Production Coordinator
Production coordinators keep the schedule, budget and logistics of a film, television or content production on track from pre-production through to wrap.
- Median salary*
- $80,600
3.9%vs last year, before tax
- People employed
- 1,100
0.0%vs last year
- Projected growth*
- +3%
to 2035
- AI exposure*
- Moderate
- automation risk
- Average hours*
- 45/wk
+5h vs all jobs
- Shortage status*
- Not in shortage
national
Production coordinators work behind the scenes in film, television, advertising and online content, usually from a production office at a studio or on location. They sit between the production manager and the crew, keeping the schedule, the paperwork and the day-to-day logistics moving while the creative work happens. The role is easy to confuse with a production assistant, but a coordinator owns the schedule and the budget tracking rather than carrying out the errands.
How much do production coordinators earn?
The median full-time salary for a production coordinator is $80,600 per annum, before tax, up $16,800 since 2018.
Rates depend heavily on the size and type of production you are on, and on whether you are employed on a contract or paid a freelance day rate. Commercials and larger international productions generally pay above the median, while low-budget independent work pays less, so annual income depends on how many productions you string together. Industry agreements set minimum rates on some productions, which is worth checking before you agree to a rate.
What does a production coordinator 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 and schedules so cast and crew know where to be and when
- Tracking spending against the production budget and following up invoices and receipts
- Booking travel, accommodation and transport for cast and crew working on location
- Circulating crew deal memos, contracts and start paperwork
- Keeping compliance documents in order, from risk assessments to location permits and clearances
What skills do production coordinators need?
Employers look for project management, budgeting and forecasting, operations management, backed by Movie Magic Budgeting fluency and strong time and deadline management.
Specialist skills
- Project management
- Budgeting and forecasting
- Operations management
Software and tools
- Movie Magic Budgeting
- Movie Magic Scheduling
- ShotGrid
- Microsoft Excel
- Google Workspace
General skills
- Time and deadline management
- Stakeholder management
- Written communication
- Attention to detail
- Problem solving
Is the job growing?
About 1,100 people work as production coordinators in Australia, and employment is projected to grow 3% over the decade to 2035. That's modest growth: demand is steady rather than booming.
How do you become a production coordinator?
Here's the path most production coordinators take, step by step.
- 1Get on set as a production assistant
This is the usual entry point and it is paid work, normally on short contracts across one or two productions. You learn call sheets, set etiquette, petty cash and how a production office actually runs, which is the knowledge you rely on later as a coordinator.
- 2Study screen production if you can
Bachelor degree is the most common qualification among production coordinators, held by about 38% of the current workforce, and a screen production degree or diploma helps you get a first start. Once you have credits on real productions, what you have worked on counts for more than the qualification.
- 3Learn the scheduling and budgeting tools
Movie Magic Budgeting and Scheduling and ShotGrid are standard in Australian production offices, and spreadsheets do the rest of the tracking. A short course, or a few weeks alongside an experienced coordinator, is usually enough to become competent.
- 4Step up to coordinating
The move usually happens on a smaller production where you take the role outright, or as a second coordinator on a larger one. From there the title travels with you between jobs.
- 5Keep your network warm
Almost all coordinator work comes through people who have seen you work, so staying in touch between productions matters as much as the job itself. A coordinator who is known to deliver on a tight schedule gets called first.
Ready to apply as a production coordinator?
Whether you're working toward becoming a production coordinator 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 coordinator move to?
Moving into Project Coordinator typically comes with the biggest pay rise, worth $30,200 a year more on average.
| Move to | Typical pay change | Overlap | Retraining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Project Coordinator Project coordination applies the same planning and tracking skills to business projects, with minimal retraining needed. | +$30,200 | 79% | minimal |
| Project Manager Production coordinators can step up to project management by adding formal planning methods to their scheduling and budget experience. | +$30,200 | 60% | short course |
| Film and Television Producer Production coordinators bring scheduling and budget oversight to producing, though the move requires learning creative and financial leadership. | +$15,600 | 43% | reskill |
| Event Coordinator Event coordination uses the same scheduling, vendor and budget skills, making it a natural sideways move into organising live events. | +$4,400 | 87% | minimal |
| Stage Manager Stage management shares the coordination of schedules, crews and rehearsals, though it shifts from screen production to live theatre. | −$8,800 | 56% | short course |
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 coordinator?
The typical production coordinator is 35 years old; 56% are women, 86% work full-time, and full-timers average 45 hours a week.
- 35
- Median age
- 56%
- Female share
- 86%
- Full-time
- +5h
- vs all-jobs avg
What's it like being a production coordinator?
