Film Career · Production
Production Assistant
Production · Not unionized
- Union
- Non-union
- Day rate
- ~$175–$300/day
- Experience
- Entry level
What does a Production Assistant do?
PAs are the entry point of the industry: locking up set, running paperwork, moving people and things wherever needed. Office PAs support the production office; set PAs work under the ADs. Nearly every department head in this list started somewhere close to this job.
What does a Production Assistant make?
- Day rate about $175-$300 (non-union; $200-$250 typical), roughly $35K-$55K a year with steady bookings.
- Entry-level, often 12-hour days at a flat rate.
Film work is gig based, so crew are paid a day or weekly rate rather than a salary. These are realistic 2024-2025 ranges grounded in union rate cards and industry data; actual pay swings with budget tier, market, overtime, and reputation.
Sources & how we estimate pay
Union scale is the floor; the ranges above also reflect market day rates above scale. They are grounded in the following 2024–2025 sources:
Union rate cards & wage schedules
Official guild scale — the floor each craft is paid from.
- IATSE — 2024 Basic Agreement wage scales (PDF) ↗
- IATSE Local 600 (International Cinematographers Guild) — camera rate cards ↗
- DGA — minimum salary rate cards (director, unit production manager, assistant directors) ↗
- WGA — schedule of minimums (writers) ↗
- SAG-AFTRA — theatrical & background rate sheets (cast, stunts, background) ↗
- Teamsters Local 399 — basic feature wage rates, 2024–27 (transportation, locations, wranglers) (PDF) ↗
On the job
- Lock up set, manage foot traffic, and relay the AD's calls
- Run paperwork, people, and equipment wherever needed
- Support office operations: distribution, runs, and logistics
- Learn every department by serving all of them
You’ll like and be good at this job if:
Hard skills
- You can handle set logistics, paperwork, and radio traffic
- You learn the departments fast
Soft skills
- You are reliable, energetic, and eager
- You anticipate needs and never say 'not my job'
Career progression
The PA year or three is the industry's apprenticeship. Set PAs commonly climb the AD ladder; office PAs grow into coordinating and production management; and many use the vantage point to pick the department they actually want, then start climbing it.
A typical path, from entry to the top of the craft. Times are rough and vary by market, luck, and how steadily the work comes.
- Production Assistantyou are here· 0-2 yrs
~$35K–$55K/yr
- Production Coordinator· next step
~$40K–$130K/yr
- Assistant Director (1st AD)· or the AD track
~$150K–$275K/yr
How do you become a Production Assistant?
Ask for the job everywhere, then be early, quiet, and quick. Film offices, local crew lists, and word of mouth fill PA slots; the second job comes from how you did the first one.
Covered by a union? The joining a film union guide explains how each one takes members.