Production Assistant

[rarobles]

Hi everyone, I need help...

I've been recruited to work as a Production Assistant in a short film :shock:

I want to do a really good job, so I need your help.
What exactly are the duties of a PA? (Be as specific as possible)
Next Sunday we will start with preproduction so I really want to have an know what my job will be. I have an idea, but I would love some input from everyone here. Please, any tips or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[temerson]

The jobs and duties of a PA. Well, the number one thing I can tell you is that there ARE NO SPECIFIC DUTIES that a PA must be prepared to do. A PA has to be a jack-of-all-trades. You should be prepared to do everything from helping hookup cables, being pulled to do different jobs (the most common one is as a grip of some sort), and things having to do with actual production to making coffee, making copies, and basically being a gopher. The PA's are what professionals call the "b***hes." However, keep in mind that in the film industry, b***h is a term of endearment. So, simply be ready to do anything and everything. When I worked as a PA, I was bumped up to an Associate Producer because they needed somebody to coordinate and interact with on-air talent. One of my friends was working on a big film in LA. The director is a big name and, when nobody else on set knew how to work the mixer, my friend - the Key Production Assistant - did, and he ended up getting a permanent, fairly well-paying job out of the deal. So, you have to be ready for ANYTHING.

 

[rarobles]

Thanks, I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[JamesD]

good luck with that!