Why become a film Production Assistant?
How do you get into film? what’s the deal?
PG&E, San Francisco. Colin Ducey, Director of Photography (DP).
Why is it that some people have dreams of working in film but never really break in? Instead of their dream job, they find themselves waiting tables, stocking shelves or working in a lumber mill. (See The Backstory)
There is nothing wrong with these jobs, but if having a career in film was the original dream, what happened? How do some people find a fantastic career in the entertainment industry and others don’t?
There is a gap between school and the industry. This lack of information on not only how to become a Film PA but what’s expected of a new PA, is what this course is all about solving. We want you to have that important information.
a Step-by-step plan to break into film
When someone has a dream, a career that they want to follow, one of the reasons they don’t break-in is they don’t know how to start or even where to start. They don’t have a step-by-step plan. This Series gives you that plan of how you can make your dream of working in film into a reality.
Crew working in the streets San Francisco, California. Greg Freeman, Director of Photography (DP).
Becoming a Film Production Assistant (PA) is entry-level position and is like an apprenticeship where you’ll have the opportunity to get experience in the business and you will also get paid. You build up your client list and eventually it can turn into full time work.
When you’re on a job as a PA, you’ll develop working relationships with crew members, clients and vendors and all kinds of people. Your sphere of influence just gets bigger and bigger the more jobs you do. Showing that you have the right attitude by getting up early, being present and ready to work, knowing your job…well, guess what? That will significantly increase your opportunities to find a permanent job in the career of your choice!
you need to be seen on a film job…working
Opportunities arise when you’re on the job, working on a film set. If you’re running errands on a film shoot, directing parking, locking down a set, putting up signs, or directing foot traffic, your chances of getting a real job gets better and better. The old saying it’s who you know… is true, but it’s also about who knows you! If you’re not on a set, the Film Community won’t see you, they won’t know who you are. But if you’re working with people and they like what they see, your chances just got a lot stronger to land a job. If they don’t like what they see, it works the same way. They will remember both the good and the not so good. It is this memory of other people’s experience of you that determines whether you’re successful or not.
be a known entity
Laying dolly track on a sunny day in Northern California.
It’s all about availability. When assembling a film crew there’s usually a list of choices for every department. First there’s the “A” choice and if they’re not available the producers will hire the “B” person, etc…Being a KNOWN ENTITY, being on that list, is key to getting work.
You’ll get your first gig and then from there you’ll use that to get your second gig and so on and so forth. People hire people they know and like to work with people they’re familiar with.
Reputation is everything
A person’s reputation is everything and even a slightly tarnished rep is better than no rep. Whatever their impression is of you on the job you worked, that memory follows you and after a period of time either takes you up or takes you down in your career efforts.
Working with the Jib in a studio in Los Angeles.
The windows of opportunity will close after a certain period of time. That means that you don’t have forever to perfect your ability to do this job, there is a shelf life to get in. At some point you’ll get a rep, people will talk, either good or bad, depend upon you. The better your rep, the faster you move up into a career you love. The Production Assistant position is transitional. This is way to get into the industry and find a career.
be your own boss
As a freelance Production Assistant, you’ll have to hustle your own work, do your own billing, market your services and make it all happen. But you‘ll also have the freedom and responsibility to either work for a client or not, to take a gig or not, to own your time.
Typical Field Production Crew: In Douglas, Arizona getting prepared to film a Border Entry Station. Chris Salvador, Director.
