Production Secretary organizes on-set communication and administration — managing schedules, call sheets, and interdepartmental coordination.
Technical Details
The Production Secretary creates daily Call Sheets with precise timings (usually in 15-minute increments) and continuously maintains Daily Production Reports, recording shooting times, material consumption, and crew attendance. Their standardized documents include Location Releases, Cast Availability Forms, and Equipment Checklists with up to 500 individual items. For international productions, they also coordinate visa applications, work permits, and customs clearance for equipment transport. The role is structured into Production Secretary, Assistant Production Secretary, and for large productions, additionally a Location Secretary.
History & Development
The function was established in the 1930s in Hollywood as studio productions required increasingly complex logistics. MGM was the first studio to introduce standardized Production Reports in 1934, which are still used in a similar form today. In Germany, the position only became established in the 1960s with the rise of the New German Cinema movement and increasingly decentralized production structures. Digitization since the 2000s has expanded the scope of tasks to include software-assisted planning with programs like Movie Magic Scheduling and StudioBinder.
Practical Application in Film
On "Das Boot" (1981), the Production Secretary coordinated the 47-person crew daily within the cramped submarine sets through meticulously timed movement plans. During the 254-day shoot for "Cloud Atlas" (2012), three Production Secretaries synchronized parallel shoots in Germany and Spain through hourly status updates. The workflow includes morning department briefings at 6:00 AM, continuous updates on shooting progress, and evening wrap reports until 10:00 PM. Challenges arise with weather-related schedule changes or spontaneous recasting.
Comparison & Alternatives
While the Production Manager makes strategic decisions, the Production Secretary handles daily operational coordination. The Assistant Director focuses on set operations, whereas the Production Secretary handles cross-departmental organization. For low-budget productions under 500,000 Euros, the 2nd Assistant Director often takes on this role. Modern alternatives like Production Coordinator software reduce personnel costs but require 2-3 weeks of training and cost an average of 800 Euros per month per production.