The production assistant (PA)
The role of the production assistant (sometimes known as a ‘timer’ or ‘director’s assistant’) varies from company to company, and programme to programme. I want to concentrate on the studio role, and in particular on how to make programmes run to time.
Stopwatch junkies
PAs have a counting fixation. Usually backwards. They count programmes on and off air. They count through VTs, letting everyone know when they are coming to an end. At some stations they count to the capgens that have to be added (assuming they have been given the information in the first place). During pre-planned sequences they will call out the shot numbers and which camera is next.
A few places make the PA run the VTs – although it is more common ...
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