Alex writes:
I got my first big PA job! A friend in the camera dept. put a good name in for me. I’m a 3D Camera PA for [REDACTED]. I was just curious how I should put that on my resume. Do I specify what kind of PA I am or just put Set PA again like the other ones? Right now it reads:
| 3D Camera PA | Movie Title | Movie Prods, LLC |
First of all, as I tweeted recently, you should list the studio, not the movie’s LLC. You want the name of the biggest company involved, which means somebody whose logo will be at the beginning of the company. If this were a TV show, you’d most likely use the name of the network.
But as to your actual question, you should make two versions of your resume. If you’re applying to a job in the camera department, use “3D Camera PA;” that’s a pretty cool title. If, however, you’re applying to production, change it to “Set PA.”
This goes for basically any low-level job. If you worked in casting, but you’re applying for a job in the office, put “Office PA.” I mean, they’re in an office, right?
This doesn’t work for the serious, skilled crew positions. Don’t claim you were a grip when you were an electric. But PA skills are highly transferable. The main difference is who’s yelling at you for letting their coffee get cold.
