By Antony Teofilo
A movie set is a throttling cacophony of noise, bustle, and panic. Frantic technicians buzz between takes, scrambling for spike tape, snapping stills, primping actors, snatching a quick cup of joe. Cell phones cackle their elaborate tones, announcing urgent news of a child's newly-dead pet turtle, run over by a car just moments before, and no, Mommy can't come home right now to help, and what the heck was the turtle doing in the street, anyway? Actors query each other for crossword puzzle clues, and extras twitter amongst themselves as the leading man struts his princely countenance casually just feet away...
When First Assistant Director Michael Lerman calls for quiet on the set, silence falls like a wet wool blanket as far as the ear can hear.
When Michael Lerman talks, people really do listen, because that means it's on. We're going for picture. All the pieces had better fit, or something's going to be said about it. As A.D., Lerman is responsible for a latticework of duties that include but are not limited to coordinating the intricacies of the shooting day's schedule, keeping production rolling at a brisk clip, and giving the director and cinematographer an assisting eye to make sure all the elements of a shot are properly arranged before the film starts flowing. In other words, Lerman is pretty much responsible for everything he surveys.
His slight, wiry frame and dogged eyes speak volumes about the care and concern that movies extract from one's skin. The night before last, he was at the hospital for some sort of exhaustive condition, but today, he's back on set. His speech is brisk, his movements are calculated. No moment is ever lost in this guy's day. He looks a bit like a featherweight boxer, embroiled in a fight he's enjoying for its challenge and salty flavor. He carries himself like a real...
Scrapper:
An Interview with 1st Assistant Director Michael Lerman
Antony Teofilo: How long have you been doing this kind of work?
Michael Lerman: I've been in the business for about seven and a half years.
AT: How did you get your start?
ML: I moved to New York City, knew no one, didn't know what I was doing with my life. I had graduated from college the year prior, and was thinking of going to film school because I had no other way to break into the business. I started interning. In Manhattan, they have something called the techie list for film, television, and broadcasting at the Mayor's Office. It lists all the shows in town, all the movies, all the television work. I went door to door asking anyone if they needed any help. I worked for free for awhile, then I started [to work as a Production Assistant]. As I'm sure you know, everything is about networking. You meet one person, and as long as you do a good job they'll hire you on their next gig and introducing you to their friends.
Leading The Way - 1st A.D. Michael Lerman with Director Kevin Smith and Cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond in tow on-set at Paulsboro High School.
AT: Can you talk specifically about the jobs you worked in the earliest days of your career?
ML: I [was a Production Assistant] for about a year, going from job to job. I worked mostly on commercials and music videos. Then someone gave me my big break which was 2nd 2nd Assistant Director, which is the 3rd position in my department. I was dealing with talent, making sure all the actors were comfortable...getting them through hair and make-up, mostly on little indie productions in New York. Then I started 2nd Assistant Directing, and about six months after that I started First Assistant Directing.
AT: When you finally made your break as a 1st Assistant Director, did you start working on big movies immediately?
ML: I was the 1st A.D. on a lot of small jobs...one million dollar to three million dollar budget range. I was lucky enough to do some good, interesting work with some good directors. I did a film called YOU CAN COUNT ON ME, which was back in '99. It was a great break for me to work with Kenny Lonergan on a job that was such a great film. That helped a lot. It's interesting what one good movie will do on your resume. I started getting calls to work with Hal Hartley. I got to go to Iceland and do a movie with him recently. I worked on MONSTER'S BALL, which was another great project to work on. In the last couple of years, I started to do bigger projects.
AT: Are you in the union?
ML: I'm Non-[Directors Guild of America]. That's a big issue for an A.D. The assistant directors are in the same guild as the directors, so I can only do jobs where directors are not guild members.
AT: Why did you choose not to join the union?
ML: It's put me in an interesting situation. I didn't join out of choice. I like to do small films as well as bigger films. Plus, I don't compete with that many other A.D.'s, so I'm kind a big fish in a smaller pond, which I like. It's good for a freelancer like myself.
AT: How did you get hooked up with JERSEY GIRL?
ML: When I got the call from Kevin to come and interview for this, I was shocked. I'm a big fan. It's a great script. I was very excited to get this opportunity.
Getting The Job Done - Michael Lerman gives direction on the set of JERSEY GIRL.
AT: You mentioned that for a while, you worked for free, or for very little money. How did you survive during that time?
ML: On my fifty dollars a day? I'm the kind of guy who just doesn't need that much. I still live like I did when I was in college. As long as I can eat and drink and have a girlfriend by my side who doesn't really care, I'm fine. I was pretty self-sufficient. I lived out in Brooklyn and paid about $700 a month rent. I lived week to week. It was very busy in the mid-nineties in New York. In the early nineties, it was dead. There was a lot of work, so it wasn't hard to keep working. As long as I kept the paycheck coming, I was fine.
AT: Can you put a quantity on how many days you work in a year?
ML: That's hard. I'm always working. I'm kind of a workaholic. I'm not that happy when I'm not working. Up until last year, I pretty much worked jobs back-to-back. Last year was a little difficult because there was a Screen Actors' Guild strike that was supposed to happen, and the Writers' Guild strike. I knew there was going to be no work starting in July, so as soon as MONSTER'S BALL wrapped, I picked up and went over to Europe and did the whole backpacking-hostel thing. I got back at the beginning of September hoping to get back to work. Then September 11th happened, and that really affected film production in New York. It's just really starting to get back to normal now.
AT: What the most difficult aspect of being a freelancer?
ML: I just try to work on quality scripts with directors that I respect. I want to work with people that I want to be associated with. Being a freelancer is stressful because you never know when the next job is going to be. When the movie is over, and you're sitting home flipping through the channels, sitting on the couch, you start thinking you're never going to work again, no matter how successful you are.
AT: If you're nervous you may never work again, how do you pick your jobs and avoid doing any project that pays?
ML: You have to be confident, and comfortable with yourself. When you get a script and you start getting calls for a job that you're really not interested in because [the movie is] nothing new and it's not interesting, you just have to be able to say, "I'm not available." You have be able to hold out. I'm still learning, but I've found it's invaluable to keep working on quality projects because they snowball.
Sit A Spell - Michael Lerman commiserates with Cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond between (very low) shots.
AT: As film professional, what would you say are the keys to getting more and more work as you make your way upward?
ML: Work ethic is very important. I'm still a young guy. I just turned thirty. But I don't know how a lot of these guys do it. I have no family. I have no wife. I'm able to go and see the world. I'm at a good age to do it. But if the day ever comes, and I [decide] to get married and have children, I don't know...it must be very hard to maintain both a work life like this, and a family.
AT: Where do your ambitions lie ultimately in the industry?
ML: Eventually, I'd like to sit down, take three or four months off and write...see what happens with that. If I wrote something that meant something to me, I'd possibly be interested in directing it. I'm not that interested in directing other people's work. If I ever had a pet project, I'd be interested in [getting it made]. We'll see if that ever happens.
