Production Assistant
Production assistants keep film, television and advertising shoots on schedule by handling the call sheets, paperwork and logistics that let cast and crew get on with filming.
- Median salary*
- $62,400
3.7%vs last year, before tax
- People employed
- 1,400
0.0%vs last year
- Projected growth
- +10.6%
to 2035
- AI exposure*
- Moderate
- automation risk
- Average hours
- 46/wk
+6h vs all jobs
- Shortage status
- Not in shortage
national
Production assistants work in production offices and on set, supporting the day to day running of film, television, advertising and live event shoots. The role sits below the production coordinator, and the difference is mostly scope: assistants handle the paperwork, bookings and errands that keep a schedule moving, while coordinators own the schedule and the budget. Most of the work is freelance or short term contract, so the job rarely looks like a nine to five.
How much do production assistants earn?
The median full-time salary for a production assistant is $62,400 per annum, before tax, up $13,300 since 2018.
Most production assistants are paid a day rate rather than an annual salary, so earnings depend on how many days you work across the year. Rates rise with the size of the production and your position in the crew, and drama and television work under union or enterprise agreements usually carries overtime and penalties that corporate shoots don't. Gaps between contracts are the main reason annual earnings swing so much from one assistant to the next.
What does a production assistant do day to day?
The list below is what fills most weeks; the exact mix shifts with seniority and whatever stage the current work is at.
- Building daily call sheets with call times, locations and crew contacts
- Distributing scripts, contracts and release forms, then chasing the ones that come back unsigned
- Booking travel, accommodation and equipment for cast and crew
- Running errands and holding the set floor together on shoot days
- Tracking petty cash and reconciling production expenses against the budget
What skills do production assistants need?
Employers look for project management, operations management, budgeting and forecasting, backed by Movie Magic Scheduling fluency and strong stakeholder management.
Specialist skills
- Project management
- Operations management
- Budgeting and forecasting
Software and tools
- Movie Magic Scheduling
- Microsoft Excel
- Google Workspace
- Slack
- Airtable
General skills
- Stakeholder management
- Written communication
- Attention to detail
- Time and deadline management
Is the job growing?
About 1,400 people work as production assistants in Australia, and employment is projected to grow 10.6% over the decade to 2035. That's healthy, above-average growth, and the role should stay in solid demand.
How do you become a production assistant?
Here's the path most production assistants take, step by step.
- 1Study screen production or a related field
A diploma or bachelor degree in screen production, film and television, or event management is the common route in. It isn't mandatory, but it gives you access to equipment, student shoots and the first crew you will work with.
- 2Get onto real productions
Most people start as a runner, in a production company office, or on a shoot through a crew agency. These are casual, short term roles, and they are where you learn how a call sheet works and how a set actually runs.
- 3Learn the scheduling and paperwork tools
Production assistants are expected to build call sheets, track costs and keep documents current, usually in Movie Magic Scheduling, Excel, Airtable or a studio's own system. Being the person who can produce an accurate schedule at short notice is what gets you rehired.
- 4Build a contact list and stay available
Film and television hiring runs on who a producer or coordinator has worked with before, so reputation and relationships carry more weight than qualifications. Registering with crew agencies and staying reachable between contracts keeps the work coming.
- 5Move up or across
From here the usual step is production coordinator, or a sideways move into a department such as camera, editing or assistant directing if that is where your interest sits. Each path uses the on set knowledge you have already built.
Ready to apply as a production assistant?
Whether you're working toward becoming a production assistant or already are one and want a hand with the next step (sharpening your resume for ATS screening, tightening your cover letter, or knowing what you'll actually be asked at interview), here are examples grounded in this specific role, not generic templates.
What jobs can a production assistant move to?
Moving into Video Editor typically comes with the biggest pay rise, worth $40,300 a year more on average.
| Move to | Typical pay change | Overlap | Retraining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Video Editor Familiarity with production workflows and raw footage helps production assistants move into editing roles.Known move | +$40,300 | 30% | reskill |
| Film and Television Producer Scheduling, budgeting and on-set logistics experience gives production assistants the base to move into producing film and television.Known move | +$33,800 | 45% | reskill |
| Camera Operator Time on set and knowledge of how shoots run support a move into operating camera equipment.Known move | +$33,500 | 13% | reskill |
| Event Coordinator Running crew, schedules and logistics on set transfers closely to coordinating events, with little extra training needed.Known move | +$22,600 | 80% | minimal |
| Production Coordinator The same scheduling, paperwork and logistics work continues at a production coordinator level with more responsibility. | +$18,200 | 93% | minimal |
Moves are chosen from Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility, which follows income tax records between 2011-12 and 2020-21, together with entry requirements and skill overlap. A known move is one people were seen making in that data. Pay change compares median full-time pay for the two roles.
Who works as a production assistant?
The typical production assistant is 29 years old; 59% are women, 74% work full-time, and full-timers average 46 hours a week.
