OPPORTUNITIES FOR NEW CREW MEMBERS

The Producer's Creative Partnership, in association with international production companies, is always on the look out for Maltese crew members to fill various posts.

The availability of qualified and experienced crew members in the Maltese islands is unfortunately very limited, particularly where managerial positions are concerned. Problems also exist when seeking assistants for managerial positions since experience is imperative. It is indeed  not the first time that several productions have been filming simultaneously in Malta and when human resources have became quickly exhausted.

The PCP encourages the training of all those seriously interested in entering the film industry. On on of our features 'Largo Winch' (2007) we engaged no less than eight trainees, all of whom are now either working actively in the industry or studying film or media in Malta or abroad. 

The best way to learn from scratch is to work as either a Trainee or an Office Runner. If you already have some basic experience in television then you might be ready to work as a Production Assistant.  Also, it is not the first time a Trainee with no film or TV experience performs so well that he/she gets promoted as a Production Assistant on the same first production. However such cases are infrequent.

The PCP is interested in receiving your application only if you are career motivated.  Patience, persistence and stamina are other attributes needed since the film servicing industry in Malta is an unpredictable one and opportunities can be infrequent.

If you are undecided on which position you may wish to work and train for, we suggest you visit the following website for job descriptions http://www.skillset.org/film/jobs/.

To show your interest with the PCP, you should write to us by following the application guidelines. Please note we strictly do not administer applications by phone.

Those applicants who pass the screening process will usually be asked to attend an informal gathering, held once annually, or an individual interview will be held if a project is in the pipeline.  

After working as a Trainee, depending on your performance, you may be offered to work as a Production Assistant where your responsibilities and experience will increase substantially.  Once you have achieved enough experience as a Production Assistant on at least a two or three productions you may be ready to move a step up the ladder to a higher position. 

The salary earned by Production Assistants usually ranges between 70 to 85 Euros a day depending on your level of experience and/or the department you are assigned to. In most countries trainees are not paid for their experience but they are of course still expected to work hard and be proactive.  Some times we try to place trainees also as a driver within the transport department, in which case a runner's wage would be applicable. This is typically between 70 and 75 Euros a day for a 13 or 14 hour day. Wages mainly depend on experience, performance and the budget of the film.

Below is the job description of a typical Production Assistant.

PA Job Description

The Production Assistant (PA) shall play an important part in the preparation and production of a prestigious cinema film with a worldwide release and his/her duties shall be including but not limited to:

• assisting in a key manner with general production coordination
• assisting in running the office of the production manager
• doing most of the secretarial work
• planning meetings and making schedule-related arrangements
• assisting with the booking of hotels and pickups
• controlling certain expenses

The Production Assistant shall work long and irregular hours. The place of work shall usually be in the Production office situated in the south of Malta. He/she shall report to the Production Manager and the Production Coordinator.

The Production Assistant will need to be:

• able to work to constrained time and budgets
• able to organize, and relay messages with confidence
• a good communicator
• able to deal tactfully with a variety of people.
• able to carry out tasks delegated to him/her responsibly with professional finality and with meticulous detail.

The ideal candidate shall have some experience in the film business but this is not an absolute necessity.  Enthusiasm, reliability and career motivation shall be considered more important assets.  Training will be on the job but the ability to learn fast is very important.

The entrant shall work with experienced professionals and may gradually take on greater responsibility on other films.