Overview of role
Graphic assistants/runners work within the graphics department and assist members of the team including the graphics designer and graphics art director. They are responsible for supporting the graphics design office, ensuring there is sufficient equipment and resources for daily use. They will assist with the distribution of graphics to the teams on the set, general research, and aiding more senior members of the graphics department as instructed.
Download a PDF version of this skills checklist.
Core responsibilities
These core responsibilities are provided as a guide and are not exhaustive. The exact responsibilities in a particular job will vary depending on the scale/budget band/genre of the production.
- Check with the lead graphic designer (GD) or graphics art director (GAD) the research to be carried out and timelines for this
- Agree and confirm research requirements and how to present your visual findings
- Use a variety of resources to find the information required including major image libraries for example, find correct references for the period/style/genre of the production
- Check that clearances for images are sought when required
- Ensure that your kit is compatible with the work required
- Produce simple artwork and graphics under supervision as required
- Proactively identify tasks that you can manage independently to support your team's workflow and maintain your own running ‘to do’ list
- Keep communal graphics areas tidy and ready for use
- Carry out weekly or end of week communal workspace reset, for example, clearing away cut-away paper, washing brushes, tidying paper and if unsure of anything check in with your superior
- Check supply levels of graphic consumables and order as required checking with your head of department (HoD) protocols for sign off and approval by a superior
- Ensure the GD and team members have the necessary equipment, refreshments, etc, they require
- Wrap and package graphics to go to set as instructed by your superior
- Undertake graphics drop-offs and pickups to and from set as required
- Liaise with standbys to retrieve graphics needed elsewhere or ensure they have graphics from previous scenes to be re-used later on
- Read scripts and identify sets with dressing graphics to label finished graphics
- Create generic paperwork for general dressing as instructed
- Find graphics in any given scene in order to write out labels on ‘TO SET’ stickers
- Assist with creating a presentation pack for the dressing props team, outlining where and how graphics should be affixed using graphics house style set out by your supervisor for example layout, fonts, pack format
- Monitor and maintain the ‘TO SET’ box system, ensuring all graphic items are adequately labelled and packaged as per your supervisor's preferences
- Ensure the most up-to-date scripts, schedules, and unit lists are on a shared drive accessible to all team members
- Identify which systems are in place, and where and how you will store the assets information for which you are responsible to ensure their safety and security under supervision of your superior
- Follow file naming conventions set out by your head of department (HoD)
- Preserve the original file formats whenever practical in order to retain the editability and quality of the content
- Maintain workflow hygiene with clearances - keep up-to-date with the clearance log, ensuring you have entered all the clearance requests
- Organise and maintain records to show what assets and information have been stored and where
- Treat confidential information and data in line with organisational and data protection requirements e.g. non-disclosure agreements (NDAs)
Skills
Check out role specific skills, transferable skills and attributes for the role of graphics assistant/runner.
- Assist with the research for the given design genre and collate information and visual references to present to the team
- Assist with printing, cutting, and folding of graphics as instructed by team members
- Liaise with the set decorating and production runners to confirm what needs to be done on set, providing assistance to other team members in a helpful and willing manner when appropriate using your own initiative
- Communication: interpreting other’s requirements and communicating requirements to colleagues
- Team-working: collaboration within own and with other departments
- Departmental awareness: the roles and responsibilities within the graphics and art department teams and the etiquette to follow
- Resilience and enthusiasm: adapt positively to changing work priorities and patterns, ensuring deadlines continue to be met
- Proactive and explores new ideas and non-standard ways of working which will enhance and deliver the best results for the production
- Productivity: organises work effectively and achieves required results within deadlines
- Demonstrates the drive and energy to get things done in pressurised situations and escalates appropriately when necessary
- Flexibility: willing to both listen and learn and to accept changing priorities and working requirements and has the flexibility to maintain high standards in a changing production environment
- Professional development: develop an ethos to learn and seek out learning and networking opportunities, identifying those that will be most beneficial