ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY: PRODUCTION ASSISTANT

The Entertainment Industry: Production Assistant certificate of achievement prepares students for entry level Production Assistant (PA) jobs. Students learn the essentials of “settiquette,” set language, resumé and reel preparation, hands-on production, and interviewing, as well as the more “human relations” side of the business:  interpersonal and communication skills, team building, and decision-making. 

We anticipate 20 projected students or “annual completers” each year (based on enrollment data).

COURSE DEPT NUMBER	TITLE	2018-19 SECTIONS	2018-19 ENROLLMENT TOTAL	2019-20  SECTIONS	2019-20 ENROLLMENT TOTAL
CINEMA 001	INTRODUCTION TO MOTION PICTURE PRODUCTION	9	353	8	327
CINEMA 002	BEGINNING MOTION PICTURE WORKSHOP	8	245	8	206

We anticipate 20 projected students or “annual completers” each year (based on enrollment data).

The Entertainment Industry: Production Assistant certificate of achievement is designed to provide students with the skills needed to obtain entry-level jobs in cinema production. Skill building will include: language, concepts, and the etiquette of working on a movie set, as well as resumé  and reel preparation, hands-on production experience, and important “soft skills” needed to obtain and maintain a career in a mostly freelance industry. The Production Assistant job (PA) is the target job for this certificate, and it is the “starting position” for anyone beginning a career in media production.

Program Student Learning Outcomes:

1. Explain the equipment, procedures, and production techniques for single-camera, film-style production and post-production workflow.
   
2. Explain the functioning of the above-the-line and below-the-line motion picture crew and post-production positions and responsibilities.
   
3. Perform the duties of various technical crew positions in a single-camera production environment while working as a team with fellow production personnel.
   
4. Demonstrate safe practices and analyze safety issues common to entertainment production.
   

The entertainment industry is comprised of technical and creative aspects, but the one thing that sets apart the typically skilled filmmaker from his or her peers, is their self-awareness, people to people skills and ability to navigating the ability to work with teams and diverse individuals, combined with maintaining a base level knowledge of industry standards and practices.  The idea of focusing on this skill set has been supported by industry experts across the board.  LACC’s Cinema and TV Department hosts an annual CTE Entertainment Industry Advisory Board, in which 50 career professionals meet to update that faculty on marketplace trends and goals that impact student careers and our department curriculum.  For the last several years, the #1 consistent theme has been an emphasis on training students in the “soft skills” that are vital to their career success.  These skills include communication skills, the ability to work with above- and below-the- line teams, comportment on the set, overall maturity, and awareness of basic industry practices.  LACC has long-held expertise in teaching the industry crafts and history, but we believe that by offering courses that highlight the practical “people skills” aspects of the business, we will help prepare a more career-ready student.  

This certificate of achievement is a single-semester achievement that would allow fast entry to the workplace as a PA. This certificate is a transcriptable, entry-level career credential that could also be applied toward an AA Cinema or Television Production degree, if students fulfill general education requirements.  This is important for our students, since many have jobs and families, and may have to ease their way into a degree and advanced certificates. We already offer AA degrees in Cinema Production and in Television Production. Given our student demographics—older students, returning students, and students looking for Career Technical Education—a Certificate of Achievement that can be completed in a single semester makes sense by allowing students to complete a level of credentialing to enter the highly competitive job market in Los Angeles, center of the entertainment industry. At Los Angeles City College, departments are increasingly encouraged to develop Certificates of Achievement, primarily in CTE and career technical fields. Besides preparing students for the job market efficiently, it helps structure, align, and speed up the time spent in school.

In view of the geographical proximity of the LACC campus to the Hollywood community, we are uniquely positioned to provide excellent entertainment-industry training, affiliations, and interactions.  

The LACC Cinema/TV Department was awarded an unprecedented $2 million donation from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. The support of the HFPA continues with annual LACC student-awarded fellowships, Golden Globe™ internships, and other interactions special events. (https://www.goldenglobes.com/articles/hfpa-gives-endowment-los-angeles-city-college).

Course	Title	Units	Year/Semester (Y1 or S1)
CINEMA 001	INTRODUCTION TO MOTION PICTURE PRODUCTION	3	S1
CINEMA 002	BEGINNING MOTION PICTURE WORKSHOP	3	S1
CINEMA 060	ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY CAREERS BELOW-THE-LINE PRODUCTIONS SKILLS I	3	S1

No inventory records will need to be made inactive. No similar programs are offered by the college.

No other two-year schools in the LA/OC area offer a specific certificate of achievement in “Entertainment Industry Skills.” There are private schools in the area teaching Production Assistant skills such as the PA Bootcamp (http://pabootcamp.com/), and non-profit 501(C) programs such as Streetlights (https://www.streetlights.org/) teaching and placing PAs. We do not think an accredited college program exists. Although many offer individual classes and generalized production certificates, no other school has this specific offering. LAVC Media Arts Department was notified of this certificate via NOI on 05/23/17, to Dan Watanabe.

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