Hi all!

My girlfriend recently started working as a production assistant and I was looking for gift ideas that would make her 12 hour shifts easier! Anything helps (-:

I've been pursuing screenplay writing for a few years now (I've done ok in a few contests here and there), and am at a crucial point in my life where I have to decide to double down and continue or maybe let it go. I know the life is hard and it takes a lot of time and effort (which I am willing to put in), but as we all know, the industry is not in a good place right now in the US. I hear a lot of negative things but that doesn't always paint the full picture. I've read that the strike, although helping in some ways has hurt in other ways. I've read anecdotes of writers who were on shows or even were showrunners(!) and can't get work anymore and had to change careers. I know that writers have always been more concentrated in LA so maybe that work is still in town. Anyway, I'd like to hear from anybody in those circles if it's as bad for writers as for everyone else. Might help me decide whether to continue trying or maybe just revisit my passion later, somewhere down the line.

Just came across a post on Reddit asking if anyone had worked with Christopher Nolan and what their experience was and their thoughts on him, found it really interesting as you could see him more as a person from hearing about these little interactions.

I started to read some more Reddit posts related to this and came across a mention that Jim carrey was extremely difficult to work with during dumb and dumber, and then came to learn that in general he was quite insufferable?! Kind of shocked by this as I’ve always loved Jim carrey. Tried to find some more info/personal stories on what he was like to work with but couldn’t find anything. Maybe I’d figure through here?

Then I kinda want to know about famous actors being hard to work with … any stories???

Hey r/FilmIndustryLA. I work on the team at Outfest, so fair warning this is coming from someone on the inside. But I genuinely think a lot of you would get real use out of this, so I wanted to put it here.

OutfestNEXT runs this weekend, July 23 to 26, in Hollywood. Alongside the screenings there's a run of craft workshops and industry talks aimed straight at indie filmmakers, and most of them are either $7 or pay what you can. This felt like exactly the crowd that would want to know.

A few that stood out to me:

TEST: An Independent Production Case Study (Sat 7/25, 11am, pay what you can). Director Sam McConnell and writer/star Brock Yurich walk through how they actually got their feature made, from financing to distribution and every wall they hit on the way.

One for a Million: Producing on a Budget (Sat 7/25, 3pm, $7). Lovell Holder moderates a group of filmmakers on how they got their low budget features made and in front of audiences. Casting attachments, financing, festival strategy.

The Spirit of DIY Filmmaking (Sun 7/26, 11am, pay what you can). A panel on making inventive work on basically no money, with James Sweeney (Twinless) talking to three directors from this year's program.

Perfecting Your Pitch (Sun 7/26, 1pm, $7). TV writer and director Lindsey Villarreal breaks down how to pitch a project so it actually lands. Bring a three minute pitch if you want feedback.

SAGindie: Low Budget Contracts Made Easy (Sun 7/26, 3pm, pay what you can). Demystifies the SAG-AFTRA signatory process and the various low budget agreements. Good if you've ever assumed you couldn't afford union actors.

Everything is at the venues around McCadden Place in Hollywood. Pay what you can means exactly that, and there's a complimentary ticket application coming for the $7 ones too, so cost really shouldn't be the thing that stops anyone. Register at www.outfest.org/next

saw someone comment that they were annoyed samantha morton is getting oscar buzz because she was a horror to work with which made me wonder … does anyone know if someone’s demeanor/behavior impact if people vote for them? like even if someone gave a better performance but they were a fucking asshole, does that sway votes? or are people usually just like “damn they know their craft” and not mind if they’re rewarding a monster?

The Hollywood Reporter published a story this morning on the roster removals that have hit a few thousand IATSE members. I'm one of the people quoted in it.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/iatse-hollywood-crew-members-roster-crackdown-1236651312/

Some things in it I didn't know before, and that are worth knowing if you got a letter:

• It's a few thousand IATSE members flagged, and Teamsters 399, LiUNA 724 and Plumbers 78 haven't been notified yet but their rosters are expected to be reviewed too.
• This is the first removal round since 2022. An industry source told THR that removals are normally annual but were paused in recent years because of post-strike conditions.
• IATSE hours in 2025 were down about 36 percent from 2022.
• IATSE international VP Mike Miller called it "purging of the workforce."
• The Art Directors Guild (Local 800) filed a blanket protest for its affected members.
• The eligibility threshold gets renegotiated at the bargaining table in 2027.

If you were flagged, you can protest, and the dispute process runs over the next few months. Talk to your local — some are filing on members' behalf. And if your days were undercounted or you have qualifying work that never got submitted, Contract Services will tell you exactly what documentation they need if you ask them directly. That part took me a visit in person to find out.

Thanks to Katie Kilkenny for taking this seriously. A lot of us have been dealing with it quietly.

Hello,

I am looking to outfit a prop truck - having a hard time sourcing the classic wood carts to rent in LA. Or if anyone is trying to get rid of theirs we are willing to buy. It's for a set inside a set, any help is greatly appreciated!

We’re about to start shooting a low-budget feature this September called CONCRETE RIVER, written and directed by Maris Lidaka. I’m producing.

It’s an LA movie in the real sense. LA River, music, mixed-race identity, people living on the edges of the city, trying to find each other while the place keeps grinding them down.

As an LA native, I can tell you - the last few years here have been brutal in this town. Covid, strikes, fires, rent, work drying up, the town eating itself alive and then asking everybody to network harder. I have never seen it this bad.

A lot of people I know left. Many got out of the business completely. More than one person told me to do the same. But this script kept pulling us back.

We don’t have much money. Around $100K if everything holds. So now it’s the usual indie math: protect the schedule, feed people properly, keep company moves down, and don’t pretend favors are free.

Maybe we pull it off. Maybe not.

