Mx. Tiffany Leigh
@tiffanyleigh.bsky.social
Pop™. Writer. Genderqueer game show host: Dare to Karaoke @daretokaraoke.bsky.social + Game of Blanks @gameofblanks.bsky.social. Film, books, board games, horror. Various & sundry. She/They. NYC. 🏳️⚧️ https://mxtiffanyleigh.bio.link/
Usually a million things have to break right for a thing to be successful on a film set. Production Offices are responsible for, or aware of, most of these million things, every time
December 4, 2025 at 4:41 PM
Usually a million things have to break right for a thing to be successful on a film set. Production Offices are responsible for, or aware of, most of these million things, every time
The two best office PA's I ever hired didn't go to film school & never worked in film before I hired them. One worked a few years at Home Depot. The other was an asst branch mgr at Enterprise-Rent-a-Car
December 4, 2025 at 4:39 PM
The two best office PA's I ever hired didn't go to film school & never worked in film before I hired them. One worked a few years at Home Depot. The other was an asst branch mgr at Enterprise-Rent-a-Car
Totally! Then you'd watch their face and try to gauge their actual visceral response to see if they deflate 😊
Because I don't have time to babysit someone who doesn't want to be in my office for the next 6-10 mths and would rather be "making a movie"
Because I don't have time to babysit someone who doesn't want to be in my office for the next 6-10 mths and would rather be "making a movie"
December 4, 2025 at 4:07 PM
Totally! Then you'd watch their face and try to gauge their actual visceral response to see if they deflate 😊
Because I don't have time to babysit someone who doesn't want to be in my office for the next 6-10 mths and would rather be "making a movie"
Because I don't have time to babysit someone who doesn't want to be in my office for the next 6-10 mths and would rather be "making a movie"
The Stuff From Set may have other random things you need to deal with. Busted walkies or mics that need replacing. A request for more Poloroid 600 (for old-school hair/makeup/costumers that still use film).
Or god help you, script revisions that may mean you need to redo the sides you already made
Or god help you, script revisions that may mean you need to redo the sides you already made
December 4, 2025 at 4:05 PM
The Stuff From Set may have other random things you need to deal with. Busted walkies or mics that need replacing. A request for more Poloroid 600 (for old-school hair/makeup/costumers that still use film).
Or god help you, script revisions that may mean you need to redo the sides you already made
Or god help you, script revisions that may mean you need to redo the sides you already made
Someone has to wait until the PA or DGA trainee or a Teamster shows up to the office w/ a box of stuff from set & the shooting day. This usually has set paperwork you need the morning shift to copy/distro. If you're feeling generous, maybe you do the AM paperwork now to stave off Sisypheus for a day
December 4, 2025 at 4:05 PM
Someone has to wait until the PA or DGA trainee or a Teamster shows up to the office w/ a box of stuff from set & the shooting day. This usually has set paperwork you need the morning shift to copy/distro. If you're feeling generous, maybe you do the AM paperwork now to stave off Sisypheus for a day
Call to confirm. Ask the concierge if they got the email (or god help me, fax). Ask if someone can run it up to their hotel room & slide it under the door. You call back to confirm they did it. Then confirm w/the actor's asst it was done.
You do this with *every* actor working tomorrow, tonight.
You do this with *every* actor working tomorrow, tonight.
December 4, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Call to confirm. Ask the concierge if they got the email (or god help me, fax). Ask if someone can run it up to their hotel room & slide it under the door. You call back to confirm they did it. Then confirm w/the actor's asst it was done.
You do this with *every* actor working tomorrow, tonight.
You do this with *every* actor working tomorrow, tonight.
For each cast member you send call sheets far & wide in a wide, "cover your ass" spread:
-To the actor (if they were on set they also got a hard copy & verbal confirmation/call from AD's)
-Actor's home/hotel (both/all locations)
-Actor's agent & mgr & lawyer/legal
-Actor's asst (all locations)
-To the actor (if they were on set they also got a hard copy & verbal confirmation/call from AD's)
-Actor's home/hotel (both/all locations)
-Actor's agent & mgr & lawyer/legal
-Actor's asst (all locations)
December 4, 2025 at 4:01 PM
For each cast member you send call sheets far & wide in a wide, "cover your ass" spread:
-To the actor (if they were on set they also got a hard copy & verbal confirmation/call from AD's)
-Actor's home/hotel (both/all locations)
-Actor's agent & mgr & lawyer/legal
-Actor's asst (all locations)
-To the actor (if they were on set they also got a hard copy & verbal confirmation/call from AD's)
-Actor's home/hotel (both/all locations)
-Actor's agent & mgr & lawyer/legal
-Actor's asst (all locations)
At the end of the shooting day when you wrap on set - whenever that is - it kicks off at least 2 hours of work in the Prod Office that can't *start* until wrap.
Call sheets which are contingent on your specific wrap time are printed/emailed to people on/off set in hotels and different time zones.
Call sheets which are contingent on your specific wrap time are printed/emailed to people on/off set in hotels and different time zones.
