Production Assistant Job Description

The Production Assistant Job Description

A field PA is used to support the physical production. The PA's duties can change each day, but in general they are the support staff for the production team. An office PA is an entry level position in the production office of a film, television show or commercial.

An office PA is a part of the production team and handles paperwork, phone calls, and other tasks. Office PA's are often involved in supporting the writer's room. Your job is to support them, and their job is to keep the set safe and secure, to make sure union and employment guidelines are followed, and to ensure the production stays on track so everyone leaves on time.

You can help them out, but remember that your job is to support the production team. If the production manager asks you to help a department that already has their own PA, you might have to bail on them to go on a supply run. In areas with oil spots, sets will be on outdoor ranches.

It may rain, snow, or be windy, so your clothing should be able to deal with that. If you are the PA who will be taking coffee orders, you will need a pen and notebook. Production will be impressed if you bring your own.

Arrive fifteen minutes early to the production office, and there is a 90 percent chance you won't make it to set which increases your chance of being asked to not come to set at all. It is not personal. If the production asks you to pay for something out of your own pocket, stand up and say that you can't do that.

Production Assistants

A lot of full time show producers go through an interview process before a show starts. They may have to submit a resume and meet with an A.D. to make sure they have the knowledge and ability to do the more involved production assistant duties. Some full time workers may be trusted more then a day player, and some may be permanent general purpose P.A.s who assist with all duties, but may be trusted more.

The most important task you will do as a production assistant is a lockup. A lockup is a way to protect the cameras and actors from the public. You are mistaken if you think that crew members would be quiet when rolling.

Not everyone is on a walkie. Every department is on a different channel. The production department is the only one that will be announcing important information.

All the PAs need to yell out loud and clear when they hear it. And then, "cut!". The transportation department is usually the main part of a large production.

Production assistants will often have to drive people around. The general production assistant responsibilities are something everyone has to attend to. Most full time P.A.s hired at the beginning of a show are given specific tasks that they will be responsible for the entire duration of the production.

Production Crew Assistants: An Overview

A Production Crew Assistant is a person who helps the Producers and Directors of a production. Their main duties are to print and distribute scripts and relay messages between crew members. Entry level production assistants are employed in television or film studios.

They usually complete basic clerical tasks to keep the set running. Production assistants are usually responsible for getting the set ready for filming. They will give information about when the actors will be called to rehearse and when the scenes will be filmed.

Production assistants will work to quickly resolve any problems that occur during filming or rehearsal, and will also monitor sets to make sure there aren't any issues occurring. A degree in film, communications or a related field can demonstrate a candidate's competency and give them in-depth industry knowledge. Production assistants need a high school diploma or GED to be hired.

Entry-level Production Assistants have up to 2 years of experience through a previous job and training. It is not required for many employers to have prior experience in film and television production. Production assistants gain experience working on independent films.

Production assistants should have a passion for the job and show enthusiasm for it. Production assistants with more experience are more likely to be hired. Production assistants will usually report to several production members.

Can-Do Production Worker Bees

The worker bees of a film or television production are called PAs. They are given the task of doing many of the small jobs other crew members don't want to do. They learn about the production and meet many of the people involved in it.

PAs can work in a production company's office or on the set, assisting any of the departments. Your previous work experience may help determine where you end up. PAs can work long hours.

The hours of set-based PAs are more erratic because they are tied to the production schedule. Office-based PAs work 10 or 12 hours a day. If you can demonstrate the "can-do" attitude production companies are looking for, you can include it on your resume or in your interview.

Production Assistants: A Career in the Movie Industry

You will most likely report to an assistant director PA coordinators. The camera crew might ask for a snack cart to be refreshed, but just about anyone on the movie set would do that. The background actors known as extras will ask you for information.

A PA makes 14.70 per hour, based on 1,272 self-reported salaries on the PayScale website in May 2020. The hourly wage was $10 to $20 per hour. People just starting volunteer instead of seeking a production assistant salary.

It is possible to gain experience and build your resume by volunteering on low-budget independent movies. Production assistants can work on location with a film crew, on movie or television sets and in post-production studios. Working conditions can be tiring.

Production assistants are expected to work 16-hour days. You may be on your feet all day or expected to drive crew members around in heavy traffic. Being part of the creative process and getting to meet incredibly talented actors and crew members is the upside.

It takes extraordinary energy, attention to detail, high stress tolerance, communication skills, organizational abilities and unlimited patience to balance all the tasks in a production assistant job description. When you're working on a union film, you may be assigned more consistent duties because the work that crew members and actors can perform is in the contract. You will be on a production assistant career path if you have experience.

A Production Assistant with the company, she has had a wide variety of odd jobs, from office work to making sure that shipments go out on time. Working as a Production Assistant is a great way to get to know the various departments on a film set and figure out what a person wants to do. It can be a good way to get hired in the individual departments.

If someone wants to work in the Costume Department, they should let the Key PA or Production Coordinator know so they can be moved to work there. It depends on the size of the shoot and what needs to be done. It is well known that there is little appreciation for being a Production Assistant.

If a department needs a lot of Production Assistants for a task, they can pull PAs from other departments. The duration of a job is less for a Production Assistant than it is for a Production Manager. The PA is usually the first one to be set.

Many people cut their teeth working as Production Assistant. The Production Assistants work with the Production Supervisor and the Production Coordinator in their assigned departments. Cornell says that if you start as a Production Assistant, you will be able to break in as a crew person.

They all need PAs. If you like decorating sets then you should join the Art Department PA. Become a costume PA if you like it.

Being a production assistant is like working in the mail room in the world of television, film, and video. It is a great entry level position that gives you a wide variety of experience, gets you to your favorite field, and helps you start the process of developing a network of professional contacts. The responsibilities of a PA can be very different depending on the production you are working for and the department you are working in.

If you are a set PA, you will work for a different company every few days or weeks, whereas if you are an office PA, you will work for several months. It is possible to work independently. The world of media production is very fast paced and people are too busy to supervise someone else.

You need to be able to perform without someone looking over your shoulder or pushing you to do more because you will be working alone. You need to be the type of person who looks around to see what needs to be done and then does it, rather than waiting for someone to tell you what to do. Problem solving

The phrase "time is money" is more accurate on a set or production set. Every minute of production can cost a production company thousands of dollars. It is the simplest of problems that keep them from rolling.

If you can be the person who they are, you will be in demand advance quickly. Production assistant is an entry level job that requires little to no experience. It will be easier to get a PA job if you have some, but if you don't it's not a big deal.

A Proven Approach to Hiring a Production Assistant

There is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes to make a film come to life. The production assistant is a hero for every set, production office, editors room, and beyond. Knowing people is not the sole reason for hiring.

Going to film school can be a big advantage. A film school degree shows that you are passionate about the industry and may know a bit more about film production than other prospective PAs, which is often all the convincing a film team needs to choose you over someone else. There is nowhere to go but up once you have a production assistant job.

If you build a reputation as a good PA, you can often request working in departments you are interested in, which will give you valuable hands-on experience in your field. After that, you have a better chance of getting hired to a job in that department. You can start to build your network and meet more industry professionals, which will help you get more people to recommend you to work in the future.