Question on set hierarchy and promotion

There's also non union work available for script supvervisors and assistant directors. It's just not as steady, doesn't pay as well, and has few if any benefits or contractual protections against abuse by producers. It may, however, be the only work available while you're waiting to get into the union, and you may need the experience and the connections.

Union script supervisors are covered by IATSE, and they work on set, sitting by the camera or near video village. There's a current blog written by a working script supervisor you should look at. I think this is it. She has probably answered the "How did you get started - how do I break in" question. If not, you can always ask.

http://scriptsupervisorforum.blogspot.com/

Script coordinators, in TV at least, are basically senior writers assistants. Some shows only have a writer's assistant, but on shows with bigger budgets, the entry level position is writers assistant, and script coordinator is the next promotion.

The script coordinator works with the writers, wherever the writers' offices are, and with the production office. Her primary concern is making sure the details of the production script are correct - properly formatted, details verified, revision order and page color correct, distribution to the proper recipients. I don't recall them being unionized, maybe someone else knows differently. She is rarely if ever on set.

The career ladder I've seen some coworkers follow is: set PA on a TV show, writers assistant on that same show, then script coordinator, with an opportunity to write at least one episode along the way. Nobody I know personally has made it all the way to staff writer, at least in the five years or so I've been in town. Writers assistant gigs are tough to get, and I've heard of agents pitching their clients for these jobs alone. Not as good as a staff job, but a hell of a lot better to be in the room than out.

Set PA's can become union AD's if they have enough days on the right kind of productions. The DGA has been making the requirements more and more stringent, and requiring more and more different kinds of production experience to qualify. There are also two DGA training programs, one in LA and one in NYC. You can put in your application, take the exam, and you might have a shot if you're in that top 5 percent of scorers.

Oh yeah, one more thing. On his Complications Ensue blog, Alex Epstein posted links to a bunch of blogs about various production jobs written by by people in those trades. It's a few weeks back, but easy enough to find.

http://www.ialocal871.org/

This is the LA local. NY I don't know about.

Rule #1 about being PA - work really hard. Really, really hard. Expect 12 hour days if you are actively in production. Expect crappy jobs like cleaning out the fridge and doing daily lunch, dinner and coffee runs. If you have any free time, make sure to ask anyone within eye- or earshot if there is anything you can do.

Once you have a familiar relationship with your supervisor (whether that's the production coordinator, manager or a producer) let them know what your next step goal would be. For your case, you'd probably want a writing assistant gig. FYI that's a lot of the same jobs as a PA but with more script coordinating work. Hopefully, you make a good enough impression on them that when the next position opens up, they offer it to you.

The process can move quickly, or painstakingly slowly. My supervising producer started out as a PA about 5 or 6 years ago and has worked his way up. Our writing assistant did 2 or 3 years as a PA.

Are you sure this film will use a script coordinator? TV shows need SC's because their writing staffs are constantly writing and revising scripts to feed the ravenous production beast. Feature films, not so much.

Ask about it, sure, but expect to start as a PA because everyone does.

Script coordinator really isn't an entry level position in any case. Losing track of the revisions, scene count, page count, etc. can mean disaster for the entire production. There are plenty of experienced SC's floating around who had worked as staff writers in the past but now can't find a writing job. So the producer would call one of them before trying out a newbie.

So they would probably start you off as an office PA, and allow you to assist the SC, assuming there is one on a feature, if they liked you and were impressed with your work ethic. As Blondchen has pointed out, you could work as a PA for years before you get a chance to move up. Or it could happen next week.

Yeah, if you don't have previous experience as a PA and don't know this Producer then it'll be close to impossible to get moved up. As noted, it mostly happens after a good tenure of work and a solid list of acquaintances. To get bumped up, someone has to take a chance on you. A lot of times it only happens because the original person in that position quits or is fired and they need a fill in and that's your opportunity. But pretty much you have to build a relationship with someone who will call you for the next gig and give you a chance at a new position. It helps to work with the same people all the time so they get to know you and know your work, that's the best way to move up fast. Good luck =)

Normally there isn't a formal on set role for the writer(s) on a feature. If the director and producers choose to have a writer available for rewrites, the liason will be the people running the production office: Production Coordinator, Asst Prod Coordinator, and the various office PA's. It's the production office which makes and distributes copies of the script and colored revisions, as well as the daily sides - the miniature stapled copies of the part of the script being shot that day.

On a lot of features, the writer won't be on set or directly involved in the production at all. This has been a contentious issue for a long time in movies.

A big name writer will often have a personal assistant of his own who would help with whatever production related tasks the writer needed done. John August has an assistant, for example. But that assistant is hired by the writer, not the production, though the writer may negotiate to put the assistant on the production's payroll and in the film's credits.


add.

If you're angling to write for TV, being an office PA is your best bet, because the Prod Coord, Asst Prod Coord, and even other office PA's may end up working on a TV show after this feature. Being office PA on a TV show can position you to move up to writer's asst if the job opens up.

Another angle is to PA with the editing department. It's not writing with a word processor, but it's certainly structuring a story. You can learn a huge amount when you see the dailiies, and what's put in versus what's left out. You can see how the action and dialogue translate from the script to the finished product.

You don't have enough experience for that position yet. Your family's friend would just be hurting you to dump you into something like that without more seasoning.

12 hour days? HAHAHAHA - I've never worked that short a day on a feature. It would be nice though.

Lieson between the writer and production team? Never heard of such a thing on a feature. The director or producer may ask for rewrites directly. They're usually emailed back if there's time, or a runner (not to be confused with show runner) might be sent to get files or hard copy sometimes. A runner is a step down from PA.