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Bruce
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PRODUCTION ASSISTANT
The production assistant or PA position is an entry-level
opening on a film or television set. The production assistant does just about
anything and everything, from getting coffee to making script copies to
shuttling crew or equipment around town as necessary. How much a production
assistant does depends on the budget of the production, as well as how much
faith his superiors have in his abilities.. The job of a PA can vary greatly
depending on the budget and specific requirements of a production as well as
whether the production is unionized.
Production assistants on films are sometimes attached to
individual actors or filmmakers. Another name for a production assistant is
"gopher," as in you'll "go-for-this" or
"go-for-that." The best production assistants and the ones who are
typically promoted out of the PA position sooner rather than later are those
who simply don't know the meaning of the word "no." They never say,
"I can't." The more you do as you're told, the faster you will rise.
But that doesn't mean you should be a robot. Creative thinking is also an
excellent asset to have as a PA.
If you have a bit of an ego about letting other people
direct your actions, either leave it at the door or find another line of work.
The production assistant position is one that takes a lot of emotional abuse
from a number of different departments but do as you're told and learn as much
as you can from anyone willing to teach you. After a while, you just might find
yourself with a promotion and your production assistant.
Duties
In the United States, Production Assistants in union and
non-union workplaces face various tasks on the movie set of a filmmaking
project. Most union PAs are asked to complete tasks with a certain focus. Union
PAs only are asked to do a few tasks that may be related to one another and
they normally receive tasks concentrated on the actual making of the movie. For
example, union Production Assistants may be asked to evaluate a movie's daily
rushes for a film director or help the film editor decipher ways to alter a
scene. Those who are non-union Production Assistants are usually asked to
complete a variety of tasks by a department head on a film set. The tasks of a
non-union PA can match those of a union PA.
These tasks asked to be completed by either a union or
non-union PA are requirements that are related to the movie's production, such
as setting up props on set and negotiating with the director on how a scene
should be shot.
However, non-union PAs commonly may be asked to complete a
wider array of tasks since these tasks may not necessarily be associated with
the film. For example, non-union PAs may be asked to input data in a computer,
wash dishes, sort letters in the mail room, and buy coffee for department
heads. Basic duties of non-union PAs can be classified as running errands for
any person in the production department.
Most PAs work with many people since their job requires
them to complete generic obligations. Therefore, PAs must be proficient with
their communication skills. Traditionally, PAs communicate with department
heads by walkie-talkies on and around the films set. However, PAs can be asked
by any member of the film crew to complete a job via interpersonal
communication (talking to each other in person) or across technological devices
such as a cell phone. Aspiring PAs must also expect to be attentive on set
since they may be asked to complete any job for anyone at any time through any
medium of communication.
Former Production Assistant Caleb Clark recommends that
people who want to be PAs must avoid sitting down, remaining alert at all
times. Clark elucidates that PAs must be vigilant because they could be asked
for help by any other person at any time of the day.
In addition to their improving their skills pertaining to
communication and readiness, PAs must adapt to their film set environment. Many
movie sets that Production Assistants work on may vary in terms of luxuries.
Since movie sets are given different amounts of amenities, not all of them may
have the properties and resources that a Production Assistant will need to
complete certain assignments.
Therefore, PAs should be able to familiarize themselves
with the movie set in order to increase their success rate. PAs also must be
aware that they may need to bring their own form of transportation on the set.
Due to the little resources some sets may have, PAs should consider bringing
their own cars or trucks to the set so that more of their long-distance tasks
can be completed. The people that normally ask PAs for help are usually
superior to them within the film crew. Those that ask a Production Assistant
for help typically include people at the top of the film crew's structure, such
as the production coordinator, screenwriter, producer, and especially the
film's director.
Television and feature film
In unionized television and feature film, production
assistants are usually divided into different categories: "Set PA",
"Truck PA", "Locations PA", "Office PA", or
"Set Runner" and "Extra PA or Daily" - Variations exist depending
on a show's structure or region of the United States or Canada.
Office PAs usually spend most hours in the respective
show's production office handling such tasks as phones, deliveries, script
copies, lunch pick-ups, and related tasks in coordination with the production
manager and production coordinator.
