We rented cars on my feature in the NYC area, so that's the basis of my comparison - but that may well be because so few people own cars
Things are quite different in the NYC area than in the LA area. I
suspect you weren't a union show either. I wasn't questioning
your experience or knowledge of production - only pointing out
what is typical in Los Angeles.
On location productions rent cars, too. But here in LA since everyone
has a car and this is a car-centric city it is very rare for a non-union
show to rent cars for PA's.
Andrew, an office PA will be expected to pick up and deliver many
things including people. But you might be able to find a few that
only require in office work. There might be some set PA jobs that
don't require a car – something shooting at a studio not on location.
Los Angeles is not a bike town. I am not saying you can't cut
corners by riding a bike, only that it's not at all easy. And public
transportation isn't the best either. You could easily end up getting
a job 15 to 20 miles from where you live. In a bike friendly city that's
not bad. In L.A. if you live in the Valley and you get a job in Hollywood
you'll have to ride over the mountains. If you get a place in Burbank
and need to get to the north end of the valley you're looking at a 2
hour bike ride.
Of course if you manage to snag an office PA job within a few miles
of where you rent an apartment and that job is one of the very few
where you won't need to do any errands then you can save a bundle
by not having a car. But as you can imagine living near the studios
is considerably more expensive than living farther away. And most
production offices are not in the studios anymore so you could work
for four weeks 5 miles from where you live and then get a six week
gig 12 miles away.
And since almost all of your competition for PA jobs will have a car
it puts you at a disadvantage.
