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Production coordinator: Anne-Marie

This Case Study belongs to Television production assistant.

I work mostly in setting up location filming. So the main responsibilities are booking and negotiating with crew, organising all travel and logistical arrangements for the filming days (hotels, hire cars, taxis etc.), catering, sorting out location agreements, filming permissions and contributor payments. A key part of the role is liaising with the whole team and making sure everybody knows what is going on and making sure everything runs smoothly. It is also the production coordinator's (PC's) responsibility to sort out all the freelance contracts as well as sorting out copyright and agreements with any artists.

The role of a production coordinator (PC) can be very varied. No two days are the same.

On a shoot day, the PC's role is to make sure the day runs smoothly, that everyone is happy (well watered and fed!) and to trouble shoot when things start to go wrong or the schedule starts to change. The coordinator is there to support the director, so they can concentrate on directing the shoot.

A good coordinator needs good interpersonal skills, as you will spend a lot of time on the phone talking to people. You also need to have good communication skills and be good at negotiating. Problem-solving is key to the role, as things are always changing - often last minute. It is important to be adaptable and ready to change things at the last minute. The hours can be irregular (especially when on location) and can often involve working at the weekend.

My advice to anyone that wants to get into this line of work would be to use your summer holidays (from uni or school) and do work experience in the industry. This is really the only way to get your foot in the door.

Case Study sourced by Viki Chinn of London School of Economics and Political Science, 06 November 2008.