Perhaps the most famously cited line in acclaimed screenwriter William Goldman’s book about the movie business, Adventures in the Screen Trade, is that “nobody knows anything.” This is a reference to Goldman’s conviction that, prior to a movie’s release, nobody can really know how successful it will be.

In the spirit of those terrible icebreaker-type party games, here are three facts about me:

1. I’m from Scotland.
2. My last name derives from the gaelic MacNiadh, which translates as “son of the champion.”
3. I studied law at university.

None of which intrinsically qualifies me to write this blog. Yes, I was a vacuum of knowledge when it came to the movie business. So what happened? Well, I had an epiphany, a Jerry Maguire moment, if you will, while I was selling books door-to-door in California (yes I was that guy!). I realized that if I could survive that experience (two summers in a row no less!), and actually sell a lot of books, then I could probably achieve anything I set my mind to. The notion of pursuing my passion for movies as a career started to feel less a fanciful daydream and more a tangible goal.

After all, nobody knows anything. I knew that much.

So I abandoned a cushy legal career, much to my parents’ infinite delight, upped sticks to New York, went to film school, and after earning my stripes as an office P.A. for a few months, I’ve been offered the privilege of my first real taste of feature film production, on the set of director Doug Liman’s political thriller Fair Game.

Well, that’s my “movie of the week” pitch about myself. Nice to meet you, Cyberspace. Hopefully, I have established enough empathy to permit me to fall back on my British predisposition for sarcasm. My goal is to bring you an insight into the filmmaking process that you can’t get from director’s commentaries or DVD extras. A “behind-behind-the-scenes,” if you will. For if making a movie is like going to war, then my role, as a production assistant, makes me equivalent not to the general pulling the strings but to the guy on the end of one of them. I’m the fresh-faced private, straight out of the academy, armed with nothing but naivete, a shaved head, and an itch to “see action.” I’m the guy who volunteers for the missions that no one else will go on. I’m the grunt who’s scrubbing the latrines with the toothbrushes (metaphorically speaking, I hope). Yes, we’re getting down and dirty in the trenches of moviemaking, people! Strap in for the ride.

Related posts on 30ninjas.com:

• The Catholic Church Stopped The Golden Compass
• Fair Game Blog — Reduced Unit
• Fair Game Blog — The Not-So-Secret Service
• Berg Talks Dune Remakes
• Universal Pulls Cartel For Creative and Security Reasons
• Halloween 3D Pre-Production Shut Down