My name is Michelle Caruso, I am an independent film Writer, Director, Producer and I have worked professionally in the Art Department on various studio productions. With a decade of experience working on studio productions, I have been instrumental on projects such as Netflix’s Stranger Things, Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver, and Robert Zemeckis’s Flight.
I began as a Set PA, then Art PA, and worked as an Art Department Coordinator for eight years. I have trained numerous PAs and have collaborated with crews of varying degrees of experience. With film being such a fast-paced industry it can be very difficult to train someone in the moment. As a PA I saw how busy bosses sometimes lacked the administrative knowledge to help with paperwork. As a Coordinator my responsibilities grew and I really saw the need to have an additional resource to help guide me. It was only through trial-and-error and working with multiple studios and crews was I able to piece together how the Production and Accounting processes fit into my department’s workflow. Regardless of the studio’s policies, I now know what questions to ask up front to quickly adapt to each show’s procedures.
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What is a PA | Chain of command
How to craft your resume | Interview tips
Kit recommendations | PA DOs and DON'Ts
Lingo | Radio etiquette
Office tasks | Craft service tips
Wall calendar example | How to manage Petty Cash
Within the Production Distribution section I breakdown what are
the different types of documents and how they build on one another. As an
example, during Pre-Production, crewmembers rely on the Prep-Schedule and
Production Calendar. Once filming begins, crewmembers shift to referencing the Call
Sheets and One-Line Schedule.
Furthermore, within the Production section, I cover common forms
that crewmembers fill out and turn into Production to process.
Next up is Payroll: the department that processes paychecks
for cast and crew. Learn how to fill out a Time Card, Weekly Box Rental Form,
create a Box Rental inventory, and a weekly Mileage form.
AP (Accounts Payable) Accounting is the other branch of
Accounting. They process payments to vendors and reimburse crew who buy on the
show. We will cover the different types of coding and where to specify it on
all Accounting forms. How to fill out Petty Cash envelopes, Pcard, Check
Requests, and Purchase Orders. Even though forms are becoming more digital, you
still need to list specific information for payments to be processed.
Work Smarter and How to Not Piss off Accounting$47
Avoid common pitfalls that you only learn once you are on the job. After gaining experience by working with different studios and crews, I have been able to identify what procedures shift from show to show. This knowledge enables me to be proactive instead of reactive with a ripple effect. By sharing this knowledge with you, now you can better serve your department.
