You’re raring to go in the film industry, but before you run out the door to your first production assistant job, here’s what you should never do on set. You want to make the best possible impression on cast and crew. You can avoid doing things that are so obvious not to do.
Lights… camera… and…
Don’t be talking on your phone.
There is going to come a moment while you are on set when you are going to need to help someone. If you’re on the phone, everyone will notice. You won’t get hired again. You won’t get recommendations.
In a business that thrives on networking, you want to make the best impression. You want to build the relationships that get you recommendations.
If you’re on the phone at that crucial moment, you won’t get called back. You won’t get referrals. People will see you as lazy and inattentive.
The film industry is a networking business. Your success is based on who you know. The insider people will be watching you for your work ethic.
The mindset trap that many new people fall into when they start out in the film industry is that they believe the business is one big party.
There are parties. Big parties. Fun parties.
Working on set, though, is work. It’s fun work, but it’s intense work. You need to take every day, indeed, every moment, seriously.
Productions have a lot of money at stake. They have deadlines to meet. When you’re on the phone, you’re not thinking about the needs of everyone else. You are thinking about yourself, and that ruins relationships.
You are going to be amazed at how many production assistants are on their phone the first few times you step onto set.
When your phone is off, you are responsive and observant to everything happening on set. Staying off your phone is really about being present to the needs of the set. It means anticipating what people on the set need so they don’t have to ask you for it.
Insider professionals notice production assistants who are attentive. They also notice who is on their phone. They notice every detail of what’s happening around them.
Just by simply being off of your phone, you’ll be ahead of so many other production assistants.