Elissa in Hollywood

Positions

2007-03-09T13:40:00.001-08:00

I have a Line Producer friend who needs a POC, Travel Coordinator and 2 PAs if anyone is interested.

Getting Your Way

2007-02-21T13:39:00.000-08:00

canceling a procedure at the dentists' office is a lot like production coordinating.

Shift at Work

2007-02-16T16:10:00.000-08:00

Right now, I produce and edit segments for an hour long live talk show. Recently, there have been concerns that our show isn't made in the most attention-keeping way. So, we did a pilot episode for a new show that really proud of. I produced it entirely and did all of the editing. I got really excited about the possibilities. However, it's in limbo right now. The Man is watching it and discussing it's future. We may switch to a podcast for those with ADD format. I'm crossing my fingers that we don't. I'd actually be fine with a podcast, but... well, I won't get into the details. Apparently, there is a political issue that we may be stepping on the toes of some other departments. If I lose my job, at least people still remember me in the tv biz.

Army Wives

2007-01-11T10:47:00.000-08:00

My good friend Rick, who works on Criminal Minds, called me the other day asking if I'd like to apply for Script Coordinator for a show called Army Wives. It would have been a great opportunity, but I do love my job at DIRECTV. Right now, I'm waiting to upload the new intranet site and I'm exploring some programs like GoLive, QMaster, QAdministor, LiveType and others. One thing I'm very fortunate to have is my education from IUPUI. I sometimes feel like I didn't challenge myself to learn the more difficult programs while I was there, but I don't feel intimidated by learning new programs and I think that's due to learning how to learn. I was always afraid of not being good at complex software tools, but everything is doable if you invest a little time in reading the manual, looking at tutorials and such. The internet is such a great thing. I love free tutorials!

Peyton Commercial

2006-10-06T16:01:00.000-07:00

I will be shooting and documenting a Peyton Manning commercial next week. It should be very exciting. I will be following contest winners as they meet Mr. Manning and see Indianapolis. It'll be a very cool experience and I'll get to see my family. I'm very excited.

What about Brian?

2006-08-14T14:51:00.000-07:00

I worked a day on the ABC/ JJ Abrams show "What About Brian" 2 weeks ago. There wasn't anything special to report. I worked mainly with the second unit/ stunt unit car scene. I worked with some people that I worked with before on "Inconceivable." It was on the set, which was really cool since I've been working in offices for the majority of the past year.

Other than that, I am at DIRECTV now working on their internal broadcast. More later.

Big Love A.D.

2006-07-31T17:43:00.000-07:00

As you may or may not know, I worked on Big Love as an additional PA. While in Indiana, the AD that I worked with gave me a call for a weekend thing. I was suprised to hear from him. I wish it were when I was in town, but alas I was out and had to turn it down.

In Justice

2006-06-30T13:28:00.000-07:00

It very great to be getting calls for shows. It's still very hard to say that I can't do them. Today I got called for a show called "In Justice." I forgot to ask whether it was for a coordinating position, but I suppose it didn't matter. I'm thinking it was, because my referral knows that that's what I was looking for. The show has Kyle MacLachlan in it. At this point, I'm really anxious to start my position at Direct TV, since I'm turning down these great opportunities. Speaking of, my position is not coordinator, but associate producer. It's going to be a truly gratifying and challenging job.

Darren Starr

2006-06-27T16:43:00.000-07:00

I got called to work on the new Darren Starr show today. It killed me to say no. For those of you who don't know, Darren Starr was responsible for the genious of "Sex and the City."

where do i go from here?

2006-06-15T09:56:00.000-07:00

I got called for 2 different PA jobs yesterday. One was a reality show and I'd be working for a friend. The other was a scripted show with a great supervisor from "Ugly Betty" that I met on while I was working on "Six Degrees". They were both well paying and long term, but I turned them down because I'm pretty excited about a job offer I have at Direct TV to be their new station coordinator. So I don't want to leave the job I'm at now just to leave another job, even though I could make a little more money on the way there. I appreciate that the people I work with now got me this job. It would be one thing to leave to move up, but I'd feel bad to leave to be a PA on another show. The other shows are both in post-production, which is where I thought I'd be going a month ago. So, if I didn't get the job at Direct TV, I'd be a fool not to go in that direction. Anyway, that's the news.