Production coordinating follows the shape of a production: planning-heavy weeks in pre-production, then long days once the cameras roll, with full-time coordinators averaging 45 hours a week across the year. Coordinators are the people everyone asks when something changes, so the job rewards quick, clear answers and a tolerance for plans moving under you. It suits someone who likes being at the centre of a busy team and would rather solve a problem than wait for someone else to.
What people like
- You see a production through from start to finish. You join in pre-production and finish at wrap, so you watch a script become finished footage and know which parts of it you kept on schedule.
- The work changes week to week. One week you are rebuilding a shooting schedule after a location falls through, the next you are reconciling a budget before an accountant closes it out.
- The crew network carries you forward. Productions are short and teams re-form, so the people you work well with on one job are often the ones who call you for the next.
- The skills transfer. Scheduling, budget tracking and chasing suppliers are the same skills event and project teams need, which keeps a door open if you want to leave screen work.
What people find hard
- Freelance feast and famine. Most coordinators work production to production, so the search for the next job starts before the current one wraps.
- You inherit every change. When an actor's availability shifts or the weather turns, the rescheduling, the phone calls and the updated paperwork land on your desk.
- Wrap does not mean finished. After the last shot there are invoices, petty cash and final cost reports to reconcile, so the job trails on for weeks after the filming ends.
Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.
Which industries employ production coordinators?
Motion Picture and Sound Recording Activities employs the largest share of production coordinators, followed by Television Broadcasting.
Top employing industries
- 1Motion Picture and Sound Recording Activities
- 2Television Broadcasting
- 3Advertising and Marketing Services
- 4Performing Arts
- 5Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.
| Bachelor degree | 38% | |
|---|---|---|
| Diploma / Advanced Diploma | 24% | |
| Certificate III/IV | 20% | |
| Postgraduate | 10% | |
| Other | 8% |
Will AI replace production coordinators?
Production coordinating is moderately exposed to AI: the administrative tracking at the heart of the job is increasingly automated, while the parts built on relationships and fast judgement are not. Scheduling and budgeting software already assembles call sheets and cost reports, and AI tools are taking on more of that drafting, but a coordinator is still the one deciding what to do when the plan breaks.
Share of typical working time by exposure level
- On-set problem solving and crew liaisonWhen a location falls through the morning of a shoot, someone has to ring around, rework the day and keep the crew informed.35%low
- Call sheets and daily schedulesScheduling software builds a call sheet from a shooting schedule, but someone still checks it against what is actually happening on the day before it goes out.30%moderate
- Budget tracking and cost reportingTools can match receipts and invoices to budget lines and flag an overrun early, which saves hours, though a coordinator still decides what to do about it.25%high
- Travel, accommodation and transport bookingsBooking platforms and AI assistants compare options and build itineraries, leaving coordinators to sort out the exceptions when a flight moves.10%high
Moves least exposed to AI
These career moves from production coordinator work are rated low for AI exposure:
- Project Manager
High skill overlap (60%), short course to get there, and a low automation-risk profile.
- Stage Manager
Solid skill overlap (56%), short course to get there, and a low automation-risk profile.
Common questions about becoming a production coordinator
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much does a production coordinator earn?
Production coordinators earn a median of $80,600 per year before tax. Day rates on commercials and larger productions sit above that, while low-budget independent work pays less, so your annual income depends on how many productions you work across the year.
How do you become a production coordinator?
Most coordinators start as a production assistant and learn the production office from the inside, which is the route employers trust most. A screen production degree or diploma can help you get that first job, and a short course in scheduling and budgeting tools will help you step up. From there it is a matter of a smaller production giving you the role outright.
Are production coordinators in demand?
Production coordinators are currently not in shortage, and employment is projected to grow 3% over the decade to 2035 over the decade. It is a small occupation, with about 1,100 people in it, so the number of openings moves with how many productions are shooting in a given year. Most roles are filled through people you have worked with before, which makes keeping in touch with past crews worth the effort.
Will AI take over production coordinating?
Parts of it, but not the whole job. Scheduling and budgeting software already assembles call sheets and cost reports, and AI tools are taking on more of that drafting and reconciliation, while the coordinator is still the one deciding what to do when the plan breaks on the day.
What can a production coordinator move into?
Project coordination uses the same planning and tracking skills, and pays $30,200 more. Event coordination is a sideways move with a similar skills base, paying $4,400 more, and producing pays $15,600 more for those willing to take on creative and financial leadership.
What is the difference between a production coordinator and a production assistant?
A production assistant supports the set and the office with errands, paperwork and logistics, while a coordinator owns the schedule and the budget tracking for the production. The two work closely together, and the assistant role is normally the step before coordinating.
Related roles
- Film and Television Producer
- Event Coordinator
- Project Coordinator
- Project Manager
- Stage Manager
- Production Assistant
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