December 4, 2025 at 4:01 PM
At the end of the shooting day when you wrap on set - whenever that is - it kicks off at least 2 hours of work in the Prod Office that can't *start* until wrap.
Call sheets which are contingent on your specific wrap time are printed/emailed to people on/off set in hotels and different time zones.
Call sheets which are contingent on your specific wrap time are printed/emailed to people on/off set in hotels and different time zones.
Production offices have to be staffed 2 hours (at least) before general crew call. B/c yesterday's paperwork is waiting for you to make umpteen copies to distro all over creation: accountants, editors, the studio.
The paperwork represents money: how much you spent, and why. Everyone needs it ASAP
The paperwork represents money: how much you spent, and why. Everyone needs it ASAP
December 4, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Production offices have to be staffed 2 hours (at least) before general crew call. B/c yesterday's paperwork is waiting for you to make umpteen copies to distro all over creation: accountants, editors, the studio.
The paperwork represents money: how much you spent, and why. Everyone needs it ASAP
The paperwork represents money: how much you spent, and why. Everyone needs it ASAP
Shooting skeds have daily call times: when the crew shows up to work. There are (earlier) pre-calls. Like hair & make-up, who make the cast pretty before they step on set. Or drivers/Teamsters, who have to go get the equipment trucks - usually nowhere near set -and drive them there
December 4, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Shooting skeds have daily call times: when the crew shows up to work. There are (earlier) pre-calls. Like hair & make-up, who make the cast pretty before they step on set. Or drivers/Teamsters, who have to go get the equipment trucks - usually nowhere near set -and drive them there
When you're doing admin support (aka Production Office) for the crew your entire job is to do all the little stuff - working behind the scenes, at the margins, under the floorboards, Keebler Elf hours before and after everyone else's shifts - so everyone else can make the movie.
December 4, 2025 at 3:35 PM
When you're doing admin support (aka Production Office) for the crew your entire job is to do all the little stuff - working behind the scenes, at the margins, under the floorboards, Keebler Elf hours before and after everyone else's shifts - so everyone else can make the movie.
When doing invisible labor you never get credit & rarely get noticed if things are humming along swimmingly.
You're only noticed & called out when things are NOT running smoothly. When things go wrong and there's a problem that needs to be solved.
Once solved, you are invisible once more.
You're only noticed & called out when things are NOT running smoothly. When things go wrong and there's a problem that needs to be solved.
Once solved, you are invisible once more.
December 4, 2025 at 3:28 PM
When doing invisible labor you never get credit & rarely get noticed if things are humming along swimmingly.
You're only noticed & called out when things are NOT running smoothly. When things go wrong and there's a problem that needs to be solved.
Once solved, you are invisible once more.
You're only noticed & called out when things are NOT running smoothly. When things go wrong and there's a problem that needs to be solved.
Once solved, you are invisible once more.
I get it: you want to be noticed. You think movies are made on set & that the center of the universe of actors, on camera, being filmed a few minutes at a time, makes your job & whole reason to be more vital.
But the invisible labor of a production office is the ego death opposite of all that.
But the invisible labor of a production office is the ego death opposite of all that.
December 4, 2025 at 3:26 PM
I get it: you want to be noticed. You think movies are made on set & that the center of the universe of actors, on camera, being filmed a few minutes at a time, makes your job & whole reason to be more vital.
But the invisible labor of a production office is the ego death opposite of all that.
But the invisible labor of a production office is the ego death opposite of all that.
The invisible labor on film productions can be ego-shrinking & soul crushing. Esp if you're younger.
God help you if you just finished NYU going from "My senior film won stuff" to "I have to clean the toner explosion in the copier" or "I'm at Costco buying Fiji Water b/c that's all Mariska drinks"
God help you if you just finished NYU going from "My senior film won stuff" to "I have to clean the toner explosion in the copier" or "I'm at Costco buying Fiji Water b/c that's all Mariska drinks"
December 4, 2025 at 3:25 PM
The invisible labor on film productions can be ego-shrinking & soul crushing. Esp if you're younger.
God help you if you just finished NYU going from "My senior film won stuff" to "I have to clean the toner explosion in the copier" or "I'm at Costco buying Fiji Water b/c that's all Mariska drinks"
God help you if you just finished NYU going from "My senior film won stuff" to "I have to clean the toner explosion in the copier" or "I'm at Costco buying Fiji Water b/c that's all Mariska drinks"
When I was a Production Coordinator in film & tv and staffed my office, my interviews were one-way monologues where I "discouraged" prospective PA's from working there.
I didn't want a PA fresh from film school bummed that they were nowhere near set, doing "dumb" office admin as a placeholder job.
I didn't want a PA fresh from film school bummed that they were nowhere near set, doing "dumb" office admin as a placeholder job.
December 4, 2025 at 3:25 PM
When I was a Production Coordinator in film & tv and staffed my office, my interviews were one-way monologues where I "discouraged" prospective PA's from working there.