Update: Just got a call from Six Degrees! They are editing in LA after all! Their new AP is from LOST. I can work on it if I want to. I don't know if I can go on as a coordinator or if the PA position would be my only choice. I truely LOVED my job at Six Degrees. Why, oh why, is it that when it rains, it pours?!

Decisions, decisions, decisions! I've been a little stressed about those darn things. Working at Direct TV is really close to what I want to do. It's just not scripted and I think it's a channel that only Direct TV employees will get, so it's not as glamourous. But it's a huge step up from being a PA and Direct TV has a great reputation for being good to their employees. It would be easier if all these calls came in a couple weeks later when I knew that I did or didn't have the Direct TV job.

Interview

2006-05-24T17:01:00.000-07:00

http://www.indianapolisfilm.net/filemgmt_data/files/IMC-ElissaMcKee%282004-04-16%29.wmv

This is a really old interview, aired originally on 04/16/2004 on IMC (Indianapolis local programming). You must have Windows Media Player 7.0 or greater to view it. I don't even remember what I said, but I'm sure that it's boring. I remember the feeling I had after the whole thing was, "well, that was boring." I'm not sure why. They did a 'practice' interview before the real thing and the questions, as I recall, were uninteresting. I guess I should have been a little more enthusiastic. Ultimately, it was my fault for being boring. Oh well.

Untitled Dating Show

2006-05-22T11:37:00.000-07:00

I started on the 15th on a new Untitled ABC reality dating show. It's hosted by a popular author, who wrote a book a couple years ago that a friend of mine said 'changed her life.' The pilot was picked up and we're shooting 6 episodes. Production hasn't started, so I've been doing a lot of prep work with things that need to be done like purchase orders, purchasing, answering phones. The crew is great. We actually have a couple different crews. One will be traveling and one will be LA based. I am part of the LA crew, although I would have loved to have done a little traveling, especially to where we are going. I will be at this job until mid August, which is wonderful.

Six Degrees was picked up, which is great news. The disappointing news for me is that post-production moved to New York. I won't be on the show, but I am proud to have worked on the pilot and wish the guys the best of luck on it.

Tenacious D is doing re-shoots. I'm jealous that I'm not working on it. I worked with a guy named Kenny on it. The other day I rented Shopgirl, but didn't realize that he had a cameo in it until the next day as I was talking to another acquaintance that had also rented it. For those who have seen it, he is the neighbor that Jason Schwartzman borrows a condom from.

6 Degrees Picked Up

2006-05-11T10:36:00.000-07:00

I thought that we wouldn't know until the 15th, but I just got an email from our editor that we are picked up. Then I got ahold of the executive's assistant and he confirmed it.

It will be so exciting for me if I get hired back on. The only way that I wouldn't is if a new AP is hired and they want to bring in their own. I'm a little nervous, because I know the AP is looking to start directing again and probably won't come back. That aside, whether it be as a coordinator or a PA, I'd go. It'd be steady (and hectic- I've been told) work for several months. I'd have to kick the habit that I call my social life. But, anyone who knows me knows that I'm all about the career.

More news as it comes...

30 Days

2006-05-08T21:04:00.000-07:00

Today I worked on scenes from a couple of episodes of the FX series "Thirty Days." Morgan Spurlock is the bomb. I had a great time and I was happy to do it since I turned it down months ago. Easy day, easy money.

On to the Next

2006-05-07T17:05:00.000-07:00

My job at Six Degrees was totally awesome. We wrapped on Friday and I couldn't walk away happier. I worked with some of the nicest, coolest people I've met. We'll know if the pilot gets picked up on the 15th. Until then, my fingers might just cramp up from all the crossing they'll be doing. I've got an MTV gig on Monday and another reality gig for NBC on the 15th working for a sweet sweet girl. On both, I will be a Production PA. I have been told that I'm ready to move up to Post Coordinator, so we'll just see. I could really go for the pay raise. That and my car is getting old and the miles are showing. I'd love to be in a position that involves less driving. The Dr. Phil show is a possibility at the end of July, but nothing is set in stone.

The Johnny Tao premiere was Friday. I was late and only got to see the last half hour. That was a bummer, but oh well. Everyone went out for drinks afterwards, but I had plans, so I split. I was impressed with what I did see and hope that it makes it into the theaters. I really busted my butt for that movie and did a job that I was not ready for. Overall it was an experience to remember. I met one great friend and actually moved in with someone I worked with on it. I don't know what progress it has made, but if you are interested you can visit the JOHNNY TAO WEBSITE.