- 29
- Median age
- 59%
- Female share
- 74%
- Full-time
- +6h
- vs all-jobs avg
What's it like being a production assistant?
The rhythm follows the production calendar: quieter prep weeks in an office give way to long shoot days on location, then a wrap and a gap before the next contract. Average full-time hours run to about 46 a week, and shoot weeks go well beyond that. It suits people who like being useful in a fast-moving team and would rather have variety than routine.
What people like
- Every production is different. A commercial, a drama series and a live event share the same mechanics but none of the same people, locations or problems, so the work rarely settles into a routine.
- You see how a shoot really works. Production assistants sit close to the whole process, from prep and scheduling through to the last day of shooting, which builds a broad understanding of the industry quickly.
- Crews become close teams. Long days in shared conditions build working relationships fast, and the people you assist early on are often the ones hiring years later.
- It is the standard way into the industry. Nearly every producer, coordinator and department head started here or nearby, so the role puts you in front of the people who make the next decision about your career.
What people find hard
- Long days on location. Shoot days start early, run past a normal working day and carry on in heat, cold and rain, with travel on top of the hours themselves.
- Work arrives in bursts. Contracts last weeks or months, then stop, so there is usually unpaid time between jobs spent chasing the next one.
- You start at the bottom of the crew. Coffees, parking, printing and chasing signatures come with the title, and the interesting work only comes once you have proven you can handle the dull parts.
Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.
Which industries employ production assistants?
Information Media and Telecommunications employs the largest share of production assistants, followed by Arts and Recreation Services.
Top employing industries
- 1Information Media and Telecommunications
- 2Arts and Recreation Services
Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.
| Bachelor degree | 50.7% | |
|---|---|---|
| Year 12 or below | 18.7% | |
| Diploma / Advanced Diploma | 14.6% | |
| Postgraduate | 7.4% | |
| Certificate III/IV | 6.3% |
Will AI replace production assistants?
AI touches the paperwork side of this role more than the set floor. Scheduling tools and call sheet templates now draft documents that assistants once typed from scratch, and expense systems do much of the reconciliation, but someone still has to be physically present on location and solve problems as they happen. That split is why the exposure sits in the middle rather than at either end.
Share of typical working time by exposure level
- Running the set floor on shoot daysMoving cast and crew through the day, keeping noise down during takes and sorting out a location that falls through at short notice all depend on being there in person.50%low
- Building and circulating call sheetsScheduling software pulls crew details, locations and timings into a first draft, but the assistant still checks it against the day's realities and sends it out.20%moderate
- Tracking and reconciling production expensesExpense and accounting tools match receipts to budget lines automatically, so the assistant is mainly resolving the entries the system cannot place.15%high
- Distributing scripts, contracts and release formsDocument platforms handle version control and signature chasing, which removes most of the printing and hand delivery the job used to involve.15%high
Moves least exposed to AI
These career moves from production assistant work are rated low for AI exposure:
- Camera Operator
Some skill overlap (13%), reskill to get there, and a low automation-risk profile.
Common questions about becoming a production assistant
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much does a production assistant earn?
Production assistants earn a median of $62,400 per annum, before tax, though most are paid a day rate rather than a salary. Day rates move with the size and type of production, and union or enterprise agreements on drama and television set minimums and overtime. Entry level rates sit at the bottom of the crew ladder until you move into coordination.
How do you become a production assistant?
There is no single entry requirement, but a screen production degree or diploma helps and plenty of people start as runners or in production company offices and learn on the job. The practical steps are getting onto real shoots, learning call sheet and scheduling software, and being reliable enough that producers call you again. Once you have a few credits, contacts matter more than qualifications.
Are production assistants in demand?
Production assistants are currently not in shortage, and employment is projected to grow 10.6% over the decade to 2035. Hiring follows production slates rather than a steady annual cycle, so work is project-based and can be quiet between shoots. With a small workforce, a good reputation travels quickly through the industry.
Will AI replace production assistants?
Not entirely, but it is changing the paperwork. Call sheet templates, scheduling software and expense systems now handle much of the drafting and reconciliation that assistants once did by hand, which frees time for logistics and on set work. The parts that need a person in the room, such as moving a crew when a location falls through, stay with the assistant.
What can a production assistant move into?
Production coordinator is the usual next step, using almost the same skills with more responsibility and paying $18,200 more. From there, some assistants move toward producing, since the scheduling and budgeting experience carries across and the pay gap is $33,800 more. Event coordination is another route, because running crew, schedules and logistics on a shoot works much the same way at a conference or festival.
What are the hours like?
Long and irregular. Average full-time hours run to about 46 a week, and shoot days stretch well past a standard working day with early calls and travel on top. Contracts run from a few weeks to several months, with gaps in between.
Related roles
- Film and Television Producer
- Production Coordinator
- Camera Operator
- Video Editor
- Event Coordinator
- Administration Officer
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