How To Be A Successful Production Assistant

I know it sounds crazy, but sometimes being a PA gives me a real warm fuzzy at the end of the day. I love when the shoot is over, and the rest of the crew says “Thanks! Had a great time working with you, or something as equally polite. Although being a Production Assistant is, for the most part, the lowest rung on the totem pole, it’s a great way to observe, learn, and make great contacts along the way — which is great for people that don’t have contacts in the industry.  So, here’s what I’ve learned about having successful PA gigs.

1) Act like this is the best gig in the whole wide world

There is one thing that people always remember, and that’s your attitude.  What’s paid off for me, has been having such a good attitude, that if you didn’t know any better, you might be thinking that I had been taking copious amounts of uppers.  It’s a risky move — true — maybe the people you’re working with don’t want anyone on the set to be happy.  But that’s all the more reason to plaster a smile on your face, a bounce in your step, and a willingness to do whatever is required.  Just throw in a few jokes or puns throughout the day — and you’re golden.

2) Learn To Be Like a Genie.

A true Genie is available at it’s Masters beck-and-call at any time. A Production Assistant is exactly like a Genie.  When you’re done setting up a light, or putting makeup on someone, and the camera is rolling, you’re out of sight.  Either observing what’s going on, or preparing for the next event.  But your Spider-Sense is constantly tingling.  The minute the camera is turned off, you’re right back at the producer’s side ready to strike, or reapply makeup, or plug something in, or put on a light.  And then we vanish again until someone rubs our lamp.

3) Know the Production Schedule better than anyone else

The better you know the production schedule, the better you will be able to predict the needs of everyone on set, making you an integral part of the team.  You’re like the Production Mama Bear, and everyone loves a Mama Bear and hires them over and over again.  If you see that the video is going to be shot in a corporate environment, make sure that there’s lint-rollers and extra dress-code friendly items on hand.  If you know the camera man is a Diabetic that always forgets to take a snack, keep oranges close-by from the craft-services table. It’s your job as a PA, to remember all the things that everyone else forgets.

Welp. Those are my three main tips … and although they’re simple, they pay off.  It’s just good old-fashioned manner and intuition.  It’ll take you farther than you ever suspected.  What tips do y’all have?

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