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.

Who you calling a Rat Bastard?

It's a WRAP!! 

Get it? Because in film that say its a wrap when they are done with a shoot but that is a picture of a wrap like the sandwich! Get it? Oh you people don't know comedy!

Sunday was a GREAT production day. In all of 9 hours we were able to shoot our final project. Though the day was long, the crew and cast made the day run a lot smoother then I thought it would. I was very impressed on how organized and detail oriented we were as a team during the production. I've been on productions where everything is just all over the place and we would waste a lot of time trying to figure things out when things should have been figured out already. This past Sunday, the crew showed up an hour before the cast. We set everything up and went over shots before the cast even came, this way when the cast did come, we were able to jump right into recording. We ended our production 45 minutes before the scheduled end time. Impressive right? Yea I know, I know. I just want to give a big thank you to the crew for holding everything down, from the script writing, to directing on set, to making sure we had all the audio covered. A very organized team made for a successful day of shooting and i'm happy we're done. BOOM!

Rat Bastard

Yesterday we wrapped on shooting our final project, Rat Bastard. It was a very long day, to say the least. Starting at 915 am on a Sunday for college students was difficult for us. It took awhile for us to wake up and get moving, but we managed. I was directing this project and I feel so lucky to have my first directing experience go as smoothly as it did. Having seven group members proved to be SUPER beneficial, even though I thought it would make things more difficult. Everyone did their jobs and it saved so much time to not have to constantly be trying to get people back on track. Sometimes there were a couple people taking a little break, but there were at least four or five people at all times that were on their game and getting things done. I was really lucky to work with a crew of competent people to help my directing go well. It was also extremely helpful to have people specifically concentrating on shot logs and continuity.
I am so happy we are done shooting and it went as well as it did! I can't even articulate my relief! :) I can't wait to show the final.