I'll update when I'm on to the next gig later this month. :) And hopefully when I get my first gig as a Post Coordinator.

New Job

2006-03-31T15:24:00.000-08:00

I got the job on the new J.J. Abrams tv pilot called "Six Degrees." It's an ABC show and I'm not sure on many details other than it's set in NY with Hope Davis, Campbell Scott, Ericka Christianson and Jay Hernandez. I will be a post pa, making the same amount of money (plus overtime), working more hours, and getting closer to my goal.

I will absolutely miss Lighthearted and I hope that I will work there again. The web site that I've been developing for them is nearly finished. My official out date was today, but I found out yesterday that they wanted to keep me longer. Its all bittersweet. I was with them for several months and am blessed to have had the experience.

My goal in life has always been to direct feature films. I now realize that I could also be happy as a post production supervisor. Hopefully all this work in post production will help me on my journey.

Potentially Great news

2006-03-07T15:16:00.000-08:00

I've got one film and one Non-narrative television show that I am waiting to hear back about. The film would start on the 25th. The TV show would start April 1st. I don't want to jinx myself by saying what they are, but keep your fingers and toes crossed for me.

Movie Review Online

2006-03-01T14:30:00.000-08:00

WEB SITE HERE

Someone actually reviewed Thomas's and my student film. Funny, even though they gave it a 2 out of 5, I'm proud that someone took the time to review it. I can't say as I agree to all of the things the writer has to say, but eh whatev.

------

Approximately 20 minutes
Director: Thomas Moore, Elissa McKee
Writer: Thomas Moore
Featuring Brad Howson, Lisa Baldwin, Mikah Ballinger, Dylan Wright

Addison: In the Dark opens with a shot of a near naked man (Brad Howson) laying in a field. He's a pale blue colour and has ugly open stab wounds in his chest, so it's easy to assume that he must be dead. Strangely though, the man slowly rises and makes his way towards a small house. He falls against the glass door and flops to the ground, leaving a trail of crimson in his wake. Was it a dream, or did this actually happen?

Apparently it happened, because the fellow, Addison, soon awakens from his slumber and makes his way to a dark room, where he examines his nasty chest wounds under a red-tinted dark light.

As Addison examines himself, we see strangely sporadic, curiously-edited glimpses of a child, also with the same chest wounds. As the man emerges from the dark room, he is confronted by a woman who pulls a knife on him. Thankfully, Paul, the delivery guy (Mikah Ballinger), arrives to calm things down.

The woman is Sylvia (Lisa Baldwin) and the child we saw in glimpses was hers. He was evidently murdered a few years earlier - something we find out from the delivery guy. Suggesting that the child, a 15 year old, was killed by the father, Paul mutters something to Addison about chest wounds, and finding the kid out behind the house in the woods. This astounds Addison, who believes that he might have seen what happened to her kid in his dreams. What about the chest wounds, though?

As the short moves forward, we see that Addison is a peculiar fellow who enjoys lingering in closets, spying on the reclusive Sylvia. There's something not right with him, that's for sure. Addison eventually tells Sylvia that he thinks that he might have killed her son. His dreams might actually be memories. Sylvia is, of course, horrified and urges Addison to leave. Sylvia's iciness enrages Addison, sending him over the edge. Later, after nothing has been resolved, Addison has a heart to heart with Sylvia and begs for her forgiveness.

I had a lot of trouble understanding this little slice of pretentious student film nonsense. Maybe I'm not smart enough to decipher what the director was saying, or maybe, just maybe, I wasn't supposed to decipher what the director was saying, either way, the film is about as incoherent and confusing as it gets.

It seems inspired by the story of Oedipus, the mythical king of Thebes, who, according to history, killed his father and married his mother. He later gouged out his eyes out of shame. It gave Freud the name for the Oedipus complex, a desire on the part of a child to completely control the mother and kill the father.

Technically, the film is fantastic, although the sound tends to waiver at times. The director makes good use of lighting, including dark reddish and bluish tinting to give the various scenes a certain emotional tone. It adds to film's dreamlike quality, however, it still doesn't make it enjoyable.

The performances are very good throughout. Brad Howson, who plays the houseguest/Addison/the father makes an effectively creepy villain early on, and a surprisingly tender father later. Lisa Baldwin as the emotionally vulnerable-to-the point-of-unstable mother is also surprisingly good considering her limited screen time, and the fact that a good portion of that screen time was spent yelling and screaming.

