Post-Production Assistant

“That’s a wrap!” is only the beginning for Post-Production Assistants. In the world of moviemaking, Post-Production Assistants are the go-to people in charge of restocking supplies, coordinating schedules, and tracking down Video Editors who’ve disappeared on extended coffee breaks. If movie production studios were day cares, they’d be the Daycare Manager breaking up temper tantrums and making sure everyone has a cookie at snack time.

If you signed on as a Post-Production Assistant with dreams of composing soundtracks or editing frames to perfection, you might be disappointed. As an Assistant, you’re there to assist. The closest you’ll come to editing the final cut of a movie is delivering messages from the Producer to the Video Editors to tell them the color is all wrong. Yet if you do your job well, you might see your name roll through with the movie’s credits.

Your daily responsibilities mimic a Secretary ’s, though more energetic. Driving downtown to pick up a lunch order or scheduling meetings between the Composer and the recording studio could land on your to-do list one day. The next day, you might find yourself mailing advertisements and handing out revised schedules to the post-production staff.

All this work gives you a firsthand look at how movie production actually works. You’ll learn all about teamwork and organization, not to mention creative thinking when the coffee pot breaks down. If you want to edit movies or dream of directing your own someday, an Assistant position could be your golden ticket.