What’s An Assistant Director? - Film Jobs Explained

Assistant directors, or ADs for short, can be key players when making a movie, especially on set. But most first time filmmakers shoot without them, and that’s probably because they aren’t really sure what an assistant director does. Are they a director? Or are they an assistant? Well neither, so let's get into everything an AD does on and off set!

You see Assistant Directors aren’t assistants to directors, but rather more like a liaison between the director and the rest of the crew. They handle all the logistics of running a set.

Now there are multiple types of Assistant Directors, such as 1st and 2nd ADs, but for the sake of indie filmmakers you probably only have one, so let’s cover what a 1st AD does and why you need them.

1st ADs responsible for communication on set, especially when it comes to order of operations calls like “quite on set,” “roll camera,” and so on. They also are responsible for letting everyone know details like moving onto the next shot or scene, breaking and coming back from meals, and when the shoot is wrapped.

They are also the safety officer on set, so they are responsible for keeping the cast and crew safe. Because of this, they are the gate keepers of what can and can’t be done when safety is concerned. If they feel a shot is unsafe for cast or crew members, they have the authority to make the call to nix the shot. On the other hand though, if something does go wrong on set, they are the first to be held responsible.

They are also responsible for conducting a safety meeting, which is the first thing that happens at the beginning of a shoot day. In the safety meeting the AD will cover any specific safety concerns for the scenes being shot or the location, safety exits, and where to meet in the event of an emergency.

During Pre production 1st AD’s create script breakdowns and call sheets.While on set, they are responsible for making sure everything is on schedule and give the director and other departments time updates such as how much time they have for each setup or shot as well as if the production has fallen behind or ahead of schedule. If the schedule has fallen behind, the AD is also responsible for juggling the schedule around in an attempt to make up time lost.

They’re basically time lords, and believe me they are life savers! When I’m directing on set, having my AD give me constant updates is extremely helpful. After all, I never know what time it is because I never know where my phone is!

And finally, the AD is basically a problem solver on set, as they help communicate and solve problems for each department which is vital to ensuring a smooth shoot day. Because of this the AD is often running around during downtimes in between shots and checking in with every department. Well, they aren’t actually running, I mean they are the safety officer after all.

If you want to learn more about becoming a 1st AD, I recommend checking out this studio binder article here. Well that basically covers it. Now you know what an Assistant director is and why they can be an efficient and safe addition to your crew!

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