The beginning

Production Apprentice began as an idea that I had several years ago.  I was always coming across new interns and graduates from film school and Universities that had a good knowledge of the theories of production, but when it came to the actual hands-on work, these poor kids were inexperienced.  Of course, I’m not expecting interns to understand complex lighting design or how to deal with audio phasing issues, but I would expect them to understand how a C-stand operates or how to place a lav mic on the talent.  These little tid-bits of information were lacking.  Then I thought back to my experience in college and realized that there wasn’t enough time to go over all of this information, this was something that I picked up in the field.  Knowledge came with experience . . . or so I thought.

It’s a hard time for recent graduates

As I started paying more attention to this on different projects  however, it became apparent that some of these kids on the set were getting passed over for jobs because of this lack of experience.  They weren’t learning in the field like I did, they were expected to know everything as a PA.  For some reason, production companies seem to think that interns are now a cheap substitute for video professionals.  I watched as one company threw a recent graduate to the wolves on a project, only to berate him in front of the entire crew when he made mistakes.  This was painful for me to watch.  So I decided to do something about it.

Economic times are tough and companies are doing what they can to cut corners.  This means inexperienced people are going to continue to be put into situations that are overwhelming.  So what can I do about it?  Well, I thought it might be a good idea to recall some of my experiences and write about some of the basics of production.

The ever changing Production Apprentice

Like any creative project, this website is an ever-changing being.  It began as a tip and trick website originally, but now I am starting to realize the importance of getting into the head of people who do this stuff daily.  How did they get into production?  Why did they get into production?  These are questions that facinate me!  As a result, I am compiling interviews with production professionals from local TV station producers to directors of feature films.  I want to give everyone out there an education into the art and the craft of production.  In the process, I hope to learn even more about this wonderful business and meet all of the different people who make up this business that I love.