Hawaii Five-0 Inside Scoop Blog #2 – August 18, 2010

The second blog post from the Hawaii Five-0 writers’ office is up and it’s worth the extra wait! Mike Schaub appeases some of our boundless curiosity and walks us through the job profiles of those who work there, from the intern to the script coordinator.

Intern

If your show is lucky enough, which we are, you may be allowed to hire an intern to help out on the day-to-day routine. Much like a utility infielder in baseball, an intern provides relief in any area that is needed. PA’s dropping off scripts and the writers need coffee? Intern steps up. PA’s grabbing lunch and the room needs research on Tasmanian Devil Worship and its affects on the South Dakotan Economy? Intern’s got it. And they’re happy to do it, cause at this level, it’s all about proving you’re willing to do anything for the show.

Writers’ PA

The entry-level position of the writers’ office, the writers’ PA is the Gopher of the building. Armed with a supply of Petty Cash and a company credit card (God help you if you don’t grab a receipt), common tasks for the PA include stocking the fridge, grabbing coffee, picking up meals… basically, anything a writer wants done but doesn’t have time to do. A PA’s job consists of driving around town on runs, running across a lot hoping not to drop hot coffee on anyone, getting lunch back by 1:00PM sharp, and always being available if something needs to be done. They are the first person in the door in the morning, and are usually one of the last to leave. The job is tough, but if you work hard enough at it, you can move up to -

Writers’ Assistant

Hi! That’s me. (Waves).

A writers’ assistant is just that: and assistant to the writers. Every day, I walk into the office, by my desk (which I’ve sat at for a total of maybe 30 minutes since May), and into the Writer’s Room. This is the where the magic happens. I turn on my computer, set up a Word Document, and wait for the team to roll in. When everyone sits down and starts to talk about the story we’re working on, I type. Any idea, any thought, any line of dialogue pitched gets filed into the notes. Then, at the end of the day, I take these notes, clean them up, organize them, and put them in a coherent order so the writers can have a reminder of what they talked about the following day. Also, any notes call with the studio or the network has to be documented as well, so I’m in those meetings too. Basically, if someone says something about the show anywhere on the lot, I’m there to take it down. For the record, I’ve spent more time with my computer in the past year and a half than I have with any two people in my entire life.

Producers’ Assistants/Showrunner’s Assistants

The rest of team “Support Staff,” and an undeniably integral part of the writers’ office team. Though the PA works as a catch all for every staff member, the higher-ranking producers will sometimes have their own personal assistants to handle more elaborate affairs. Organizing daily calendars, cross-referencing schedules with other producers, dinners with cast, travel plans for the show… these things are generally handled by the personal assistants. And, as a person who can hardly handle his own life let alone someone else’s, I humbly salute anyone who works at this level and does it well.

Script Coordinator

One of the toughest jobs at the office, the script coordinator is tasked with responsibility of making sure that every treatment, outline, and script that leaves the writer’s office is absolutely perfectly edited. Any time a new draft is finished, the script coordinator will get a copy to go over. It’s a terribly difficult job. Also, the script coordinator generally handles the “background paperwork” of the show. That list of names of producer’s that pops up right after the credits? The coordinator compiles it. Someone needs a copy of the third draft of the outline for the sixth episode (not the morning one, the afternoon one)? Script Coordinator has that. And to top it all off, this person is also generally active in story breaks as well, which means that the total time they aren’t thinking about the show is pretty much equal to the amount of time they sleep.

For the full post, go to CBS.com.

In his next blog, Mike will tackle the topic of the writers, about whom he tweeted, “From my experience, all writers prefer the “weird” label to “normal.” haha It makes for better story!”

Thanks Mike, for whetting our appetite. We’re definitely looking forward to that one!