A Production Assistant is an entry-level position that supports and assists many of the crew members on a production. A Production Assistant, wears many different hats. Most PA's work directly under the Producer of the project and handle a lot of the details the Producer doesn't have time for. Actually, the definition of a PA is totally determined by the Project he or she is working on. For example, if you're only working with the Producer, then you're considered (by definition), the Producer's PA. That means you'll only report to and follow orders from the Producer
If you're a "general Production Assistant," then you may report to and follow orders from several key crew members. Most general PA's work directly with the Producer, Director, Unit Production manager (UPM), Production Coordinator, and maybe the camera person. Again, this will depend on the project you're working on. The most important thing is to be clear about who you're working for as it's quite common to take advantage of the PA. You should only follow orders from the person you're working directly under. Do's & Don'ts will be discussed in more detail later.
It's true that the PA is the low man or woman on the totem pole as far as crew positions are concerned, but that doesn't mean the PA is any less valuable to the production. Most of the staff is quite aware of the importance of having a good PA. They usually discover this when the PA is absent or out sick for the day. Like they say, you don't know what you have until it's missing.
Most positions on the set are very well defined. For example, we know that the Director directs the actors and we know that the lighting person sets the lights on the set, but the PA position is not so well defined.
There are several tasks that are performed by most PA's all the time and those will be discusses thoroughly in the next section, entitled, WHAT DOES A PRODUCTION ASSISTANT DO ? Other tasks will arise out of the Production, so the best thing to keep in mind is to be adaptable and ready for anything.
Being adaptable may be the most important skill a PA can have. A PA's job can be full of many unexpected surprises. This is what makes the job exciting - you never know what your day will be like.
