Film Schools never seem to teach proper production department details. It’s kinda the stuff you find out as you’re being pulled in fifteen directions and having a producer scream at you all at the same time. It’s a shame, really. I honestly think that the better your production team is at doing their jobs, the better you can be at doing yours (directing, DPing, gaffing, etc.) which makes a better film all around. It really should be taught right alongside shot composition and f-stops. But it never is.

You’re not going to see kids in film school doing those duties because they haven’t learned yet that they have to. However, getting a jumpstart on knowing things like Exhibit G, production reports (the logs… production uses these to determine how each day is going and if it’s going well or if there’s bumps in the road that need to be smoothed to keep things more efficient. I’ll write an entry on logs soonish), and working closely with a production manager will all give you the skills to land key set PA and 2nd 2nd AD positions when you get out into the real world.

But honestly, this is a perfect example of why I say film school really isn’t the be all and end all to your career. You learn so much MORE once you’re out of school. Production department skills are important for all crew members and having an idea of how a set is run at basecamp will help keep issues in check and give everyone an outlet to getting problems solved quickly and with the best results. 

As for Emerson, I didn’t attend there, I just helped on several small sets. The one I AD’d was a SAG short, so there was some semblance of protocol, but it was still a mess when it came to turnaround times and paperwork. We got through it though. 

8 June 11 Permalink