Assistant Directing for Dummies

Hey guys. I'm going to be completely honest with you all. I'm running out of ideas. And fast. I know for a fact that I've written about directing before, but I don't believe I've ever touched on Assistant Directing. If I have, I apologize, but I'm running out of fresh topics to talk about. So, without further ado, it's time for Assistant Directing for Dummies! It's the gameshow where you don't have a ton of fun and some of the facts may be slightly inaccurate, but you leave feeling wiser nonetheless.

Today, we'll be focusing on two types of assistant directors (ADs): the first one and the second one. For those of you who don't often work on film sets, or for those of you who don't have much knowledge on the topic, my previous statement isn't as dumb as it sounds (even though it kind of is). There are in fact two assistant directors, and their positions are called 1st Assistant Director and 2nd Assistant Director. SO GET OFF MY CASE AND ENJOY THE POST. Ok? Good.

Let us begin with the first type of AD: the 1st Assistant Director. The 1st AD is very much involved in the preproduction and production processes. To best summarize their responsibilities, I turn to the handy dandy bulleted list. Once again, I apologize, but it's quite the list and I have some editing to tend to. The 1st AD's job is to:
      -Assist Unit Production Manager to prepare script breakdown and preliminary shooting schedule
      -Assist the UPM in location business
      -Check weather reports (exciting, right?)
      -Prepare daily schedules for talent and determine cast and crew calls
      -Supervise the preparation of call sheets
      -Supervise background activity and crowd control
      -Supervise the proper functioning of the set and crew

The 1st Assistant Director's job is to basically take care of everything the Director shouldn't have to worry about, allowing them to focus on making sure everything pertaining to what viewers will see is absolutely perfect.

"How does the 1st AD possibly get all of this done? It's so much stuff to get done!" You're right! It's a pretty demanding job. Luckily, though, they have a chief assistant who is in charge of conducting all the business of the set or location. This person is referred to as the 2nd Assistant Director. Go figure! How convenient is that? What exactly is the business of the set or location you ask? Well, it includes:

      -Preparing all call sheets

      -Preparing the daily production reports in collaboration with the UPM

      -Distributing all information to the cast and crew (scripts, changes, and call sheets)

      -Communicating advance scheduling to the cast and crew

      -Assisting the UPM, 1st AD, and Location Manager in location management

      -Facilitating the transportation of all equipment and personnel

      -Schedule all food, lodging, and other facilities

      -Supervise the set and location wrap

      -Maintain a liaison between the 1st Assistant Director and the Unit Production Manager

      -Assist the 1st AD with the direction of background activity and crowd control

PHEW! Glad that's over. I was beginning to just feel sorry for anyone who's a 2nd AD. I guess if you really love what you do, who's to tell you that your job is no fun. What I've gathered from this information, is that the student producers I've worked with in the past have actually been conducting the responsibilities of the Assistant Directors while the ADs have actually just been clapping the slate and keeping us on schedule. Who knew?! You do now!

Assistant Directors are wonderful people who moviegoers never really know anything about, but they're some of the most important people to have on a set. They essentially do all the things a director doesn't have time for (and probably doesn't want to do). If you're ever in the market for a career that's physically and emotionally demanding and that doesn't get much of any public recognition, Assistant Directing is the career for you!

Electrician-ing for Dummies

Electricity. It's an interesting topic to discuss in a blog post, right? I think so. In fact, I believe electricity is SO interesting that this very post is all about it! In case you didn't realize, electricity is actually a huge part of a film set. It's how the lighting and operation of many other systems run! It's fascinating, I know. But who runs all of this electricity? Who makes all of this stuff work? It's funny you should ask, because I just so happened to finish an article on electricians! Whoopie!

An electrician does what you would most likely assume they do. People typically just don't think very much about it. To begin, an electrician's main job on set is tending to lighting the sets and locations. They don't design the lighting for scenes or anything like that, but they make sure that everyone can actually see where they're going. The electricians actually work under the direction of the Gaffer, so they help out with the set up of the lights. Without lights, people would be bumping into each other and whatnot. Duh. Electricians make sure sets and locations are safe to work on before anyone else even gets there.

With all the lights and equipment in place, the electricians run electrical cabling throughout the set and distribute electrical power to all of the equipment. They work in coordination with the DP, Gaffers, and whoever else has their own equipment or whoever else can tell them where the wires won't be in shot. The electricians have got to make sure they have everything in place with absolutely none of it getting in people's way. For anyone who's ever set up lighting at a shoot before, they can tell you it's not an easy task.

"But what if something breaks? How do I keep track of all this lighting equipment?" Have no fear! Electrician Man is here! Another responsibility for the electrician is to maintain and manage all lights and lighting equipment. They make sure all the equipment is accounted for and is working properly. It's not exactly the most glamorous part of the job, but hey, someone's got to do it. The electricians are specialized in electrical work (again...duh), so they're the people to turn to when you're not quite sure how to work specialized equipment like a generator, or...you know...lights. The electrician is an incredibly skilled professional. They have knowledge of the workings of equipment many people never even pay much attention to, and for that, we thank you.

