What set PAs are there for
Everything a set PA does frees up an AD. A 1st AD who has to chase an actor, stop a pedestrian, or fetch a copy of tomorrow's sides isn't running the set. So set PAs hold positions, carry messages, and move people, and they do it on the walkie so the ADs always know where everyone is.
On a mid-size feature, a set PA's week might include holding the sidewalk on a city street for a car scene, sitting outside a trailer to walk an actor to set the moment hair is done, handing out bottles of water to 80 background actors in holding, and collecting the camera department's walkies at wrap. On a short film with a crew of 15, the one set PA also slates, carries sandbags, and picks up lunch.
A shoot day from a set PA's side
The call sheet says crew call 7:00 a.m. at a practical location, a two-story house. The key set PA has asked PAs to be in at 6:15.
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 6:15 a.m. | Sign in, get a walkie and earpiece from the key set PA, grab breakfast fast |
| 6:30 a.m. | Help set up background holding in the garage: chairs, tables, water |
| 7:00 a.m. | Crew call. Handed sides and assigned to the front door lock-up |
| 7:15 a.m. | Blocking rehearsal. Repeat "rehearsal's up" and "cut" on the walkie at your post |
| 9:00 a.m. | Sent to base camp to wait for the actor playing cast #2, then walk her to set |
| 12:30 p.m. | Hold the kitchen lock-up while the first PA wave eats |
| 1:00 p.m. | Lunch |
| 4:00 p.m. | Company move to the backyard. Carry the AD cart, reset holding |
| 7:00 p.m. | Camera wrap. Help pick up cones, signs, and trash |
| 7:45 p.m. | Return walkie, check out with the key set PA |
That's a 13.5-hour day for a 12-hour shooting schedule, which is normal. Before the job, find out whether the rate is a flat day rate or an hourly rate with overtime, and what counts as a day. Our guides on crew day rates and time cards explain the basics.
Walkie habits that keep you hired
Channel 1 belongs to the ADs. Talk on it only when you need to, and keep it short. Say "copy" when you hear something meant for you. If someone asks for a person, answer with "copy, looking for them" and then follow up. Hand-offs follow a pattern: "Maya is out of the makeup trailer, walking to set with Chris." "Flying in" means you're bringing something now. "Going to two" means you're switching to a private channel to talk, so switch back to 1 when you're done. And when the 1st AD calls "rolling," repeat it at your post and hold anyone near you until you hear "cut."
Shorthand like NDB and SW/W/WF is decoded in call sheet abbreviations, and how to read a film call sheet walks through a real one line by line.
Mistakes that get new PAs cut
The job looks easy, and the mistakes that get PAs replaced are almost always lapses in attention.
Leaving a lock-up post without handing it off is the big one. If you have to move, tell the key set PA and wait for someone to replace you. A pedestrian walking through the back of a take can cost the company a take, or a whole setup if the light is going.
Phones come second. Checking your phone at a post makes it look like you're not holding it, even when you are. Put it away while the camera is rolling.
Talking during a take, including a whisper near the set, gets picked up by the boom. Wait for "cut."
Guessing is another. If someone asks where the bathroom, the camera truck, or the nearest hospital is and you don't know, say so and find out. The call sheet lists the hospital and the location addresses.
Last, disappearing at wrap. PAs are expected to help wrap the set out, return walkies, and check out with the key set PA before leaving.
Who you work with
Set PAs report to the key set PA, who reports to the 2nd 2nd AD or directly to the Key 2nd AD on smaller shows. Over the course of a day you'll deal with every department: hair and makeup when you're waiting to walk an actor, transportation at base camp, locations when a neighbor has a complaint, and background actors in holding.
How set PAs get hired and move up
PA jobs often come through referrals from 2nd ADs and key set PAs who have worked with them before, which is why being on time and staying at your post matters more than experience. Film school crews, local film commission crew lists, and regional job boards also help.
In New York City, the Made in NY Production Assistant Training Program, a partnership between the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment and Brooklyn Workforce Innovations, trains unemployed and low-income city residents and helps place them in entry-level production jobs. The program started in 2006.
From set PA, the common steps are key set PA and then 2nd AD. DGA Contract Administration doesn't count PA days toward the film and television Qualification Lists, so PAs aiming for the DGA usually go one of two ways. One is the DGA Assistant Directors Training Program, which doesn't require prior experience (the New York program says a candidate needs a "strong and committed interest in film production") and takes applicants 21 or older. The other is working as a 2nd AD on non-union shows and documenting the days. The commercial list is different: the DGA/AICP Commercial Qualification List does consider PA days toward its 600-day requirement for 2nd AD.
Paperwork a set PA touches
You'll see the call sheet every day, and you'll be asked to hand out sides, collect background vouchers or sign-in sheets, and sign out a walkie. Some shows ask PAs to note times on set (when a scene was completed, when an actor was released) for the 2nd AD's production report. Keep a copy of every call sheet that lists your name; if you move up to AD work later, those documents are how you prove your days.