production assistant hungry for more

It was sometime in 2004 a group of us enrolled in Film & TV studies at a top university in Johannesburg's west. We were immersed in the great teachings of the film industry, the equipment, lighting, sound and the language of movies.

Towards the end, the task that lay ahead of us was writing and producing our very own documentary. I don't recall much of the documentary, except how frustrating it was to work with a production team - because everyone wants to do everything.

So last week, I took up the challenge of being a Production Assistant. It has been a long time since 2004, but I was ready for the challenge. This role is for someone who sorts out everything from shifting things on the set and taking special orders for gluten-free lunches (for those picky crew members).

The most interesting was providing drinking water that is not hotter or colder than room temperature. I did all this and more, including driving a left-hand vehicle on a 6 lane highway to fetch the world and bring it back to the set.

$US 5 million mansion

I brought it to this...a 5 million dollar mansion. At the end the task of cleaning up was also assigned to me. It was tough, and I may have lost 2 kg. I was a super Production Assistant.

This is who we needed back in 2004, and I'm glad I was able bring my A-game, many many years later. As we wrapped up, I left wiser, weighing less, with my first IMDB credit and hungry for more action.