you want any chance at long term success in this competitive business. And that's why it's so great you know you want to be an AD and not a director. Because as you know, the two aren't even close to the same thing and it's tough to chase two careers at once. I'm sure you have your share of books to read, but if you haven't checked out "The Slight Edge" by Jeff Olson, I've been highly recommending it to people lately. I find reading books like that are more helpful than filmmaking books, because 90% of success is just learning how to discipline yourself and working harder than you may think you can on a consistent basis. And that's hard to sustain! I sure wish I knew that stuff when I came to LA! It's so amazing here. The opportunities are everywhere. We really live in an amazing place. This is paradise for optimistic people. Don't listen to the people who tell you this place is a shit hole. Because it's not. That's the other thing, is networking with the right people. Surround yourself with people who are champions for you. They are everywhere. Ok off my sopbox now :) Good luck and welcome!
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Thank you for the advice! I'll try not to be a PA for too long, I just didn't want to shoot for AD before i was prepared. Hopefully some indie AD work will come soon! I look forward to reading that book, one of my favorites so far is "Running the Show" by Liz Gill. I really appreciate your encouraging and helpful welcome :)
Hi Lindsey! Welcome!
Hello and thank you!