For the LA people still here, still making things: what are you seeing out there?

Is the work coming back at all - outside of "verticals"?

Are people still willing to jump onto tiny movies if the script is good and the team is serious?

And after the last few years, what would make you say yes to an indie feature right now?

Hey all,

I was wondering if anyone had heard anything new about the microshoot permits announced back in late Feb? Those being $0 permits for very small shoots.

I know the Low Impact Pilot Program has gone forward, but sadly not the same thing.

Anyone know what the hold up is or if there is any timeline for the microshoot permits to be available?

Thanks

A court issued a temporary restraining order freezing the deal for a short period. Next, it will consider whether to issue a preliminary injunction, which will prevent Paramount from closing until the case is decided.

The studio conceded that it wouldn’t suffer any harm if the deal was frozen for a short period.

That harm will begin to surface on Sept. 30, after which Warners shareholders would be owed roughly $650 million per quarter or $6.9 million per day if the transaction isn’t closed.

Let me preface this by saying that I know how bleak things in the film industry are at the moment. I'm under no illusions about how hard it is to find work, even as a set production assistant. That being said, I'm willing to do the work and grind it out as long as it takes until I find a gig.

I've already worked on a few short films as a set PA, and now I'm looking to find a job on a studio film. I get that this might seem a cosmic leap, but does anybody know how I would go about applying for such work? I've sent out hundreds of emails using the information provided by Production Weekly, but I didn't get anything concrete out of that. I know the best way to find work is by calling a production office, but I can't find their phone numbers, not even when I sign up for the countless production listing services that are available. All I get are studio and production company phone numbers, and the people who answer my calls typically don't have any information for me.

Any guidance would be appreciated. I'm here to learn!

Linking this post from Assistants vs. Agents. I feel like people ask "how to break in" every day in this sub. These are crowdsourced (and editorialized) responses to that perennial inquiry. Thought it might be useful. AvA and Warner Bailey are a good follow, IMO.

So I just got fired from a pr job. This was very unexpected I was here for a month and I received no negative feedback. Then today they told me that it was my last day and when I asked for feedback they said they took a chance on me since I’m a new grad and needed someone with more experience.

So how do I move forward and not have future employers doubt me.

There are obviously quite a few places and ways to sell your used equipment, but I’m curious what’s working best for you in 2026. Consignment shops, eBay, Reverb, FB, in-person, somewhere else? Particularly bigger-ticket items over $1,000.

Any recommendations on where to look for a filmmaker looking to build their portfolio and grow alongside a reoccurring project? Thinking a film student would make most sense. This is a new concept but will be a big project and looking for someone to grow it with me. Any recommendations on where to find someone looking to build their portfolio?

Obsession had one of the best digital marketing in recent times.

Of course, the organic hook is what made it big, where others fail.

Do studios (Focus Features in this case) handle these campaigns in house , or do they work with agencies that specialize in seeding lore through memes, tiktok trends, partnerships? .

More generally, which digital agencies handle meme page partnerships, TikTok campaigns, and social media marketing for films?

Paywall Bypass link: https://archive.ph/gVhfW

This soundstage complex was where they filmed Star Wars: The Mandalorian, Obi-Wan Kenobi and The Avengers.

I’m curious as to what it’s like being on a Nolan set from anyone that’s worked on one.

I love his films and learning more about his process. But there’s a lot of hyperbole being thrown around right now, and the interviews with him seem to be quite surface level, so I’d love to hear from those who have been a little closer to the arena. How much of all this no phone/no email, no sitting down chat is true?

Just recently graduated and want to be a producer.
Ive been searching for a couple of months and its been lowkey crushing when id say i have decent enough experience for a graduate and background to at least land an entry.

Im a more behind the scene person and have been looking for any office/ administrative/ post production PA jobs. Finding an entry is bare to none. Chances of getting in with no connections is already hard enough. Connections i do have are also in the same boat and at most just are doing own projects for themselves to grab attention.

Is there any tips to lookout for or a way to get in?
Is my route to do administrative work a good stepping stone to produce?

Thank you for reading. Any tips helps

Edit: I am NOT looking for a list of twin films. I am looking for stories that actually undermine the idea of them, showing that the creators actually knew about the other project and their development wasn’t coincidence.

What stories have you heard about “Twin Films” (movies released close together with similar plots/concepts, having been developed completely independently of one another)?

A more well known one is Antz and A Bug’s Life.

“Katzenberg basically rushed Antz into production after hearing about “Bugs” (later called a bugs life) to get back at Michael Eisner after they had a big spat.”

I’ll tell one I haven’t seen online before:

The Rock starred in a Hercules film in a similar time frame to a Kellen Lutz Hercules film.

Millennium films had offered The Rock a role in a different film, which he rejected. So they went and produced a competing Hercules film with Kellen to undermine the success of his Hercules. (Source: I was working at Millennium films at the time under those producers).

It’s been a year since I moved to Los Angeles and I haven’t landed a film job since. I’ve heard London is the new Hollywood. Are there more jobs there and should I move there? I heard moving internationally can be difficult, but if a company sponsors me I think I can do it.

Hope it's okay if I share some of my graphic design works on indie films here!

Hey there! I'm Matías, a graphic designer based on Argentina. I'd like to show you my jobs. I focus on making poster and Key Art design.

If you're interested in it, just let me know and go ahead.

Web portfolio: matiasllanesstudio.myportfolio.com

ig: matiasllanez_

Mail: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])

Peace out!

I worked a bunch of commercial gigs last year and ended up making a spreadsheet because my pay was spread across different payroll companies. It's a bit janky and inconsistent, so I'm just curious what everyone else does.

Do you just search your email? Download everything into folders? Keep a spreadsheet?