Johnston says you have to be willing to work for nothing under some-
times terrible conditions. "Eventually what happens, if you do this
enough, is the people you work with tend to move up, remember you,
and refer you to other people. You work with them and they move up
and you.
"You have to seek out your own work," he adds. "You can't wait for
people to call you. You have to make yourself available. It's sending a lot
of résumés out and making a lot of phone calls to production offices. Half
the time, or more, you'll call and they'll say, `We've already hired some-
body.' Or, you send a résumé and you never hear back. You just have to
keep doing it and keep doing it, and sooner or later, somebody will
remember you and give you an opportunity."
Professional Profile: Thomas Johnston, Script Supervisor
Being in the right place at the right time and making the most of the
opportunity is how Thomas Johnston became a successful script supervi-
sor. He became interested in movies in his teens, met other high school
students who shared his interest, and with them formed a film club to
make 8mm movies for school assemblies.
Unable to decide on a career, Johnston completed general education
courses at a community college and Arizona State University. In his
second year, he took an interest in film classes, later transferring to San
Francisco State University where he earned a bachelor's degree in film-
making. While still in school, he began working as a production assistant
at area film companies.
After graduating, Johnston returned to his Arizona home and worked
on a freelance basis, primarily as a camera assistant, for a local commer-
cial production company. Hearing that a movie called Raising Arizona was
coming to shoot in the area, he contacted the production company and
expressed his desire to work on the film. In the early stages of produc-
tion, Johnston was offered a position as production assistant, working
with brothers Joel and Ethan Coen and cinematographer Barry
Sonnenfeld while they shot camera tests. For a few weeks, Johnston
drove the equipment van, loaded the cameras, and assisted as requested.
Once the film was organized and the production office open, the Coens
asked Johnston to be their script supervisor. "I had never done it before,
but they weren't finding anyone they were happy with. They felt they
could teach me how they wanted me to do it better than if they hired
someone who had been doing it."
Johnston had never considered working as a script supervisor, but
soon realized, "It was a job that put me in the middle of the action.
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