Here is the latest blog submission in our ongoing Media Match Blog Writing Promotion; ‘What Does a Colorist Do?‘ by Media Match member Gregg Miller. If you are interested in participating please send a 500 word blog to us-blog@media-match.com. If your blog is selected you will get a free annual subscription to our Media Match services.

Image from Alexis Van Hurkman - Thinking Aloud

What Does a Colorist Do?
By Gregg Miller

Simply put. A good Colorist makes your film or TV show better. How does he do this? By first communicating with the director or producer in charge of post production to find out what they are trying to say in their film or show, what feeling they are trying to project to the viewer. Believe it or not, this informs many of the decisions a Colorist makes. Whether it relates to a particular scene in a film or the whole film’s look. (more…)

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Cartoon by Nick Downes

If you are like me then you are a recent transplant to Los Angeles looking for a way into the entertainment industry with little to no social skills and an earnest, self-deprecating wit. With entry level positions needing at least one year experience becoming the latest trend, it seemed that the best thing for me to do was to get an internship. (more…)

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I sometimes wonder how many people in Hollywood (or anywhere, for that matter) have actually heard the term “Dustbuster” before. I certainly hadn’t, at least not until I started working as a post-production assistant. Unless you really studied these things in college, it’s only once you start to work for (or with) a production company do you truly understand just how many different types of film and television production jobs there really are.

“Dustbuster” was the loose name given to the job of digital colorist assist-assist, though the job title was not exactly accurate (in fact, it always seemed an afterthought, something to give us some sort of hierarchy within the company). I mean, we were working a film post-production job, in an assistant capacity, beneath the Colorist Assists, so I suppose you could give us that particularly cumbersome label. However, to save time and spare confusion, I and my fellow workers were called dustbusters, as we were literally responsible for removing dust (as well as scratches, and blotches) from every single frame of every single film the company took on. The colorists needed an impeccably pristine “canvas” with which to do their work, and that’s where we came in.

The process for cleaning film is simple enough to describe on the surface: they would scan the film digitally, and would then send the files to the main computers in our workspace. The film was then broken up into sections, with each section typically assigned to one of the nine or so workstations. Each workstation was loaded with the company’s proprietary software program, which would run the film frame by frame, shot by shot, and scene by scene. The dustbusters would then literally clean the film, by digitally removing every scratch or hair or discoloration. We did this by surrounding the offending mark with a box, which would then scan the next frame for a similar image to render. If there was little movement, the job was simple; if there was a lot of movement, we then had to tweak the box to get it as close as possible to blemish-free.

If this sounds mundane, it’s because it was. An eight hour shift, locked in a small, dark, windowless room, working at a cubicle, and staring at the same couple of thousand frames of film all day isn’t exactly how I would describe the fun side of Hollywood. But more than that, it served to illustrate just how many production jobs there truly are, and how varied they can be. Now, whenever I look at a film’s budget, I can’t help but be impressed by the number of people working behind the scenes, on the smallest details, people whose names will never appear in the credits; I think of the countless production companies, each specializing in an aspect of the filmmaking process. And I marvel at just how big and yet small this town can feel.

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My first production assistant job was misleading, to say the least. It was back in the year 2000; I’d recently graduated from USC, having PA’d on various student films before. But I’d never worked a true production, and as such had little idea what to expect. So when the offer came to work a music video with a friend of mine, I figured it would give me a good chance to learn what a production assistant job entails in a short amount of time (I was assured the production wouldn’t go over two days, unlike a film, which could stretch out over a longer period).

I showed up at a studio in Hollywood dressed in comfortable clothes: sneakers, jeans and a tee-shirt, as I’d been instructed. I was met by my friend, who handed a walkie-talkie and showed me how to key the various channels. So far so good. He then took me around and introduced me to his boss, along with some of the other production assistants I’d be working with. More importantly, he taught me some of the valuable lexicon I would need while working on set: “what’s your 20?” (where are you?)… and “ten one hundred” (I’m in the bathroom). Personally, I didn’t think I’d ever feel comfortable letting thirty or so people know I was in the can, so I figured I’d just skip over that part. But I got a kick out of saying “what’s your 20?”, and used it often that first day. I think I even started throwing in things like “ETA five minutes”.

Anyway, only once I was on set was I told what they’d be shooting: turns out Bob Dylan was filming a video of his original song from Curtis Hanson’s film “Wonder Boys”. Everyone was instructed in no uncertain terms that, once Mr. Dylan was on set, we were all to maintain our distance, avoid prolonged eye contact, and lastly, under no circumstances, were we to talk to him. Ever. I nodded, figuring it was cool enough that I’d get to see Bob Dylan in person. And sure enough, when he walked on set, it was a bit of a thrill that he was standing only five feet away.