I'm truly sorry for the briefness of this riveting post, but alas, I'm writing it while eagerly awaiting my call time for the second shoot of the day for Guilty. I'll catch you all next week for another for Dummies!

Skateboarding tool repurposed to help find locations

Another post about skateboarding! Kind of...

The other day in class, instead of doing my work, I was doing skateboard related things on my computer. More specifically looking for more hills to skate down. Arturo walked up behind me, and instead of criticizing me for not doing my work, he was interested in the website I was using. Its called "findhills.com" and its pretty simple to use. Its a topographic version of Google Maps,  and you can find the slope between two points on a road by simply clicking them. It will give you a detailed breakdown of the elevation, elevation change, average grade, steepest grade, ect.

And it also incorporates Google Earth and street view, so you can see your location more realistically while still at your computer. 

After I showed Arturo findhills.com he told me that I should write my next blog post about it. Originally I was super skeptical, because it really doesn't seem that useful in a location scout application. And truth is, its not. If I'm attempting to find locations I'm never going to use findhills first. There are few reasons to use it over Google Maps. But, that one time where you do need a location on a hill, its an amazing tool. So overall, don't use it, unless you need it. 

Production Assisting for Dummies

Hello everyone! It's that time of the week again when you quietly sit at your computer screen, looking for something to do, and somehow stumble upon this blog. It's time for "[insert random film crew position] for Dummies!": the game show where this isn't actually a game and the points totally matter. Welcome! Let's get started shall we? If you haven't figured out what we'll be discussing today by now from the clear title at above, well, you've got bigger problems to worry about...but let's talk about Production Assistants.

Now, most people probably think of a production assistant (P.A.) as a type of "slave" or "under-appreciated, under-paid, over-worked" laborer just trying to make their way in the film industry. That's pretty much exactly what a P.A. is. I'm sorry P.A.s, but it's true and you know it. If you're otherwise convinced, stop lying to yourself. You're not helping anyone. You're just hurting yourself more.

SO! For those of you who didn't already know, there are four main P.A. categories. First up on our list is the Set P.A. This is certainly the most widely known type of P.A. due to the fact that they have the most widely spread list of responsibilities. These P.A.s often work directly for the Assistant Directors, but in reality work for all departments since they take information from the AD's and pass it on to the respective departments. Set P.A.s are key in managing extras, crowd control, or helping company moves. These tasks require as much help as possible, so P.A.s really save the day in this aspect. They also responsible for collecting paperwork and passing out scripts and schedules to those who need them. So basically they help in assuring everyone knows what they're doing and when, which can really make or break a production. Set P.A.s escort actors to and from their trailers, too, which is kind of awesome, as well as deliver film to the airport or the production office. They even get to touch the shiny equipment when loading or unloading from the trucks! How cool is that?!

Next on our list we have the Art Department P.A. This position will probably come off as, well, not that great to most people. Art Department P.A.s essentially do what most people think P.A.s do. They run errands and help out with miscellaneous office duties. It sucks, but someone has to do it. These P.A.s do, however, sometimes get to assist with the construction of props or set dressing. Ignoring the other two parts of the job, they do get at least a little bit of valuable experience in the art department.

Who helps out with the wardrobe?? Great question! It turns out there are actually Wardrobe P.A.s! While these P.A.s also run some miscellaneous errands, they get some hands-on work in the specific department as well. They assist the costumers in whatever it is that they may need including labeling and collecting costumes. They sometimes organize costumes for laundering, too. Nobody likes a dirty costume! At least I don't.

We close today's riveting episode with...wait for it...Location P.A.s! Location P.A.s are extremely valuable to the overall production of a film. Yes, they run errands, but they deal with a whole lot of big-boy stuff, too. They deliver contracts, put up signs to direct workers to set, make and distribute maps to to locations, and even get to clean up locations after filming! I'm jealous just thinking about it! In all seriousness though, without these wonderful people, cast and crew may not make it to set on time (if ever) and, without the proper delivery of the contracts, there wouldn't even be a location to shoot! You go, Glen Coco.

P.A.s are more than often taken advantage of and are far too under-appreciated. Really, they're the ones making sure that everything no one else wants to do gets done. If you would like to break into the film industry and consider yourself thick-skinned, become a P.A.

Goodfellas, cocaine, and my one-shot-film location

A couple days ago my roommates and I settled down to watch one of my favorite movies, Goodfellas. The 1990 adaptation of Wiseguy, by Nicholas Pileggi is directed by Martin Scorsese and depicts the lifestyle of italian mobsters throughout the mid fifties to early eighties. It's a great story but more importantly reminds me of a personal theory of one of my friends regarding Scorsese's cocaine use and his directing style. My friend believes that throughout Scorsese's career you can see a fluctuation in his directing style dependent on his drug use, specifically the "speed" of the film. He believes movies like Taxi Driver and Mean Streets have a much slower feel to them then New York,  New York and The Last Waltz Personally, I've never agreed with him but it's a interesting theory that still pops into my head every time I watch a Scorsese film - at least it was memorable.


Lastly, I want to share my one-shot-film location with you guys:

It's exactly what I had in mind when I wrote the script so I'm really excited to film the project this Monday.