What does a production coordinator do?
Production coordinators help ensure VFX projects run smoothly. Working under the production manager or producer, they help to arrange the day-to-day running of the team and make sure everyone has the information they need to work effectively. They organise the movement of the assets through the VFX pipeline.
They are responsible for distributing the assets and artwork needed to the relevant departments. They relay supervisor or client briefs to artists and feedback to the relevant teams about the progress of the work. They keep production databases updated with the current status of shots and take detailed notes in meetings. They also track costs against the budget. Scheduling external meetings is also often a part of their job and they keep their client-side counterpart updated about the status of the project.
Production coordinators need to communicate well with everyone. They liaise with production and post-production. It’s their job to help to keep everyone on target so the project is finished on time and on budget.
What's a production coordinator good at?
- Knowledge of VFX: understand the artistic and technical processes through which VFX is made, know the key roles and responsibilities of the team
- Communication: work within a team towards a shared goal, be able to communicate clearly with all team members
- Organisation: be good at managing projects and working to deadlines, be organised, show attention to detail, be able to multitask and prioritise
- Software knowledge: be able to use Microsoft office and database and scheduling software, be good at learning new software, understand common file formats and resolutions
- Resilience: remain calm and confident under pressure, cope well with fast paced environments and short deadlines, be adaptable, use initiative, have a positive attitude
