aka: production office coordinator, POC
The production coordinator’s main job is to run the production office where they perform various tasks, such as tracking the schedule and budget. Because filmmaking plans are constantly changing, it’s a vital position that keeps the film set running smoothly.
Overall, it is an office job role with no creative control. However, many people use this role to step into the producer position. Keep reading to learn more about the production coordinator role, including their job description, education, salary, and how to find work.
What is a Production Coordinator?
The production coordinator is in charge of the admin and office tasks on a film set. They assist the line producer and work with all department heads to manage and maintain the set logistics.
You will find them throughout prep and filming within the production office. In addition, they manage a team of assistants and run the film set behind the scenes. It’s a skilled job role that requires high organization and a full understanding of the film process.
Production Coordinator Job Description
Film sets require a lot of organization. As such, the scheduling of a set is run by the production management team. The line producer leads the team, and under them is the production coordinator, whose main job is to run the production office.
Before filming, they help hire, get work permits, and organize equipment rental. Their work varies, but their main role is to assist the line producer. Then, when filming, they stay in the office and amend schedules and script changes, keeping everything together.
Another similar role is the production manager. However, the main difference is that they work on set, helping the producer. In contrast, the production coordinator will always stay in the office. Their work ends after filming when they will help wrap the production.
Pre-production Duties
During pre-production, the coordinator sets up the production office. They will help with various administrative tasks such as hiring crew, equipment rental, hotel booking, and transport. In addition, they will keep the script up to date and send the crew new schedules. Most of all, their job at this stage is to help the line producer get ready for filming.
- Assist the line producer
- Help with film planning
- Send schedules to the crew
- Update script revisions
Production Duties
During filming, they stay in the production office and perform various admin tasks. Their duties include supervising production assistants, booking transport, managing the phone, and recording script changes. As mentioned, their two main tasks are to track the budget and schedule. After wrap, they take down the office and return any admin rentals.
- Run the production office
- Supervising office assistants
- Tracking budget and schedule
- Dismantle the office
Education and Skills
You don’t need a degree to become a production coordinator, but it can help to study film or business, as you will need to understand the film process and run an office. You must also learn IT skills and understand scheduling and budgeting software.
Many coordinators start their careers as assistants and learn on the job. It’s essential to know how to solve problems when they come and stay organized throughout filming. In addition, they are a team player who can lead a team of production assistants.
Production Coordinator Skills:
- Teamwork, leadership
- High organisation
- Scheduling, budgeting
- Problem solving
Production Coordinator Career Route
First, the production coordinator starts their career as a production assistant. You will need to learn the entire filmmaking process from script to screen. It’s possible to work up the career ladder from assistant to coordinator, manager, line producer, and producer.
Another route is to work on independent films before working on higher budgets. By doing this, you can work in this job role fairly early on in your career. However, you will still need some professional experience as high-end film sets can run differently.
It’s a freelance job, so you will work on many projects every year, although some large film studios will have full-time positions. You can also work on TV shows, online videos, and adverts. Many people work this job role with the goal of becoming producers.
Production Coordinator Salary
The production coordinator is a below-the-line film crew job role. As such, you get paid per job depending on the project budget and your experience. You must negotiate your daily rate with the producer before starting work and include extras such as travel expenses.
Another factor determining your salary is whether or not you are part of a union. If you work in America, being part of a union is integral to getting paid fairly. The main union in the US is IATSE.
For reference, the IATSE recommends that production coordinators have a going rate of $433 for budgets of $1 million and over. Of course, you can adjust this daily rate to fit your experience level and raise it for higher-budget film sets.
Finding Work
At the start of your career, you can find entry-level jobs on film job sites or film studio career pages. Other ways to find work are to join Facebook groups and assist with low-budget films. It’s typical to begin your career as a production office assistant.
Developing the skills needed to become a coordinator will take many years. You might also take online courses to learn about budgeting and scheduling software. Alternatively, working on low-budget film projects can be a good way to progress to higher-end sets.
The good news is that many producers repeatedly hire the same production team. So, by networking in the industry, you will eventually meet enough people to freelance full-time. In addition. You can network by attending film festivals and local meetups.
Wrapping Up
To sum up, production coordinators are crucial admins in the film industry. They assist the line producer by working behind the scenes to keep the film running. This intermediate job role is perfect for someone who is highly organized and can work under pressure.
Plus, if you excel in this position, you are on your way to more creative and financial control as a film producer. Before considering this role, gain some experience as a production office assistant. We hope this guide has helped you learn about this role and if it’s for you.
