I just saw a news article on TMZ about a Val Kilmer movie that caused an assistant location manager to Get in a resident’s face because of a parking issue. My gut instinct was to side with the resident who was asked to move her car to make way for the productions Port-a-Potties. (Side note, my favorite port-a-john company slogan ever is: We’re full of it… Toilets, that is!) Then, I remembered the days of working locations in New York, and how it was my job to persuade residents to go out of their way for the sake of art, even though many of these movies have never been screened anywhere outside of the director’s basement. (Aren’t you glad you took out that second mortgage, jackass?)
I love reading these kinds of stories because it reminds me that even though my job may be tedious at times, and even though I left the excitement of New York City, I spend no part of my day making sure that union gaffers have a comfy, nearby place to take a shit, all for the good of taking an image of Val Kilmer looking like a beached whale and committing it to celluloid.
Posted by stefanie on April 24, 2007 at 3:16 pm
Note to your sidenote: There’s a port-a-let company here whose trucks say “Two tons of very gross weight.” Disgusting, but it makes me laugh.
Posted by Sadie Says on April 24, 2007 at 7:11 pm
I love reading about people’s over-the-top behaviour while doing their jobs–and giggling about how lightening fast my Catholic Hospital employers would have my butt out the door if I behaved that way. LOL
Posted by Anonymous on April 24, 2007 at 7:21 pm
“taking an image of Val Kilmer looking like a beached whale”
ouch. but true. ouch but true.
- kir
Posted by elizabeth on April 25, 2007 at 12:34 am
I walk often at a wildlife center, and although it ruins the sweet smell of outdoors, I always get a laugh when I see the truck emptying the port-a-potty. Their motto is “You dump it – we pump it.”
Posted by Brando on April 25, 2007 at 4:52 am
The one I saw driving around here said “We’re #1 in the #2 business.” Clearly no scatological double entendre is left unturned in the port-a-john industry!
Posted by Noelle on April 25, 2007 at 12:19 pm
stefanie – Love it!
Sadie – I thought it would be even worse at a Catholic hospital…
Kir – Seriously, what happened to the guy who played Jim Morrison and had his picture hanging in my locker?
Elizabeth – beautiful.
Brando – Bless the Port-a-John people for having the best sense of humor of any industry.
Posted by Every downside’s got an up. « The Daily Tannenbaum on December 30, 2007 at 11:19 pm
[...] I spent exactly zero days working as a location manager. [...]