Because Of What You've Done -- What You Plan To Blog!

Well, spirits aren't high, but they really can't be when you're unemployed and industry jobs are being replaced with no-pay internships and going to film students instead of recent graduates. Not that I'm bitter -- internships are an important stepping stone into the industry, and are great learning experiences. I, for one, really appreciated my internship and found it massively rewarding in a lot of respects. That doesn't mean they're always a song and a dance, with rainbows and cupcakes, but it means that I wouldn't wish them away by any means, even if it steals from my job market. But it is getting tougher, and the economy doesn't look to be getting better.

I've found my way temporarily onto the set of CBS's Medium, which has been so far a good experience over all, if not an intensive one. The first thing I noticed was that my role as a PA was massively downscaled. For the first time, craft services was NOT my problem. For the first time, nobody expected me to be making coffee. For the first time, nobody was asking me to drive someone anywhere, and for the first time, nobody told me to run over to Starbucks. Maybe that stuff does happen still, but on this show, in this context, I've done nothing but really solid PA-ing. And that includes loitering, handing out papers, trying to find missing people, answering questions, and hissing loudly at people being too noisy during rehearsals and shots. Which I still don't get. It's like they show up to do their part, but could care less once the actors step in and the cameras start recording. Eh, it's just a movie I'm being paid to make successful. Who gives a rip if I ruin the takes by loudly telling crude jokes off screen, now that the lighting is good?

Maybe I'm just hyper sensitive and a little anal. But gosh darn it, picture's UP and we're ROLLING. And whenever we cut, I want nothing more than to yell, "IF ANYONE ELSE HAS ANY MORE NOISY CRAP TO DO, NOW'S THE FRICKEN TIME."

I'm really gonna be an all-star PA by 2011. Like the kind legends are made of. The disgruntled and angsty kind, with violence issues and a dark sarcasm built upon broken dreams.

Oh, but here's the light in my life: ANIMATION. Because no sets are required, no cameras are needed, no lights have to be rented, no crews need to set up, and no call sheets need to be issued. There's no such thing as a location shoot in animation, and there's no need for a soundstage. All we need to make animation is me, sitting at my computer, and enough attention span to stop checking my email.

I can't animate the rest of my life, because I enjoy swordfighting and blowing stuff up too much. And plus, costumes and fake stonework is too much fun not to use. But I may thrive on cartoons for as long as I can, because they know my pain and know best how not to cause it.