We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Hannah Patterson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Hannah below.

Hannah, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s go back in time to when you were an intern or apprentice – what’s an interesting story you can share from that stage of your career?

Breaking into the film industry is tough; navigating once your foot is in the door is even tougher. Because the industry is so secluded and hard to get into, people often take advantage of that and put you in compromising situations.

In 2022, I got the opportunity to be a post-production assistant for a widely known studio to work on a heavily anticipated film by the 2 of biggest producers in Hollywood; I was told that I would be in direct contact with the video editors and post-production team. Being as stoked as I was, I ready to showcase my work ethic and be remembered for future projects.

My job entailed picking up footage from set and delivering it to the post-production team 5 days a week for 3 weeks. I was required to report to the production office at 8am and then be at set by noon where the footage would be waiting for me and then make the delivery by 7pm. I had 2 supervisors to report to: Janet for production office and Steve for set (not their real names).

Here was the first red flag. his The production office was located in a small studio lot 15 minutes from my house. However, while the post-production house was 30 minutes north of the production office, the film set was 5 hours away.
I’ve driven longer distances before but not in this fashion-not like this. They did provide me with a rental car and assured me that it’ll take me all the way there without stopping for gas. Despite thinking this was a lot to take on, I thought it was normal and agreed.

Reader, I should not have done that.

Standard procedure is the night before any shoot, a call sheet is sent out via email with the details of the day and when individuals are to report to set. I received the call sheet but my name was not on there. My “call sheet” was a group text. 2nd red flag.

On my first day, I got to the studio lot 30 minutes earlier than my call time. In order to get into the studio lot, you need a badge. However, the production did not make me one nor did they put me on the list. I had to wait 30 minutes for security officer to get Janet or Steve on the phone to verify me. Once verified and in the studio lot, I realized they had not provided me with details of where the office was. After multiple call attempts, I finally connected to Janet and she was able to direct me to the right building. She told me that the keys to the rental car should be on her desk and to head to set immediately.

Reader the building was closed and locked with only badge access required- a badge I did not have. I asked a patrolman to get me in but he informed me he could not let me in without a badge. Luckily, there was a custodian inside and she kindly unlocked the door for me. I found the keys and before heading on the road, Janet texted me to transport some stuff to set to drop off and that she’ll check off once she makes in the office at 9am. 3rd&4th red flag.

I didn’t get on the road until 10am. Steve was extremely irritated at this and he informed me I was behind. During the 5 hour drive, I was pulled over for speeding and given a ticket, the rental’s tank required me to stop for gas TWICE and I was not given a gas card so I had to use my own money-and wherever I made stops, let’s just say, the locals were not too fond of anyone that wasn’t white. At this point, there were so many red flags that no amount of green would make it balance.

By the time I got to base camp, it was 1pm. Steve had told me that I could find him in the black trailer.
Reader, there were over 50 trailers and all of them were black. I tried getting in contact with Steve to report in and to let me know where set was so I could collect the footage. Steve would not answer my calls and I had to ask around to find him. I finally found him and he gave me a vague area of where set was. I finally found someone who gave me specific directions on where to go.

This production had big name talent attached which requires a high level of security. There were multiple checkpoints that I barely got through and I finally got to set. Now I had to find the Loader who had the footage for me. Couldn’t find her. I asked around but no one knew who I was talking about. I got yelled at by Steve for being on set and that I was supposed to be back on the road by now. I finally found the loader and while she was getting everything ready for me, I told her everything. She apologized to me and told me that this was not normal and that I was being taken advantage of- especially at the rate they gave me.

As a Production Assistant, everyone is your boss. If someone tells you to do something, you have to do it. On my way out, I was given tasks by other crew which pushed my leaving time back. Steve was severely pissed off at this. I did not leave set until 7pm and didn’t get to the post-production house until midnight. I had asked them why they weren’t contracted to do post on location and they informed me that the production did not ask them to. They also told me that what they were doing to me wasn’t right.

I didn’t get back to my house until 2am and I was supposed to do this all over again in 5 hours. The next day went about the same as the first: I still didn’t have a badge to get into the studio and I still couldn’t get in the production office building. This time though, they let me borrow someone’s gas card. I made it a point talk to Steve to renegotiate my rate. He laughed at my suggested rate and told me he would talk to the execs about it but wasn’t confident they’d go for it. I didn’t care- I hadn’t eaten in two days and I was unbelievably tired.

At the end of the day, I was let go for “not having the sensitivity the job required”. I was glad to be done with this production and slept for 3 days after this.

No job is worth compromising your safety, health, and sanity. If something doesn’t feel right to you, speak up about it. If you think you’re being taken advantage of, you probably are. The budget for this production was north of $70 million- they had the resources to plan, coordinate, and pay people what they deserve and treat them with respect-they just chose not to.

Hannah, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

The Television was a constant, inescapable murmur in my household growing up. Family nights every Friday where we’d order Chinese and rent a movie from Blockbuster. My dad, sitting in his self-made dent on the couch, every day, watching a movie or TV show whenever I stepped through the door from school or from practice. Always on, begging for attention from every room. Sometimes, my dad would be watching something I had no interest in. But, sometimes, a line of dialogue would hook into my ear and drag me into the living room to fill in the context. By the age of 10, I had my own standards of what constituted a good film without knowing what I was looking for or why I classified it as such. Looking back, I had attributed “good” films to well-rounded and complex characters, purposeful storylines, and a consistent, articulate vision. I had taken that with me all the way to college when I first started making videos. I had come across a TedTalk about why Apple products are so revered and it all came down to their marketing. They had started with emotion and worked their way out to connect a feeling to their products. I realized that that was the reason my favorite movies stood out to me: there were clear emotional foundations that I connected to and in turn, wanted to accomplish for my films.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I’d found it hard to articulate my thoughts and feelings growing up. Film and TV was where I found people were speaking directly to me. It’s a language, I believe, that is universal and a better mode of communication I can express myself through. I create for the people who need to not just be heard but experienced to be understood. I remember the first time I was made aware of it. I was watching “Billy Elliot” and he was dancing through the street out of frustration. The camera was tracking his feet as he was spinning faster and faster and becoming more and more frustrated until he hit a wall. I’m not a dancer, I’m not Irish, I’m not male, and I’m not white; but I understood what he was feeling at that moment and that how dance was supposed to be something that he enjoyed but it turned into something that upended his life. Film and TV offered me the opportunity to understand an experience that I couldn’t otherwise understand if it wasn’t for film and that inspires me to create. I create so others have the opportunity to experience their “Billy Elliot” moment through my work.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

People finding their own personal connections to the stories I tell.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.hannahpattersonofficial.com
• Instagram: hanpatt20

Image Credits
Hannah Aryee, Maya Davis