Keep Calm and Let the AD Tell You About How Stressed He Is

I'm a pessimist. Or maybe a realist. Regardless, I am stressed. Of course the week we have planned to shoot Dollhouse  also turns out to be one of the busiest weeks of my semester. The existing stress of having shooting dates late in the semester is bad enough; throw in some obligations and projects from other classes and top it off with a few tests and my week from hell is in full-swing. Forget about applying for internships for the spring. I'm just trying to survive. 

I am mostly concerned about our shoot running as smoothly as possible; I know things will go wrong, and what is worse is I know I won't be able to predict those things until they happen. As a group we are trying our best to be totally prepared, and we have had a long time in pre-production to get everything ready to go. So far my experiences on set haven't been the best, so even with our extended preparation time I am still anticipating things to  not go exactly as planned. Like Arturo talked about in class today, as the AD it is my job to make sure everything goes smoothly during production, holding each department accountable and making sure everyone is on the ball. 

The shooting schedule we have come up with is very tight, but I am hoping that our work in our long pre-production stage will pay off. There are a number of things swimming around  in my head right know about what COULD go wrong: audio, shot coverage, continuity, etc. The list goes on and on. At some point I guess I just need to trust my fellow group members and know that they will come through in their respective departments. Of course I will be providing oversight on set during the shoot, but I think that there is a fine line between micro-managing- which actually slows down production- and making sure everyone is doing their job (correctly). 

I have never taken on the role of Assistant Director before. I'm a little intimidated, mostly because we are shooting so late in the semester. We will have adequate time in post; I'm fairly confident about that. But we do NOT have time for any major re-shoots or audio issues. I get it, things happen on set that are not always predictable or avoidable. I am prepared to help deal with those issues after we shoot. But I CAN control or prevent any major issues from happening in an effort to make post production go as smoothly as possible. That pressure, however, is leaving me a little stressed and anxious. I don't want to let my group down come shoot days, and I want this project to reflect all the hard work  our members have put into it and finally be something I am proud to put my name on. 

All work and.. all play

Working as assistant director this semester on the ICTV show, Campus Retreat has been a really great experience. I feel like I naturally picked up the positions responsibilities because of all the time I have spent on set on other productions. You are basically the director's right hand (wo)man; you take on all the practical responsibilities so they can focus on the creative aspects.

Some of the main responsibilities include:

• Making the call sheets for our Tuesday and Saturday shoots
• Scheduling how long it will take to shoot scenes, episodes etc. 
• On set - ensuring everyone is being productive and working efficiently
• On set - keeping everyone focused so we're on time with the planned schedule
• Safety - minimizing dangerous situations so no one gets hurt

It's not the most fun job to have since you are always the one telling people to quiet down and stop goofing around, yet it rewarding because it's an important job. With practice you find the perfect ying-yang balance of basically still allowing people to have a fun, enjoyable experience while also pushing them to get our work done. You have to be extremely organized while planning and on set. My productivity on set definitely depends on how prepared I am before hand. At the end of the night it's an awesome feeling when people are so relieved we ended on time or even early... I just want to take a bow. 

(ALSO OUR FIRST 2 EPISODES ARE ON ICTV.ORG - GO WATCH)

Speaking of assistant directors, I was so pleased with Elena's work on Stopover City. She really pushed us constantly, reworking the schedule, planning our food breaks, and was on top of her game 100%. It really helped me focus on blocking, rehearsing and working with the actors and making sure I liked the shots Josh composed. It was really great to take on the role of director. At times I felt like my head was spinning, thinking about 100 different things at once but I had an amazing hard working crew that had my back. The actors were all such sweethearts and were amazing to work with as well. It was almost surreal to finally have my own crew. (My FF1 group consisted of 3 people, to do all the work of many, many more.) I'm really happy with how we all worked on set together and am very excited to see it all come together in post. We already have a rough cut which I'm dying to get my hands on. 

I LOVED DIRECTING!

