Film Production Coordinator Job Description
Film production coordinators manage many aspects of motion picture project. Schedules, budgets, staff, and many other resources have to be managed so that nothing is wasted or forgotten. People with good time management skills and some media experience go into production coordination jobs. Every film, whether it's a short, feature, fiction or nonfiction film needs a coordinator.
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Script Breakdown
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Before production, the production coordinator must evaluate the script. She reads the most current copy of the script and marks it with a color coding system. Each color marks a different kind of resource category. Red stands for cast members and blue stands for special effects. This makes it easy to see at a glance what or who will be needed in a given scene (see Resources).
Scheduling
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After breaking down the script, the production coordinator maps out on a large production board which people or objects will be needed on each production day. This information is shared with other production heads such as the director and production designer. Software such as Movie Magic Scheduling can make this task easier than creating a board by hand.
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Hire Department Staff
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Production coordinators hire the people under them who can assist with administrative work. Production assistants have the least work experience, but a good one can anticipate the production coordinator's needs and understand basic office tasks. In addition to evaluating and hiring staff, the production coordinator must know when personnel are not performing up to standards and when to fire an underperforming employee.
Interdepartmental Communication
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Although production coordinators don't have technical skills with film equipment, they must be able to communicate with others. You must gracefully answer questions about budget cuts and reduced schedules and make sure each department's needs don't conflict with others. For example, casting more actors means increasing the wardrobe department's budget so it can dress more people. Production coordinators must research each department's needs to understand why each might want more time or money to complete a task.
Funding Sources
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Production coordinators must stay in touch with financial backers, such as the executive producers. They trust you to receive and distribute production funds to others. You must be willing to answer the phone and email at all hours during production since the executive producers may not be on set.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit film 2 image by jimcox40 from Fotolia.com
