Member in Focus: Paula Chidgey

Some careers in this industry begin with a single fortunate step — and for Paula Chidgey, that step came as a Production Guild Accounts Trainee on productions including Anna Karenina and Wrath of the Titans. From those early days learning the craft on major studio films, Paula has built one of the most impressive and quietly essential careers in UK production accounting — working her way through every tier of the department to become the trusted Payroll Accountant behind some of the biggest titles in British and Hollywood film and television. 

With the release of Rivals 2 for Disney+ today, we sat down with Paula to find out how she got here, what the role of Payroll Accountant really involves, and why the financial heartbeat of a production matters more than most people realise.

Congratulations on the release of Rivals 2 — how does it feel to be part of a series that has generated such excitement, and what made this production stand out for you?

Thank you!  I think Rivals 2 has been the longest production I have worked on, but it was very exciting to be a part of such a popular series and to work with such a talented cast and crew.

Can you tell us how you first found your way into production accounting — and what drew you specifically to the financial side of filmmaking?

I have always worked in accounts. I am AAT trained and I have always loved doing payroll. I worked for a food distributor, then a Housing Association and a Private School before joining the film Industry

Back in 2002, while watching Chicago at the cinema, I would always stay to watch the credits. I noticed 'Production Accountant – Dorothy Precious' and started wondering how people enter the film industry. I hadn’t realised just how large the TV and Film industry was in the UK.

Years later, in 2010, I came across an advertisement for the APATS 7 Training scheme at Pinewood Studios—my dream job! I applied, attended an interview, and managed to secure a spot on the scheme after someone withdrew at the last minute.  It was a whirlwind!

Your very first credits were as a Production Guild Accounts Trainee on productions including Anna Karenina and Wrath of the Titans — what was it like learning the craft on productions of that scale, and what did those early years teach you?

I was fortunate to have my first placement on Wrath of the Titans, where Dorothy Precious was the Financial Controller, what a coincidence!

Andrew Pyke took me under his wing during my time on Wrath, he was amazing and managed the entire crew payroll, and I helped him with the filing, he even gave me his A-Z file sorter.I think it was then I realised I would love to do payroll.

Subsequently, I worked on World War Z and Anna Karenina as my APATS placements.

With these Productions being so large, I only ever concentrated on a small area on each job, but you really get to know and understand those small job roles that make up the entire team.

WWZ, I helped with Accounts payable, petty cash, I also managed the extras, I think there were 600 a day when we shot in Glasgow

Then on Anna Karenina, a smaller production in comparison, I was the Cashier, where I managed the petty cash, back when we used real cash, also cash per diem.  Everyone always looks forward to seeing you when you have a little brown envelope for them.

I learnt that the more you ask questions, the more you can learn and improve, taking new skills onto the next Production, with the bigger productions, you have access to more talented crew to learn from, each with unique skills and experiences of shows they have worked on, it was fascinating.

You've worked your way through almost every accountancy role on a production — from cashier and assistant accountant through to Production Accountant and Payroll Accountant. Was that a deliberate path, or did it evolve more organically?

I think it evolved organically, working in the different roles you find out what you love doing and what you are good at doing.

I do love being 1st Assistant or Production Accountant and managing a team, but I also love doing the crew payroll, I get great satisfaction from making sure I can pay the entire crew accurately and on time each week. 

Payroll Accountancy is a role that keeps an entire crew paid and looked after — but it's rarely talked about publicly. What do you wish more people understood about what the job actually involves day to day?

In payroll we are only as good as the information we receive, both from Production and the Crew member.

If the crew submit timecards accurately and on time, it gives Production time to approve and send along to the payroller, that way queries can be highlighted early and resolved ensuring a good turnaround with the payroll. 

I would spend Mondays collating timesheets, invoices, new starters sometimes that runs into Tuesdays, then Tuesday/Wednesday processing the timesheets, checking against invoices, queries and then collating on the payroll spreadsheet. 

This is then sent to Production/ Financial Controller for approval, and the payroll company to process.

Thursday, you would ideally get the approved payroll back for checking and process the invoice for the payroll company, so they can release funds to crew.

Friday I would sort any queries, do the filing and prepare for the week ahead.

Your credits span enormous productions — The Last Duel, Disclaimer, Tomb Raider, The Peripheral — across major studios. How does your approach and workflow shift between different studios and broadcasters, and what's the biggest variable you have to adapt to?

I think the biggest variable between the major studios are their individual rules and how they like things set out, if they require invoices or not, and what needs to be signed by who, but I would say my approach to the job is always the same, depending on what software you are using for the crew contracts/timecards/payroll processing.

You've worked on Rivals for both series — what does it mean to return to a production you already know, and how does the continuity affect the way you work?

Coming back to Rivals 2 was fantastic—the same great crew from Season 1 made it seamless. I know the production company and crew and their way of working so it was natural, as if we never took a break.

The industry has changed significantly since you started out — from technology and software to the way crews are contracted and paid. What are the biggest shifts you've seen in production accounting over the course of your career, and how have you adapted?

The biggest change has been the move to everything being digital.

When I started, everything was paper based - call sheets, timesheets, contracts, invoicing.  We sometimes had huge rooms for the filing cabinets, and you only needed your laptop and a printer.

Now, we don’t use any paper, everything is online, which sometimes is faster, but sometimes I think I could process a payroll faster on paper than I can online.  But with tools like Team Engine for contracts and timesheets, and their technology improving with each show it really makes doing payroll a dream.

I now just need a laptop, a separate monitor and I can work from anywhere in the world.

I do miss the old Mondays when I used to walk around the sets finding crew to hand their payslips out and having a chat, it all seems very impersonal now, they just get their payslip via email and I only ever email crew or occasionally talk to them on the phone.

On a lighter note — after productions as varied as a Ridley Scott epic, a Joss Whedon comedy and a period BBC drama, what is your absolute non-negotiable on a long shoot?

I think on a long shoot it is important to make the most of the down time at weekends.  On Rivals we had 3 hiatus breaks, which was good to get refreshed ready to start the next block.

Finally, what advice would you give to someone who is just starting out in production accounts today — and what has kept you passionate about this work after such an impressive career?

The advice I would give to someone starting out in accounts today would be to do a bit of everything in the department to see where their skills lie and also what they enjoy.

We work incredibly long hours, and you really do have to love what you do.