Most people who run production offices started here. The office PA is the person making the 9 AM bank run, bringing revised pages to set at lunch, restocking the coffee before the production meeting, and returning a rental lens across town at 5 PM. The PAs who get through that list without mistakes are the ones coordinators call for their next show.
Office PA versus set PA
The two jobs share a title and not much else. A set PA works for the ADs: locking up the set, wrangling background, relaying on walkie, and handling paperwork for the 2nd AD. An office PA works for the APOC and coordinator in the production office. They go to set to deliver something and then leave. If you want to become an AD, set PA is the usual starting point. If you want to become a coordinator, production supervisor, or eventually a UPM through the office, start in the office.
The run list
The core of the job is runs. Each morning the APOC or coordinator gives the office PAs a list, and more get added as the day goes on. Good PAs group stops by area and ask about timing before they leave. A run sheet for a feature in prep might look like this:
| # | Stop | Task | Needed by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bank | Deposit and pick up petty cash for accounting | 10:00 AM |
| 2 | Office supply store | Three-hole punch paper, colored paper (blue, pink), toner | Before noon |
| 3 | Camera rental house | Pick up test footage drive for the DP | 1:00 PM |
| 4 | Location | Drop signed location agreement copy with the owner | 3:00 PM |
| 5 | Casting office | Pick up audition drives | 5:00 PM |
On runs involving cash or signed originals, PAs get a receipt or signature at every handoff. Anything bought with petty cash needs an itemized receipt taped to the envelope, because the accountant can't reimburse a float without it. The petty cash log template shows how accounting tracks it.
Mileage and the car
Most office PAs use their own car. The deal memo should say how mileage is paid: a per-mile reimbursement from a mileage log, a flat car allowance, or both. Keep the log daily, with date, start and end addresses, purpose, and miles. A worked example: if a PA's log shows 46 miles on Monday, 38 Tuesday, 52 Wednesday, 41 Thursday, and 35 Friday, that's 212 miles for the week (46 + 38 + 52 + 41 + 35). If the deal memo sets reimbursement at $0.70 a mile, the check is $148.40 (212 x $0.70). Ask up front how the production handles parking and tolls on runs.
A day in the office
On a shoot day with a 7:00 AM crew call, an office PA might:
- Arrive 7:00 AM, start coffee, check that the copier has paper and toner.
- Take the morning run list from the APOC.
- Deliver the previous day's hard drives from set to the post house.
- Back at the office by 11:00 AM, copy and collate revised pages, stuff envelopes for cast.
- Take pages to set before lunch and hand them to the 2nd AD and script supervisor.
- Afternoon runs: vendor returns, accounting pickups, a prop replacement for the art department.
- Help close the office after the call sheet goes out, often around 7:00 or 8:00 PM, and later on heavy days.
Office PAs also cover phones when the production secretary is away, restock the kitchen, set up the conference room for the production meeting, and take lunch orders.
Pay and hours
Office PA jobs are generally non-union. Neither Local 871's list of crafts in Los Angeles nor Local 161's list of classifications on the East Coast includes production assistants. PAs are paid either an hourly rate or a day rate for a set number of hours, and the deal memo should spell out what happens past those hours. Overtime rules come from state wage law and the deal, so they vary by where the show is based. Ask for a copy of the signed deal memo and keep your own record of hours.
Getting hired and moving up
Almost every office PA job comes from a referral. Coordinators ask people they trust, so the first job is usually the hardest. Working on student films, local indies, and commercials, and getting on your area film office's crew directory where one exists, builds the contacts that lead to office jobs on bigger shows. The hiring guide covers how productions find crew.
The usual path from office PA is production secretary or APOC, then production coordinator. Keep a folder of every call sheet and crew list from your shows, since the dates and credits help when you apply for union membership later as a coordinator.