I didn’t expect what came next, however: in between shots, to help pass the time, Dylan decided to practice. He started strumming his guitar, and singing songs like “Hurricane” under his breath. I looked at the other production assistants around me, and could see the same barely-suppressed excitement on their faces: we were basically being treated to a private concert by the man himself. I didn’t think the day could get better from there, but it did.

Because of my limited experience, I was plucked from the set and sent to work the monitors in the video village, the area where the director (Hanson), the producers, and the talent all gathered to watch the various takes; in this case, the talent included Dylan, as well as Michael Douglas, who was there to reprise his role in the film for some scenes with Dylan. My job was simple: press play and rewind. I took drink orders, handed out coffee and pastries, and then settled in a chair next to Michael Douglas for the next couple of hours. The highlight came when everyone wandered away except for myself and Bob Dylan; figuring it would be rude not to talk to him, I struck up a conversation and we chatted for about five minutes. At that point, I couldn’t believe they were actually paying me to be there! When the day finally ended, I walked away whistling, having had one of my best days in this city. This is showbiz, I thought to myself; I now have a PRODUCTION ASSISTANT job, and I love it!

Two weeks later, I PA’d a music video in downtown Long Beach, for some crappy boy band that no one had ever heard of. It rained… I was stuck outside, hauling cables and lights, from 10p.m. to 9a.m…. I made $75… I got yelled at twice by the psychotic 2^nd Assistant Director… and I broke my walkie-talkie (and nearly my hand) when some idiot slammed a metal pipe into it. As the rain poured down, I marveled at just how much I had been misled.

This is showbiz, I thought to myself the next morning as I trudged home; and I now have a production assistant job. Yay.

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Ever thought about landing a gig in Tinseltown? Well, here are 5 ways you can break into Hollywood by being a production assistant (in no particular order):

1. Get a Production Assistant Job
Working as a production assistant, or a PA, on a film or TV show is a beneficial way to learn about the production process and to get familiar with the folks making the decisions. The day-to-day duties can vary greatly depending on the production and budget, but the elbow-rubbing time can not be underestimated. Some will tell you assistants exist to feed the egos of their self-important bosses, but others know it’s a rite of passage to the Hollywood fraternity (or sorority). While much of the job consists of pouring coffee and answering phones, occasionally there can be some free time to read scripts and write coverage too. Also, production companies fill most new positions from within. When there’s a new position to fill, most managers would rather promote a qualified production assistant to the position, rather than hiring a stranger, even if some outside applicant had better work on his reel. In many studios, you find top people who initially started as PA’s. The key is getting in the gate in the first place.

Check out Media-Match to search for production assistant jobs and apply for as many as seem appropriate. For a small fee Media-Match will post your resume and try to match you with a job opening in the television and film industries. Also, it has a forum and a social network that allows you to interact with other people working as production assistants and job seekers looking for production assistant jobs.

2. Educate Yourself
Do you know what the terms “call sheet,” “sides,” “honey wagon,” and “call time” mean? If you don’t, you need to learn the terminology, “the lingo” that’s used in the industry. Or else, you can’t do your job properly as a production assistant.

Do you know the difference between a Director of Photography and an Assistant Director? Do you know what the Production Designer does? Learn more about the various production job roles found on television and film sets.

Next, familiarize yourself with the “trades.” These are magazines and newspapers geared towards entertainment industry professionals. The main ones are “The Hollywood Reporter,” “Variety,” “Film & Video,” and “Backstage West/East”. “Film & Video” is specifically for those who work behind the camera. Get “The Hollywood Reporter” on Tuesdays and “Variety” on Fridays. Those are the two days when the Production Charts are listed.

Learn as much as you can about the workings of film and TV production before you arrive on set for your first day of work.

3. Network, Network, Network
In Hollywood it’s not so much what you know as who you know in the entertainment industry. As many Tinseltown residents will tell you, this city is built on connections.
Take advantage and leverage your connections as a production assistant. Network, network, network. Talk to the people you work with and get to know them. The film or television industry is all about who you know and the people you are working with are a great place to start. Make those connections. You can meet people this way and begin to build up a network and beef up your Rolodex.

4. Be Persistent
Being a production assistant is not glamorous, but it is an important role. While you are on a set, be a sponge and soak up everything you can. When one show ends, be on the lookout for another one. Don’t ever stop working or looking for work because the next <a href=”http://www.media-match.com/jobsboard.php” title=”Production Assistant Job”>production assistant job</a> you take could be the one that takes you to the next level in your career.

5. Figure Out Your Ultimate Goal
Think about what your eventual career goal is. When you’re working as a production assistant, knowing what you want to do and knowing what you must accomplish before you get there is an effective way to move up. You have to put yourself on the proper path to where you want to be in the film or television industry.

If you’re currently a production assistant or are pursuing to be one, we’d like to hear your tips and suggestions.

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