My favourite aspect of the film has got to be the music by Mikhail Lewis and Extra Blue Kind. EBK's "You Keep Me Around," I'm guessing, could probably be a hit if it was properly marketed. It's fantastic.

As a whole, the film left me wanting, and is something I probably won't revisit too often. Its dark tone, and perplexing story, is hardly something that I think people will enjoy... On the contrary, it might leave them feeling the same way I did... stupid.

Two Stars.

Crossing Jordan

2006-02-21T20:30:00.000-08:00

The folks over at Crossing Jordan gave me a call for a week of work, but I had to turn it down. I hope they call me later, because my pal Denise has worked that show before and loves it. That and it's filmed at Universal which is just down the street from where I live.

Las Vegas Law

2006-01-31T12:06:00.000-08:00

The first episode of Las Vegas Law airs tonight on Court TV at 10pm. The link to Court TV's page is HERE. My name will be in the credits for 1 second as Key Production Assistant.

Kong

2006-01-23T12:21:00.000-08:00

I met a guy today who is going to be working on the King Kong DVD this summer. Adam, my roomate and best friend, is a little unhappy with his job right now, so I'm hoping to hook him up with this guy. Who knows, but maybe.

Still at Lighthearted

2006-01-18T16:25:00.000-08:00

I called and turned down the show that I interviewed for. It turns out that Lighthearted is going to be able to keep me on their staff, which is great news. I am very happy here. Today was a big deadline day and I pulled it off without the new coordinator, who had to go home with strep throat. I was proud of myself.

Interviews

2006-01-08T11:14:00.000-08:00

I've been working on the Court TV show full time. Dr. Phil fell through. I was going over with someone, but she turned down the job. A movie that she'd been waiting to do just got the final go. It's really awesome for her. I went and interviewed for another show Friday night. If I don't get it, I have a couple people I can call who are all doing reality tv.

Premiere

2005-12-05T11:46:00.000-08:00

I got called to do a music video last week for some indie band and then another show (which the person didn't explain) last week. I didn't think I'd ever get the luxury of saying that I'm already working. Good stuff. I do wish I'd have asked what the second show was, but I was busy working.

In other (and more pertinent) news, the premier of Monster Mountain is tomorrow night. It should be fun. I don't actually know if she's going to come, but the Birchs' told me that I could be put in touch with Daniel Clowes and I would LOVE for him to sign my 1st edition Eightball that I got for my birthday. By the way, I collect Eightball if anyone ever finds one that they'd like to sell me at a reasonable price. I do own most, but am still looking to complete the collection.

I'm actually in this movie tomorrow, so I hope that they don't cut my scene.

Last Laugh

2005-11-17T18:06:00.000-08:00

I got called to work on this year's Comedy Central's Last Laugh. I can't do it because I'm still on this show. It's too bad it conflicts because I had a lot of fun last year on the show. I forwarded some names. I did tell them that I was available on the weekend, so maybe. I also told a friend whose working on the American Music Awards (?) and told him no, but they're also doing it over a weekend, so maybe. Probably not, however, because they'll want someone who can do the entire shoot.

Dr. Phil

2005-11-03T20:08:00.000-08:00

My Post Production Supervisor asked me yesterday if I'd like to come over to Dr. Phil with her in January. "That'd be sweet," said I. So, yeah, it looks like I'll be working in post over at the Dr. Phil show come early next year. This job may be going on as late as December 9th. If it doesn't, I'm not sure I'll be able to find something for the rest of this season. It'll be nice having a month to work on my own stuff. I just have to figure out how to pay the bills for a month w/o work. Right now I'm paying off my last dry spell. I don't think that I'll have another like the last one. Dr. Phil is network, so maybe I'll make a little more than I am now (not that I'm complaining- because I am very satisfied). Money is good. It affords me food when I have it.

Paging Mr. Herman

2005-11-02T21:35:00.000-08:00

I went to see my long time hero Paul Reubens speak at the Arclight theatre last night. He introduced Pee Wee's Big Adventure and was interviewed after the show. The organization of the Q & A was a little wacky. They passed out question cards, but no pens. Fortunately I had a sharpie. So I wrote something to the effect of which comedian/ filmmaker has been the biggest influence in his career. My question got picked, so I got a free Blues Bros DVD and Mr. Reubens spoke to me. It was odd. For those of you who know me, you know how much that means to me! I was really happy.

