Paul J. Salamoff - On the Set: The Hidden Rules of Movie Making Etiquette

ON THE SET is highly recommended to all readers...
and should be a part of any personal, professional, and
academic library Film Studies reference collection.
M IDWEST B OOK R EVIEW

Brilliant... Im amazed there hasnt been a book like this until now.
Steven Bernstein ASC, BSC, Director of Photography, M ONSTER

ON THE SET should be required reading for all film
production courses. Its a must-read for anyone truly
interested in the behind the scenes of movie making!
L OS A NGELES F ILM T EACHERS A SSOCIATION

A wonderfully practical guide to the real world of filmmaking.
Mick Garris, Director, T HE S TAND and T HE S HINING Miniseries

Salamoff blazes a well-marked trail on his anecdotal
journey through the Hollywood jungle... truly capturing
the towns unique tribal customs. Keep it close at hand.
A MERICAN C INEMATOGRAPHER M AGAZINE

If you want to learn what its really like on a movie set,
stop reading this quote and get on with the book.
Stephen Susco, Screenwriter, T HE G RUDGE 1 & 2

Not since Machiavellis T HE P RINCE has the social contract between
humans been so thoroughly examined.
Jeff Goldsmith, T HE Q&A WITH J EFF G OLDSMITH

Thanks to Mr. Salamoff, I dont have to pretend
that I know what goes on, on-set anymore
Peter Schwerin, Producer, S CARY M OVIE 1 & 2

Good things come in small packages. Gives you the complete scope
of movie-making. Everyone from fan to professional will enjoy this
wonderful book. I have two copies in my office!
Robert Holguin, President, T HE S ATURN A WARDS

ON THE SET:
T HE H IDDEN R ULES OF M OVIE M AKING E TIQUETTE
Paul J. Salamoff

3rd eBook Edition

Published in Los Angeles in 2012 by
TAVIN PRESS
2418 N. Keystone St.
Burbank, CA 91504

Original Edition
MOVIE SETS 101: THE DEFINITIVE SURVIVORS GUIDE
Published in Los Angeles in 2005

TAVIN PRESS 2009, 2012

eBook
ISBN13 978-0-9772911-5-1

Book
ISBN13 978-0-9772911-4-4
Library of Congress Control Number: 2012934837

All rights reserved. No parts of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means or altered or translated without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

This book was Designed and Produced by
TAVIN PRESS

Illustrations by
Bill Zahn & Jacob Hair

Edited by
Jeff Bond & Sharon Komola Secora

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Many people contributed their vast knowledge and wisdom to this book. I would like to personally thank the following:

Colin Matthews
Eric Miller
Karri OReilly
Mary Beth Ramsey
Peter Schwerin
Alex Simon
Joel Whist
Douglas White
David E. Williams Steven Berstein, ASC, BSC
Boylee
Steve Demko
Pen Densham
Tony Gardner
Chris Gore
Vance Hartwell
Scott Maginnis
Darryl Marko

I also want to thank my incredible team of transcribers who, without their help, I would have never made my deadline:

Viviana Zarragoitia
Sharon Komola Secora
Thom Stitt
Jennifer Canepa Lackey
Lucy Webb

And finally my support group of family and friends:

Noel & Iris Clarke
Marla Dennis
Kailey Marsh
Juli Nunn & Richard Porter
Adam & Barbara Salamoff
Stephen Susco
Jeff Bond & Brooke Vimtrup
Bill Zahn

Mom and Dad

Melissa, Samantha & Ethan

INTRODUCTION

As I began working on this newly revised and expanded 3rd edition of O N T HE S ET one of the things that kept hitting me was that everyone had a fascinating story to tell about how they started working in the industry. If it were possible for a book like this to have a theme this ones would be Everyone has a story.

So, considering that I have worked in the industry for over 22 years and have worn many hats in that time, it felt natural to share mine.

How exactly does a nobody from a small town in Massachusetts with absolutely zero industry contacts go from being a make-up FX artist to a Writer/Producer and eventually to an Executive?

It was quite simple... Well, not really.

When I was 5 years old my parents took my brother and I to see a double-feature of S TAR W ARS and L OGAN s R UN at a drive-in and, as they recount, my eyes completely bugged from my head. I was hooked.

Fortunately my parents were very supportive of my interests and together we would watch T HE T WILIGHT Z ONE , T HE O UTER L IMITS , S TAR T REK and S PACE : 1999. Though my all-time favorite was the BBCs D OCTOR W HO , which I have been obsessed with my entire life.

I grew up in Natick, MA and when I was 13 years old my father took me to a horror convention in Boston. One of the guests was MakeUp FX Goremeister, Tom Savini. His name was synonymous with the blood and guts films of the 1980s. Famous for D AWN OF THE D EAD , F RIDAY THE 13 TH P ARTS 1 & 4 and C REEPSHOW among others.

Savini did a presentation in one of the main halls and brought a table full of his props and creations. It was just amazing. A moment in time etched into my brain.

This guy was paid to make monsters for a living!

MONSTERS!

I made up my mind right then and there that I would follow in his footsteps.

As you would expect, I first experimented with my new craft during Halloween making elaborate costumes. While in high school, I worked at a movie theater and a video store and both places allowed me to make displays and costumes for upcoming horror releases.

When looking at colleges there was no question that I wanted to attend a school in Los Angeles. I was lucky enough to get into my first choice, USC. I didnt immediately get into the Film School but that didnt stop me from filling out my schedule with as many film classes as they would allow.

One of the most frequent sayings in the industry is Its who you know. Well that couldnt be truer and going to USC introduced me to a great number of fellow students who have gone on to greatness. Thats why its so important to treat everyone with respect and consideration. The person you treated nicely might be in a position to help you out one day and conversely, the person you treated poorly could be the one that keeps you from getting that dream job.

After working on a number of student films, I was introduced by one of the Directors to his friend Taylor White (of the website CreatureFeatures.com) who was working as the coordinator for Tony Gardners Alterian Studios, one of the bigger make-up FX shops. Taylor got me an interview with Tony and I impressed him enough that he hired me as the shop runner.

When I was not out running errands, I got to work on the movies including T HE A DDAMS F AMILY , The S WAMP T HING TV series and M OM & D AD S AVE THE W ORLD . I never imagined that I would get to work on movies at such a young age (I was only 19 at the time). I decided to jump in headfirst and worked in FX pretty much solid for 14 years, working at over 25 different FX shops, on over 40 Films and 10 TV series, not to mention more commercials than I can remember.

I never thought I would be fortunate enough to work on so many great projects so early in my career. I decided that even though I enjoyed doing FX, I wanted to look for other avenues to explore in the industry.

I loved writing and set my sights on becoming a Screenwriter. I taught myself the craft while I was still early in my FX career and just kept writing, getting better and more confident at it with each script I wrote. My first 3 scripts were crap, but I kept on working at it until people started to take notice of my abilities.