Commuting - anyone here in the film business? (LA people)

my sister is moving out to l.a. and has a bunch of grip jobs lined up. she goes job to job job etc. (i really have no idea how this stuff works) out here on the east coast she has no trouble doing it car-free, even with half her jobs in ny and elsewhere - what with the chinatown bus and metro here in dc and just plain "working" rides. often she'll take her bike with her to nyc via chinatown bus, and get to jobs like that. a lot of jobs have spotted the amtrak fare and stuff.
most of her contacts out there say "no way, definitely need a car." but i sense otherwise. is this practical, tool bag et al?

Girl Grips, GRRR they are cool, girl grips that ride: super cool. So she has a job in LA. Why in hell move to LA if you have work in NYC? IMO move to Bklyn get into 52 asap and ride to work and never miss a car. I am an A.C. in NYC, is she must be indy but she should go IA and stay on the this coast. To explain the system : the tough thing about the movie bidness is the more you work, the more people you know, therefor the more you work. You just have to meet that first person.

abbreviations... mmmm

i lived in sherman oaks (LA) for four years and started out doing some production assistant work.

if it's the type of job for a TV show, i.e. friends - shot in a studio, same studio location forever i would think she could. if she's doing movies/ movies of the week, commercials, where each day it's a different location it would be a lot harder.

one day they might be in studio, next day out in antelope valley on a hill, next day downtown LA

anyway best of wishes. i wasn't that interested in being carfree or having a more simpler life back then, and i did a LOT of driving in LA. it's way spread out. i probably wouldn't leave NYC either if lived in both places.

hope for the best for her!!

ok, cool! well i think i got the answer i was looking for but not the answer i wanted...
first, she can't join the 52 becasue i think ou have to live and work in nyc for 2 years and she's living in dc telling people she lives in ny so they give her jobs. i'm not positive why she wants to move to LA, maybe just to test the waters or something...

she'll be job hopping, so if according to what jamesdenver is saying, i think -- unfortunately -- it won't work by bike :( sad face

BUT if anyone can say otherwise, it would be great to hear it! thanks
btw, jamesdenver, your avatar, http://shoup.blogspot.com/2005/12/i-get-my-glasses-back-tonight.html i blogged about that picture recently, not that it's relevant, i just saw it and said, hey, i recognize that....

LA's pretty spread out, especially if she'll be doing location work.

On the other hand, I've never noticed much of an IA presence in LA. Sure, there's a bunch of locals, but half the time I end up with a non-union crew anyway. Bummer for me, but probably good for your friend.

I second everything that nycm'er said. I'm a 52 electrician and there are a lot of technicians who ride to work. Even given the critical mass debacles of the last few years here, New York is a lot more bike-friendly than LA.

The other side of the argument to stay in NY is that currently it is the busiest I have ever seen it in my 12 years in the film industry. And my understanding is that 2006 will be just as busy. It's a great time to try to get into the union since as a consequence of all this work, there is a shortage of crew.

first, she can't join the 52 becasue i think ou have to live and work in nyc for 2 years
Not true. There is no such requirement. Getting into IATSE is easier than most non-union film workers think. There are three steps to getting into 52: 1) pass a practical test, 2) get voted in by the membership, and 3) pay initiation dues (about $2500 I think). By far the hardest one of those is the vote, but if your sister is a bicycle commuter, I'll vote for her ;)

52's area of jurisdiction also covers a big chunk of the mid-atlantic seaboard, from NY/NJ/CT to Delaware and most of Pennsylvania, and you can live wherever you want.

For more info there's a website: Local 52 (http://www.iatselocal52.com/)

Not true. There is no such requirement. Getting into IATSE is easier than most non-union film workers think. There are three steps to getting into 52: 1) pass a practical test, 2) get voted in by the membership, and 3) pay initiation dues (about $2500 I think). By far the hardest one of those is the vote, but if your sister is a bicycle commuter, I'll vote for her ;)

52's area of jurisdiction also covers a big chunk of the mid-atlantic seaboard, from NY/NJ/CT to Delaware and most of Pennsylvania, and you can live wherever you want.

For more info there's a website: Local 52 (http://www.iatselocal52.com/)

So how does NYC break things up? Is 52 the film local and 1 the industrial/theater local? Is there much crossover?

(Greetings from local 16!)

52 is most everyone on set, 600 is camera, ADs etc are DGA and the scriptys and production office are something else. Local 1 (stagehands, not sure what else) while being IATSE seems to have nothing to do with film production.

Earthe you sister should have a talk with other women grip/electrics. I know when I was working indy I was way off in what I thought I needed to get in to 600. That world is a misinformed rumor-mill. Because she is a woman certain men are just not going to hire her. Sad, but true. [No one can multitask the way the female A.C.s I hire. :) ] BUT because she is a woman, woman are going to want to hire her. If she is good at her job, and not unpleasant to be around for up to 14 hours a day, she will do fine.

She should hang out with the grips on the next big production she rides by, and if they are not (or can't be) helpful, try the next one.