Kyle Gass

2005-10-27T13:26:00.000-07:00

It's not exactly business news, but last night I went and saw Trainwreck at the Viper room. A couple PAs from TD-P.O.D were there. KG is in the band as is JR, who played Lee in the movie. It was a great great great performance. I wish I'd seen them before. I wore my Sifl and Olly shirt in tribute the D's director Liam Lynch.

Tenacious D

2005-10-23T13:28:00.000-07:00

It looks like Liam Lynch wants to do re-shoots on the Tenacious D movie. The likelyhood that I'll be called to work on them is pretty unlikely, but there is a tiny chance and I'll cross my fingers. The full time PAs that worked on the movie are doing other things I know for sure. Maybe one will say, "Hey look- I'm busy on this sweet Clint Eastwood flick, but remember that awesome hard-working PA with the sunburn. I think she's available." That'd be cool. The W.I.W gig just got a little less cool. A lot of people are leaving and moving on as the show is coming to an end. I do hope that I get to work with them again. Reality has been a great experience. Post production was a new area for me and I've been working with great people. This has been an all around good experience.

An article in the Daily Journal

2005-10-17T22:22:00.000-07:00

County grad in Hollywood

By SHERRI CONER
Staff writer

Oct. 8-9, 2005

As a preschooler, Elissa McKee made home movies using Barbie dolls and Star Wars action figures as characters.

When the 24-year-old moved from Franklin to California last year to work behind the camera on movies and TV shows, her father wasn’t surprised.

“While you’re young, you should take the chances and go,” Harold McKee said.

McKee says her venture has paid off as she adjusts to work and life in the bustle of the California film and TV industries.

She recently worked as an office production assistant during pre-production for a pilot of a reality show called “Wedding in a Week.”

In a recent e-mail, McKee said her responsibilities for the show included scheduling interviews, calling vendors and collecting necessary paperwork for the production company, Lighthearted Entertainment, the company that produces “Extreme Makeover.”

A 1999 graduate of Franklin Community High School and a 2004 graduate of IUPUI with a degree in new media, McKee was promoted to assistant story producer for the pilot. In that capacity, she taped raw footage to create the story for the show.

“On this show, I actually operated a camera and taped interviews with the couple who was to be married,” she wrote.

In the past year, McKee has built her résumé with several other film experiences.

One of her projects was “Serenity,” the science-fiction movie from Joss Whedon, creator of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” released last week.

“On the movie ‘Serenity,’ I worked in the visual effects department,” McKee wrote. “We worked with a miniature of the ship in a space sequence in the film. We filmed on a green screen at the Grant McCune Design stages, where the Death Star sequence in ‘Star Wars’ was filmed.”

On other jobs, McKee has worked on an upcoming HBO series “Big Love,” the Liam Lynch-directed film “Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny” and the pilot episode of “Inconceivable,” which recently aired on NBC.

Life in North Hollywood, Calif., is much more crowded and diverse than her first 20-some years of life as a Franklin resident, McKee said.

“Life in Los Angeles is like a microcosm of the world,” she wrote. “I enjoy meeting people who are from diverse environments. It’s also neat to meet a lot of people who have the same goals as me. I’ve met three Hoosiers on different shows.”

Work in the film industry is anything but predictable.

“I’ve gotten called up for four shows at once before,” McKee wrote. “And I’ve also gone over a month with no work. It’s extremely important to save money because once you’ve called everyone you know and said you’re available, there’s not a whole lot else you can do but wait.”

Her workdays stretch to 12 to 15-hours a day for months at a time, McKee said.

But life behind the camera is worth the time investment.

“It’s been my dream from the time I was old enough to hold a camera,” McKee said. “I really like being a part of the process. The hours are long and hard. But you have this product at the end that you can hopefully be proud of.”

McKee calls home as often as possible but still occasionally gets homesick for her father; her mother, Janice; her three siblings; and friends from Franklin.

Every Sunday, she and her boyfriend drive to Long Beach, Calif., for a lazy afternoon around the barbecue grill with friends, McKee wrote.

As time goes by, the transition from Indiana to California gets easier.

“I had a lot of fears before I got here,” McKee wrote. “I was afraid that I’d never get a job. I was afraid that if I did get a job on a film, I wouldn’t be cut out for it. I’m a much more confident person now.”

Everyone else is doing it, so why can't I?

2005-10-17T22:20:00.001-07:00

This is the blog of me, Elissa McKee. It is a timeline of work-related events in my life.