Radu
04-06-2010, 10:29 PM
I am a Production Assistant (PA) for an up and coming TV network based out of Albuquerque. My show is really fun to work on- I get exposed to all kinds of cool movies that Leonard Maltin considers "hidden gems," meaning he thinks they are really good films that slipped past the majority of viewers due to lackluster promotions, bad box office sales, etc.
Suffice to say that I like my job.
What's been happening for about the last 4 months, however, is that I'm doing all the work of my Producer/Editor while he's getting all the credit (and pay- let's not forget the pay)! I'm essentially filling the Producer/Editor ("preditor") role for the salary and 'prestige' of a PA. I'd say it's safe to say I do about 80-90% of all the editing that gets done on the show, often times doing 100%.
So for a 22 minute show, I cut all the assets which need to roll in the studio, prepare all the graphics, do the lion's share of work cutting the show together in post production, and so on.
Meanwhile, my Preditor is on such good terms with our Executive Producer (read: oversees all aspects of the show and ultimately responsible for everything about it, but not my boss. TV is weird.) that there's basically no recourse I have but to go to my actual boss (who happens to be my Preditor's boss too) and complain.
Tonight, it happened again: I've prepared 100% of the assets for the show, while still doing all the unexciting stuff like entering in metadata and boring housekeeping shit (fact checking, pronunciation checking, spell checking, etc.). I'm doing 2 jobs for the pay and recognition of 1, while my Preditor is doing half of one and wants to pull for a promotion. My 1 year review can't come soon enough, because then I can ask for a raise and promotion myself and get assigned somewhere else.
Suffice to say that I like my job.
What's been happening for about the last 4 months, however, is that I'm doing all the work of my Producer/Editor while he's getting all the credit (and pay- let's not forget the pay)! I'm essentially filling the Producer/Editor ("preditor") role for the salary and 'prestige' of a PA. I'd say it's safe to say I do about 80-90% of all the editing that gets done on the show, often times doing 100%.
So for a 22 minute show, I cut all the assets which need to roll in the studio, prepare all the graphics, do the lion's share of work cutting the show together in post production, and so on.
Meanwhile, my Preditor is on such good terms with our Executive Producer (read: oversees all aspects of the show and ultimately responsible for everything about it, but not my boss. TV is weird.) that there's basically no recourse I have but to go to my actual boss (who happens to be my Preditor's boss too) and complain.
Tonight, it happened again: I've prepared 100% of the assets for the show, while still doing all the unexciting stuff like entering in metadata and boring housekeeping shit (fact checking, pronunciation checking, spell checking, etc.). I'm doing 2 jobs for the pay and recognition of 1, while my Preditor is doing half of one and wants to pull for a promotion. My 1 year review can't come soon enough, because then I can ask for a raise and promotion myself and get assigned somewhere else.