Assistant Director / Photo Credit: Kickstarter
WHO ARE THE ASSISTANT DIRECTORS
(ADs)? (In the Entertainment industry.)
Bruce Bisbey…please follow me at: https://dumbdogproductionsllc.blogspot.com or https://www.facebook.com/DumbDogProductionsLLC/ thank you.
Who are the Assistant Directors (ADs)?
The core of the Assistant Directing Department is
made up of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd ADs and an army of runners also known as set
PAs/production assistant and floor runners depending on the type of production
you are working on. The AD Department is primarily concerned with the movement
of the crew, the schedule of the work and the logistics of filmmaking. The
larger the production, the larger the crew and cast, the larger the AD
Department. The 1st AD will be running the set action with any decisions made
by the director and other HoDs (Heads of Department). This leaves the director
free to work with the actors and concentrate on the creative decisions of the
day. When filming the 2nd AD will be responding to the needs of the 1st,
navigating cast around wardrobe and makeup, while generating the call sheet for
the next day, logging and reporting key information of the day’s work for the
production office. The 2nd/2nd or 3rd will be
working alongside the 1st onset, positioning the background actors, looking
after the cast (while on set), implementing any lock-offs and running the team
of production assistants or floor runners. They are also responsible for
logging and distributing radios to both the AD team and the whole crew.
ADs bridge the gap between the production office and
set, the crew and the cast. They liaise and coordinate with each department,
and are the lynch pin of the operation during production. The ADs rely on their
team of production assistants/floor runners to facilitate the smooth running of
the shoot, a small four man team on an indie to an eighteen man team on a
studio production. The PAs/runners who are brought in to assist ADs in their
work need to prove their worth quickly, hardworking capable runners will not be
short of job offers.
The AD Department hold the three people who run the
set for the duration of the shoot. The 1st and 2nd ADs are bought in for
pre-production to hire their production assistants; the 1st will be working out
the shooting schedule, which will need to factor in location, actor
availability, hours, and budget. The three key players are:
The 1st AD who starts work in pre-production,
breaking down the script to create the shooting schedule. They work in close
collaboration with the director and take the opportunity during pre-production
to fully understand the director’s vision and their requirements for principle
photography. The 1st will also work with the UPM in the production office on
matters of crew, budget and kit hire. The 1st/UPM relationship is as important
as the 1st/director; they need to work in synchronicity to assure the smooth
running of the production. During the shoot the 1st can be found next to the
director or the camera, they call the action, make sure the day runs to
schedule, liaises with crew and can spend a majority of their day trouble
shooting. No matter how well the shoot has been organized, somewhere a spanner
will be thrown, and all eyes will rest on the 1st AD to sort it out.
The 2nd AD supports the 1st AD with the tremendous
workload but will pay attention to the logistics offset at base camp. They will
be amending the shooting schedule on a daily basis; software is usually used
for this called Movie Magic Scheduling. The 2nd is across transportation of
actors and crew, making sure actors and extras are moved to wardrobe, makeup or
the holding area. Liaising with the locations team if working on location. The
2nd AD will generate all the paperwork including the sides and call sheet for
the following day. The 2nd AD usually does the hiring of floor runners.
The 2nd/2nd or 3rd ADs
role is primarily to deal with the background action, and managing the running
team alongside the 2nd and 1st. If you are working at the top end of the
industry the 3rd AD role is usually the job you acquire after working as the
key PA.
Sources, References & Credits: Google, Wikipedia, Wikihow, WikiBooks,
Pinterest, IMDB, Linked In, Indie Wire, Film Making Stuff, Hiive, Film Daily, New
York Film Academy, The Balance, Careers Hub, The Numbers, Film Maker, TV Guide
Magazine, Blurb, Media Match, Quora, Creative Skill Set, Chron, Investopedia,
Variety, No Film School, How Stuff Works, WGA, BBC, Daily Variety, The Film
Agency, Best Sample Resume, How Stuff Works, Career Trend, Producer's Code of
Credits, Truity, Production Hub, Producers Guild of America, Film Connection, Variety,
Wolf Crow, Get In Media, Production Beast, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros, UCAS, Frankenbite,
Realty 101, Careers Hub, Sokanu, Raindance, Film Connection, My Job Search, Prospects,
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Assistant Director / Photo Credit: Kickstarter
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