How Can you Tell if a Film Production Assistant is Productive or Not?

If you’re an artist or filmmaker, it’s important to evaluate the productivity of film production assistants. So how can you tell if your production assistant is productive or not?

Tips to Help You Evaluate the Productivity of Your Film Production Assistant

When evaluating the productivity of an assistant, there are no measurable benchmarks that you can compare their results with. However, there are certain things you can use to identify and distinguish a productive film assistant from an unproductive one. Some of these things include:

1. A mistake-free diary system: Film production assistants need to fill out daily entries in production studios with expensive equipment and tight deadlines. Even if there was no activity involved during the day, they need to document this in the diary. A mistake-free entry is essential for later reference and tracking purposes.

2. Effective time management: This is one of the key ways of evaluating the productivity of a production assistant. For starters, a film assistant should be punctual when reporting to work, irrespective of the daily work schedule. They should complete tasks on time without giving excuses or missing deadlines. Furthermore, they should also be able to take on additional tasks without expecting anything in return, although you might decide to reward them for putting in the extra effort.

3. Being proactive: You need proactive employees, not just workers who wait for instructions. When evaluating a PA, look out for PAs that constantly take the initiative to complete tasks without being told what to do. Most productive PAs wear many hats and have a unique advantage in spotting anomalies that other people might miss. Furthermore, one of the signs of an effective PA is their ability to make meaningful suggestions that would positively impact the general performance in the set.

Nevertheless, If you find out that your film production assistant isn’t being productive, here’s what you should do.

• Improve their duties: If you feel that your film production assistant is wasting their time doing something irrelevant, such as talking on the phone or watching YouTube videos, then try to find a better use for them. You might not give them more important tasks, but you could give them work that nobody else wants to do.
• Give them a warning: If you feel that your production assistant can improve, then try giving them a warning. Tell them what they are doing wrong and how it’s affecting the team—do this in private, so they don’t think it is an attack on their character. Point out specific examples of how their work is ineffective to know exactly what they need to do to become more productive. Do everything in your power to allow your PA to fix their mistakes before you take more drastic measures. A good employee will be willing to look at themselves critically; a bad one won’t care!
• Cut ties: If you’ve given constructive criticism multiple times yet nothing has changed, then it might be time for you to move on to a new assistant. You can’t expect them to improve if they refuse to acknowledge their own mistakes, and it’s unfair to the rest of the team for you to allow this behavior. Instead of letting your PA know that they’ve been fired, hire a replacement first and let your previous assistant know after the transition is complete. You don’t necessarily need to explain as long as you remain professional and polite about it–be sure to wish them luck before they leave!