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LMGI COMPASS
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Winter 2023
PM: What have you found to be the most enjoyable part of
your job?
MF: I love working at different locations and not being stuck
behind a desk all day long, even though those days happen.
Working with different people is also a true joy. You meet some of
the best people—and worst—people working in locations and it's
always an adventure. The hunt for the perfect location is another
great point of enjoyment for me. Going over a script and working
to help bring that vision to life can be a rewarding process.
PM: What have you found to be the most challenging?
MF: The hours and the constant level of stress, honestly. When
I was younger, the hours were fun, and it was great to feel like
you were giving your all to make the dream happen. But as I get
older and now with a family and with COVID, I've learned that I
truly value my time with my family and friends. The long hours
we work can be abusive and the lack of work/life separation
needs to change.
PM: Do you have any advice for any young assistants just
starting out?
MF: We are the first ones in and the last ones out every day,
we find and manage not only the expectations of the creatives
and crew but also the location itself, the municipality you
happen to be working in and the community you're impacting.
We are always juggling community boards and neighbors here
on the East Coast. The job has so many beautiful perks and
opportunities but it can also swallow you whole if you're not
careful.
While on set: Be early! Being the first one to catch a problem
and or smooth out a wrinkle before it becomes an issue is such
an integral part of our job and is often overlooked. If we are
doing our jobs well and get the proper time to prep, you don't
usually notice our hard work because everything is seamless.
Always answer your walkie too but, that may be a personal
hang-up from my PA days.
PM: What's the best locations' advice you've received?
MF: You can't beat a strong prep. As much as I love to live by
this, here on the East Coast we do mostly TV work and the
prep time is more comparable to scrambling then anything. As
cliched as it sounds, "You catch more bees with honey." When
I was first starting out, I found that a lot of people were turned
off by overly aggressive film crew members and rightly so.
Being calm, listening and doing your best to communicate and
understand people's needs is always a winning path.
Yasawa Islands, Fiji
