A Production Assistant (PA) is
an entry-level position that assists with general tasks on a film, television
, commercial or digital media production. Some PAs work in the production department with the First or Second Assistant Director to provide support and communication to multiple departments.
What do production assistants do on a film set?
What does a production assistant do? A production assistant works on television,
movie or theater sets to support the producer or director
. They get the cast, crew and set ready for each day’s shoot. They help clearly communicate instructions from the director to the cast and crew.
What is the role of a production assistant?
A Production Assistant, or Production Crew Assistant, serves
on film, television or theater sets assisting the Producers and Directors of a production
. Their main duties include printing and distributing scripts, relaying messages between crew members and running errands for Directors and Producers.
How much do movie production assistants make?
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $91,000 and as low as $19,000, the majority of Film Production Assistant salaries currently range between
$28,000 (25th percentile) to $52,000 (75th percentile)
with top earners (90th percentile) making $91,000 annually across the United States.
What skills do you need to be a production assistant?
- Excellent communication skills.
- Adaptability.
- Enthusiasm.
- Determination.
- Perseverance.
- Ability to work well under pressure.
- Organisational skills.
- Administrative skills.
What should a production assistant wear?
Production Assistants frequently wear
loose fitting, comfortable clothing
that allows them to move freely and functionally around the set. They’ll probably have on a pair of sunglasses most of the time if working outside, and they are likely to be seen in articles that allow for comfort over style.
What should a production assistant expect?
Field production assistants.
They are often tasked with keeping the
set clean, managing rental equipment
, helping transport cast and crew, and even taking food orders at mealtimes.
Is being a production assistant worth it?
Working as a production assistant is a great way to get started. … The PA is the
entry-level position
for a filmmaking career. You rarely need any hard-and-fast pre-requisite skills or experience to land a PA gig, which means most new PAs are starting out on relatively equal footing compared to other crew positions.
How do I get a production assistant job with no experience?
- Your Contacts.
- Film Job Sites.
- Facebook Groups.
- Any Social Media.
- Networking Events.
- Film Commissions.
- Large Company Websites.
- Small Company Websites.
How many days do production assistants work?
Career Outlook
I usually work
ten to twelve-hour days
, Monday through Friday. Sometimes they will call us into work on Saturday if something needs to happen.” “It can also happen that if a specific department needs a lot of Production Assistants for a task, they’ll pull PAs from other departments.
Is it hard to be a production assistant?
A production assistant’s job can be one of the the most harrowing in Hollywood.
Not that it’s physically difficult
. Going on coffee runs and copying scripts isn’t hard, exactly. But it can be emotionally taxing to be blamed for everything all the time, while simultaneously having no control over anything.
Can you make a living as a production assistant?
How much can you make per year as a production assistant? As I’ve said, it depends on the type of projects you work on. If you work on commercials 45 weeks a year at $200/day ($1000 per week), that’s
$45,000/year
, which is pretty good for an entry level job in any field.
Do production assistants get days off?
Just
a Few Days
Taking off a couple days early for the mid-season hiatus is probably fine for a multi-month production. It’s more problematic if you want to take three days off a week-long commercial shoot. If you’re asking for something like a week off, you better have a pretty good sob story.
How do you describe a production assistant on a resume?
Production assistant resume template
Manage technical and administrative tasks
, from running errands to distributing scripts, coordinating craft services and assisting with lighting and sound for studio and on-location shoots.
How do you become a film production assistant?
- a university course.
- a college course.
- an apprenticeship.
- working towards this role.
- volunteering.
- applying directly.
- specialist courses run by private training providers.
Can you wear shorts as a production assistant?
Wear
loose-fitting tops and pants or shorts you can move around
in. And when I say “comfort,” I don’t just mean physical comfort. Although not everyone agrees with me, I would advise against tight fitting or low-cut shirts if you don’t want to be stared at all day.