I didn't want a PA fresh from film school bummed that they were nowhere near set, doing "dumb" office admin as a placeholder job.
I didn't want a PA fresh from film school bummed that they were nowhere near set, doing "dumb" office admin as a placeholder job.
The invisible labor of people admin, being an asst, & caretaking, is like being Penny + Brain the Dog in Inspector Gadget. The inspector never has a clue 80% of the time his ass is managed - and saved - by Penny and Brain.
He's allowed to do his job without ever needing to thinking of the details
He's allowed to do his job without ever needing to thinking of the details
a cartoon of a man and a dog on a rope
Alt: Cartoon opening to the INSPECTOR GADGET series. Inspector Gadget is crossing a rope strung between the rooftop of two buildings. But they way he crosses it: Brain the Dog has two footplates on posts that he balances Gadget on as Gadget takes each step, while Brain is doing the actual highwire balancing and crossing act.
media.tenor.com
December 4, 2025 at 3:24 PM
The invisible labor of people admin, being an asst, & caretaking, is like being Penny + Brain the Dog in Inspector Gadget. The inspector never has a clue 80% of the time his ass is managed - and saved - by Penny and Brain.
He's allowed to do his job without ever needing to thinking of the details
He's allowed to do his job without ever needing to thinking of the details
Thankfully this person wasn't someone who was being petulant, or callous. They were sincerely curious and interested in my process, and they appreciated the granular explanation I gave of how I schedule 3-4 of the biggest and longest-running trans takeover parties each year in Danbury, Connecticut 😊
December 4, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Thankfully this person wasn't someone who was being petulant, or callous. They were sincerely curious and interested in my process, and they appreciated the granular explanation I gave of how I schedule 3-4 of the biggest and longest-running trans takeover parties each year in Danbury, Connecticut 😊
The admin behind logistics & planning - anticipating obstacles, seeing the angles - is 100% invisible labor. 20 yrs of honing & fine-tuning the process, my work looks automatic & seamless.
So my exhaustion is borne fr the gap bet my invisible labors & someone w/no idea what this "magic" entails
So my exhaustion is borne fr the gap bet my invisible labors & someone w/no idea what this "magic" entails
December 4, 2025 at 3:03 PM
The admin behind logistics & planning - anticipating obstacles, seeing the angles - is 100% invisible labor. 20 yrs of honing & fine-tuning the process, my work looks automatic & seamless.
So my exhaustion is borne fr the gap bet my invisible labors & someone w/no idea what this "magic" entails
So my exhaustion is borne fr the gap bet my invisible labors & someone w/no idea what this "magic" entails
My exhaustion comes from knowing that while their q is borne from their FOMO frustration, if they truly want to know why my April 2026 party was scheduled the night before Easter Sunday, it will require an email response from me that will take 40 min to compose.
December 4, 2025 at 3:03 PM
My exhaustion comes from knowing that while their q is borne from their FOMO frustration, if they truly want to know why my April 2026 party was scheduled the night before Easter Sunday, it will require an email response from me that will take 40 min to compose.
I get it. It's their disappointment they can't attend one of the four parties I'm hosting next year. It's FOMO amplified by the fact they are still relatively closeted so windows of opportunity are fleeting.
December 4, 2025 at 3:03 PM
I get it. It's their disappointment they can't attend one of the four parties I'm hosting next year. It's FOMO amplified by the fact they are still relatively closeted so windows of opportunity are fleeting.
But it can exhausting when someone with 0 years of experience hosting trans events in semi-rural small-town Connecticut rolls up and asks me why I scheduled a specific party on a specific day that conflicts with their personal schedule. (In this case "the party is on the same weekend as Easter")
December 4, 2025 at 3:03 PM
But it can exhausting when someone with 0 years of experience hosting trans events in semi-rural small-town Connecticut rolls up and asks me why I scheduled a specific party on a specific day that conflicts with their personal schedule. (In this case "the party is on the same weekend as Easter")
They don't tell you when you host a long-running event for the trans community - esp my subset of it, which are many pre-egg & deeply closeted folks - that a huge part is being a moderator. Not customer service FAQ's but managing personalities & conflicts as one does in online forums or social media
December 4, 2025 at 3:03 PM
They don't tell you when you host a long-running event for the trans community - esp my subset of it, which are many pre-egg & deeply closeted folks - that a huge part is being a moderator. Not customer service FAQ's but managing personalities & conflicts as one does in online forums or social media
There's a reason I still host; I still love doing it. I made an inclusive, life-changing 3rd space event for 1000's of people. And I'm uniquely suited to this b/c have transferrable skills from previous jobs (& my current one). And have accrued yrs of experience learning how to run & host events.
December 4, 2025 at 3:03 PM
There's a reason I still host; I still love doing it. I made an inclusive, life-changing 3rd space event for 1000's of people. And I'm uniquely suited to this b/c have transferrable skills from previous jobs (& my current one). And have accrued yrs of experience learning how to run & host events.