What are the most effective qualifications and qualities a production assistant should have on their resume?

September 6, 2007 12:01 PM

Resume Help: Production Assistant for Film and Television?

Finding a Production Assistant job is difficult enough without knowing what should go on the resume.

What are the most helpful qualities for a production assistant hopeful to present on their resume? What stands out the most? If the answer is experience, what about that experience should stand out from the description?

Thanks for your input.

posted by ebonyknives to Work & Money (6 answers total)

Most that I have seen list the projects they've worked on, student productions as well as real films. Things to mention would be your role (driver? runner? office assistant? extras wrangler) and some relevant info about the project (feature/doc, format, production company/director, year).

Make a "skills" section that lists that you know how to drive, plus any film/office software (Office, Final Cut, Excel, Photoshop) that you might be called upon to use.

Then include your education. You can include past jobs just as line-items to show that you've worked before, but you don't have to.

Here's someone's.
posted by xo at 12:33 PM on September 6, 2007

Just off the top of my head: booking travel, shoot schedules, booking and coordinating crews, obtaining shooting permits, phone skills, expenses, rights and clearances...
posted by spec80 at 12:34 PM on September 6, 2007

Are you in the US or UK?
posted by parmanparman at 12:41 PM on September 6, 2007

Work experience. Keep your academic credentials to a minimum (if you showcase them, it's a sign you've never done any work before). Skills section is good. One page. And frankly, in my experience, cover letter is king. Think about the number of resumes you send out? Now think of the number of resumes the person you're sending it to gets. You'll be lucky if anybody sees the outer cover. Confidence, honesty, and amicability. If you can express that in a few sentences, you'll get a call back.
posted by phaedon at 1:07 PM on September 6, 2007

Also, if you have zero experience, target employers who hire lots of production assistants due to the high turn-over of their projects -- think commercials, music videos and the like. TV shows and films can be (relatively) good gigs for PAs, but those shoots keep the same crew for 3-6 months, if not longer. In short, little turn-over.

Also, it depends on the productions you're targeting. Low-budget indie pictures will expect more from their production assitants than the gigs at Paramount or Warner Bros. (speaking from experience, PAs at the big studios really only need: (a) a driver's license and vehicle; (b) auto insurance; (c) cell phone; (d) slight office skills; (e) ability to remove the word "no" from your vocabulary).

Oh, and a Thomas Guide (if you're in LA).

Good luck!
posted by herc at 10:16 PM on September 6, 2007

Response by poster: Thanks everyone for your help.

Parman Parman, I am in the U.S. Specifically, New York City.
posted by ebonyknives at 12:58 PM on September 7, 2007