A Closer Look at the AD Position

After realizing and accepting my hyper-organizational tendencies last week, I realized that there are certain positions on a production that utilize these skills more often than others. As I previously mentioned, I will be working as the Assistant Director for our production of Doll House. In class Arturo challenged me to learn more about the AD position and think critically about how I could possibly apply my skill set to this position as I try it for the first time. After looking into it a bit, this is what I found. 

One of the primary duties of an AD  is maintaining order on set. This means tracking the daily progress of the production against the overall production schedule. It is imperative for the AD to stay organized and on task, they are essential to keep the shoot running smoothly. An unorganized or uninformed AD would slow production and possibly even ruin time sensitive shooting dates. The AD must have a complete understanding of the script breakdown in order to fully follow the production schedule that they help create, making sure that each scene is shot in an order that makes sense logistically. An AD must also be very good at estimating how long a particular scene will take to shoot; depending on the amount of  action or dialogue a scene that is only half a page may take hours to shoot. 

The AD is also responsible for the health and safety of the crew. As Arturo talked about in class, if someone gets hurt on set, it is the AD that will suffer the consequences. This means making sure each department is taking the necessary steps to secure the set, like ensuring that lights are stable and cords are taped down. 

The AD is also responsible for "calling the role" before filming a scene. This entails calling "Quiet on set" followed by "roll sound" and "roll camera." The call for "action" is usually called by the director, but can be called by the AD at the director's preference.

In more complicated productions, there can be many different ADs, creating a hierarchy of sorts whilst dividing up the many managerial duties that occur at any given time during a production. A production could have a First AD, Second AD,  Second Second AD, Third AD,  and Additional AD. I guess they just sort of ran out of creativity there. 

Along with being organized, a good AD needs to be able to communicate to many (all) of the departments on set, and needs to exhibit good leadership skills to keep everything rolling smoothly along. 

While I'm sure my time on set as AD for Doll House will certainly be a learning experience, I do think that I am ready to give this position a shot. It will provide me with an opportunity to really get involved in the production and put my organization skills to the test. I am looking forward to working with all of the departments and seeing how they all come together on set. 

ADing: How to lose friends and wrap early.

I've spent the last two weeks ADing my good friends CP2 project entitled R.O.B. During that time ADing a few things have happened.

-I was told to shut the fuck up
-My close friends flipped out on me for pushing them.
-We wrapped early every day of shooting so far.

For those who don't know AD stands for assistant director. It is their job to make sure that everything gets done on time, even if it means making a few enemies in the process. If being the producer on set is like being the mom on a car trip; making sure everyone is happy and has everything they need, then being the AD is like being the dad; getting things done quickly and efficiently as possible even if it means raising your voice and making a few people unhappy.

Here are a few tips on how to be a good AD

1. Manage in ample time, but don't give it to them.
When making up the shot list be sure to allow enough time for each shot to be set up and have a few run throughs, 15 minutes usually works well. However when on set, don't give them that much time. You should push them to get what needs to be done be the best in can be in as little time as possible. This leads to the next tip

2. Don't let them know if you're on time
If things are going well, as they are likely too, you may get ahead of schedule. It is very important that no one else besides you and the producer know about this. If the director or DP know how ahead they are then they'll spend too much time worrying about tiny details which will quickly back up and slow down shooting time. Use the extra time at the end of the days shoot for pickups and anything extra that might be needed.

3. Be an asshole, but not too much of one.
Last semester I was 2nd ADing a shoot and had to fill in for the AD on the last day. At first I was friendly and submissive, allowing more time than needed and asking to move on instead of demanding. The director and DP kindly asked and suggested that I be more assertive and demanding. When you're ADing it is your job to make sure things stay on track and what needs to get done gets done. It is important to keep on the director and DP so they will accomplish everything set for that shoot. It is very likely that the crew will get annoyed with you, this however means that you are doing your job. As something that is only said on reality shows says "you're not here to make friends."  It is important however to respect the directors vision and not shoot down everything they want to do. Allow them more time on things if you're doing really well, just don't let them know how well you are doing.

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.