Set PAs work on the physical set of the production,
whether on location or on a sound stage. They report to the assistant director
(AD) department and key set PA if one is so designated. Duties include echoing
(calling out) "rolls" and "cuts", locking up (making sure
nothing interferes with a take), wrangling talent (actors) and background,
facilitating communication between departments, distributing paperwork and
radios, and related tasks as mandated by the ADs. Set PAs usually work 12- to
16-hour days with the possibility at the end of a shoot to work more than 20
hours a single day and are regularly the "first to arrive and the last to
leave".
Commercials
Commercial Set PAs share the same responsibilities as
their Television and Feature Film counterparts (see "Set PAs" above),
but also inherit additional responsibilities traditionally encompassed by other
departments in the television and feature film structure. These
responsibilities range from providing both critical and mundane production
support equipment such as dollies, cranes, director's chairs and pop-up tents
to standing in for talent and even filling in for other departments who might
be short-staffed. It is not atypical for a commercial set PA to be seen
handling trash one minute, and the next minute assisting the electricians or
grips with a set-up. A select group of commercial set PAs are given the
responsibility of driving and managing the production and camera cube trucks.
This responsibility is often given to the more senior PAs because it provides
several extra days of pay.
Set PAs in commercials are more commonly hired by the
production coordinator and/or production manager as opposed to an AD or key set
PA. However, many commercial ADs will.
Standard rate for a commercial PA in the Los Angeles area
is a flat rate of $200 per day. On February 1, 2008, benefits for qualifying
freelance PAs became available through the Producer's Health Benefits Plan.
Union vs. non-union
In North America, no union currently exists for production
assistants, but the affiliation of a production with a union (or unions) can
affect the job responsibilities of a PA. Less unionized film productions have
more positions that can be serviced by non-union personnel; consequently, PAs
on such productions may take on a greater variety of non-traditional duties.
Examples of this would be a PA setting a light bounce (grip department) or
driving a passenger van (teamster/transportation department). PAs on a union
production generally have less variety in their job duties whereas a non-union
PA can be asked to perform any kind of task by a department head.
In British Columbia, which has the third largest film and
television production sector in North America, PAs are represented by the
Director's Guild of Canada. Production Assistants represented by the DGC work
in the Locations Department and work both on and off set with duties including
locking up the set, traffic control, echoing rolls, fire watching, and liaising
with the public and location owners. The Key-PA is in charge of all the PAs and
is the 1st ADs' right-hand man when it comes to do with the onset aspects
regarding a location. From this position DGC PA's can move up through the
Locations Department or the Assistant Direction (AD) Department as either a
Training Locations Manager (TAL) or a Training Assistant Director (TAD),
respectively. Office Production Assistants work in the production office as an
Office PA and they work for the Production Manager, Production Coordinator,
Assistant Production Coordinator, and / or other office staff in maintaining
the work-flow in the office. From this position, Office PAs can work their way
up through the office by becoming an Assistant Production Coordinator (APOC), which
is unionized under IATSE 891. Pay for PAs according to the DGC Collective
Agreement in BC is $205.00 (non-members) to $215.00 (members) for a 15-hour
day. An 8-hour day is approximately $118.00.
In Quebec, the Set PA is part of what is called the "Unit
Department" or "Régie". Usually, there is a Unit Manager,
Assistant Unit Manager, Set PA, Truck PA, Set Runner, and the
"dailies" as needed for street blocking and extra set ups. In other
states and provinces these duties are often taken care of by the AD Department,
Locations or Transport. The Unit Manager and his/her team are the ones who deal
with the daily logistics of shooting on location and/or in studio.
There are two film unions in Quebec: IATSE 514 and AQTIS:
L’Alliance québécoise des techniciens de l’image et du son. In both cases the
PA's are unionized.
Sources,
References & Credits: Google, Wikipedia, Wikihow, Pinterest, IMDB, Linked
In, Indie Wire, Film Making Stuff, Hiive, Film Daily, New York Film Academy, The
Balance, The Numbers, Film Maker, TV Guide Magazine, Media Match, Quora, Creative
Skill Set, Investopedia, Variety, No Film School, Daily Variety, The Film
Agency, Best Sample Resume, How Stuff Works, Career Trend, Producer's Code of
Credits, Producers Guild of America, Film Connection, Entertainment Careers, Adhere
Creative, In Deed, Glass Door, Pay Scale, Merriam-Webster, Job Monkey, Studio
Binder, The Collective, Production Hub, Caleb Clark, "The Production
Assistant's Pocket Handbook", Justin Griesinger "Movie Crew Job
Titles", Director's Guild of America, Director's Guild of Canada, British
Columbia Film Commission, Phil Breman
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