What is a Production Assistant
Production Assistants, also knows as PAs work throughout pre-production and production, supporting senior production staff, and are responsible for a number of administrative and organisational duties.

In most productions, the Production Assistant role is an entry-level position. The Production Assistant will usually work across a number of different departments. Therefore the role of a Production Assistant encompasses many different tasks and can vary from production to production.

While this may sound quite daunting, working as a Production Assistant is a great way to build your understanding of the different departments that work together to create a production. Further, if you don’t have a career in mind, it is a great way to learn about each of the departments and to get a feel for what you might like to do in the future.

Below you can find a small insight into what to expect and the key skills you will need to succeed.

What does a Production Assistant do? 

In short? Anything and everything. As a Production Assistant, you are everyone’s go-to for any extra jobs that need to be done. In this role thinking on your feet and taking initiative is an absolute necessity, you’ll need to be a fast learner and willing to put in the hours. But, never be afraid to ask questions, although a Production will expect a lot from you this is an entry-level role and an opportunity for learning and development.

To be a Production Assistant organisational skills are essential. You’ll be expected to hire production equipment and studios, copy and distribute scripts and call sheets, and organise schedules and contracts. From time to time, you will also need to book hotels and other travel arrangements if and when the production goes abroad for filming. You may also be expected to control crowds.

Numerical skills will come in handy with this job, as you will be dealing with accounts,  expenses and building budgets.

As part of your role as you will organise meetings, interviews and liaise with personnel across the production team making interpersonal skills a must-have. When you get a message through on the walkie-talkie, be sure to respond even if you aren’t available as this will help ensure the efficiency of the production.

In this role, no two days will ever be the same and you will constantly face new challenges and tasks. Work hard and you will be rewarded with knowledge and experience that will help you advance in your career.

As a Production Assistant, you’ll also need to have great communication skills, being able to communicate well is probably the most important part of this job role. We definitely recommend brushing up on those interpersonal skills, after all in this competitive industry a lot of the time it is about who you know.

But don’t take our word for it. Here is a great short video showing a day in the life of a Production Assistant:

Are there different types of Production Assistants?

Depending on the size of the TV or film production you may find that different departments have their own Production Assistant. These can generally be defined as Field, Office, and Post-Production Production Assistants, further these are all entry-level positions.

Field Production Assistants are responsible for supporting on-set staff members. Responsibilities generally include ensuring the maintenance of the set, organisation of equipment and completing paperwork.

Office Production Assistants are responsible for many of the smaller jobs in the production office to include answering phone calls and assisting in the writer’s room.

Post-Production Assistants will support editors and producers by helping to organise footage and keeping the edit room organised among other tasks.

You can find out more about these roles here.

Key Skills and Qualities

• Organised
• Adaptable
• Work well under pressure
• Administration
• Enthusiastic
• Determined
• Numerical skills

Salary and Working hours

According to PayScale, the average Production Assistant Salary in the UK is £19,000. This salary ranges from £15,000 – £25,000 depending on your experience and location. As with most jobs in this industry, working hours can often be long and unsocial, so you must be willing to put in the hours to succeed and progress in this role.

How to Become a Production Assistant
Production Assistants usually start out as a Runner,  or Production Secretary. So, while a degree is not essential, work experience is particularly useful when you looking to get into this entry-level role. However, it should be noted that in some cases previous work experience as a Runner or Production Secretary will not be necessary.

If you are lacking experience and would like to give yourself a better chance of securing work in this competitive industry, you could look to volunteer at local community productions to gain some general experience.

Institutions such as the MetFilm school, a world-leading film, television and online media school offer lots of undergraduate, postgraduate and short courses which could help you get that first step into the industry.

Depending on the size of the production, you may find that each department will look to recruit for their own Production Assistant. So, depending on which department you start in, your career progression will vary significantly. However, generally speaking, after working as in this role you can look to become a Production Coordinator,  Researcher or Assistant Producer.

Become a Production Assistant Today!
If you are ready for the next step in your career, why not take a look at the latest Production Assistant vacancies on our jobs board? You can view our latest vacancies here.