Overview of the role
A production coordinator (PC) works within the production team, providing operational support to the production manager (PM). The production coordinator is one of the key members of the production team who arranges contact between the whole crew and the production team. They help the team deliver the production by organising resources and logistics, including transport and accommodation, and help to schedule productions. They obtain rights and legal clearances for production content. They create and maintain production documentation such as call sheets, movement orders and post-production paperwork. Production coordinators have a clear understanding of the production process and the changing needs and demands of the production. They are line managed by the production manager or line producer.
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.
- Set up and equip production office and other offices so they are suitable to meet production requirements
- Liaise with suppliers, crew, and production team to ensure that equipment, people and facilities are in place to match the schedule requirements
- Plan and schedule pre-production activities
- Arrange production meetings and technical recces
- Supervise the implementation of pre-production activities against plan
- Implement contingency plans developed by the production manager (PM) or line producer (LP)
- Communicate changes to scheduled activities to all relevant people without delay
- Negotiate with education authorities, psychologists, government agencies and production office so that all necessary casting or contributor paperwork is obtained
- Identify chaperones to meet requirements
- Identify and confirm requirements of unit medics and organise additional medical assistance and resources when required
- Ensure all release forms are sent out to contributors
- Maintain constant communication links with the production team line with production requirements
- Work closely with production manager, line producer and producers to prepare, compile and amend daily call sheet
- Give colleagues clear and accurate information about what is required of them in providing information for schedules and call sheets
- Confirm that call sheets and other paperwork such as risk assessments for crew and production have been distributed when required and notify the team and contributors of any last-minute changes to call sheets without delay
- Oversee travel and accommodation for contributors and crew to meet requirements, checking requirements on the day
- Confirm that crew and suppliers have their own insurance when required
- Confirm that vehicle operators hold relevant operating licences and comply with all pertinent regulations
- Organise permits and filming permissions
- Deal with urgent matters when they occur and in collaboration with appropriate production personnel
- Book chaperones, access coordinators or specialist consultants as required by production needs
- Ensure effective management of tape logs and rushes
- Use reliable and consistent methods of monitoring expenditure against agreed budgets
- Ensure that expenditure details are recorded in an appropriate and compatible IT package
- Maintain an up-to-date equipment list, monitoring supplies against orders and purchases
- Identify potential shortfalls, delays in delivery or discrepancies in planning and take prompt remedial action
- Implement procedures to ensure that equipment and materials on hire or loan are returned in an acceptable condition after use
- Comply with local laws and regulation when using production resources
- Ensure before production has completed that all release forms and clearances are signed
- Work closely with production teams during production, to ensure that archive, music, stills or any other content filmed or for inclusion, is fully cleared for use
- Seek expert advice on copyright issues
- Confirm that all reasonable action has been taken to avoid copyright infringement
- Keep accurate records of all clearances and their contracts to be passed to producers and broadcasters
- Maintain confidentiality of sensitive information in line with organisational procedures
- Take appropriate action to secure compliance and to protect the interests of productions when there is a failure to comply with legal or non-statutory requirements
- Oversee the monitoring of the production’s carbon footprint using production sustainability tools, such as carbon calculators
- Maintain an on-going awareness of post-production schedules including viewings
- Ensure the viewing of any rough cuts to oversee any compliance or copyright issues
- Liaise with relevant people to establish their requirements for the smooth running of the post-production process
- Ensure that all necessary materials and associated paperwork are delivered to post-production teams by production office when required
- Ensure programme delivery in line with schedule
- Confirm that all deliverable paperwork is complete and in the correct order
- Confirm that all clearances are in place to meet requirements
- Distribute all elements to those who require them as specified in contracts
- Confirm material has been received in line with organisational procedures
Skills
Check out role specific skills, transferable skills and attributes for the role of production coordinator (unscripted TV).
- Organise and control production contributors, crew, and supplies
- Provide production personnel with up-to-date information on production activities
- Reactive and quick thinking in assessing the task and then delivering what is needed
- Confident dealing with all levels of talent and team hierarchy
- High level of organisation
- Communication: interpreting other’s requirements and communicating requirements to colleagues
- Team-working: collaboration within own and with other departments, liaising with crew, suppliers and post-production and spending time on set where possible
- Networking: investing time in networking activities, building a network of business contacts and establishing rapport with others quickly and effectively
- Planning: planning practical requirements for transport, catering, contributors and crew to meet production needs
- Problem-solving: contingency planning and resolving issues with locations so that productions remain on schedule
- Financial skills: budget monitoring
- Compliance: ability to coordinate complex deliverables, understand rights and refer for expert help when needed
- Resilience and enthusiasm: adapt positively to changing work priorities and patterns, ensuring deadlines continue to be met
- Proactive: 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
- Ethics and integrity: honest and principled in their actions and interactions
- Respectful and inclusive of others and meets the ethical requirements of their profession
- 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