Film Production Assistant

As a Film Production Assistant you support the location management team by helping to find, assess, and coordinate filming sites outside the studio. Your daily tasks include scouting potential locations, taking photographs and notes for the location manager, liaising with landowners and local councils, and assisting with the logistics of moving cast, crew, and equipment to each site. You work closely with the production director, the pre-production team, and other on-set departments to ensure shoots run smoothly and safely. On busy productions you may also help manage road directions, permits, and site security during filming days.

There is no single mandatory degree for this role, and many Production Assistants enter through a combination of further education and hands-on experience. A Leaving Certificate with strengths in English, Geography, Business, and Media Studies provides a useful foundation. A QQI Level 5 or 6 PLC course in Film & Television Production, available at a number of Colleges of Further Education across Ireland, offers a practical entry route. Alternatively, a Level 7 or Level 8 degree in Film Production, Media Production, or a related discipline from institutions such as IADT, TU Dublin, or DCU can strengthen your prospects. Screen Skills Ireland delivers short professional development courses and workshops that are highly regarded by Irish employers including productions based at Ardmore Studios in Wicklow and Troy Studios in Limerick. Building a portfolio of on-set experience through student films, short productions, and unpaid or low-paid runner work is often just as important as formal qualifications at this level.