First time as 1st AD - Help

[Wilbo]

Hi guys, i'm a second year film student and have very much focused on directing and DOP'ing most projects that I've worked on so far as this is where my real passion lies. However we have a student film coming up in a few weeks where i'm going to be 1st AD for the first time.

Can someone please give me a bit of an overview of what I should and shouldn't do in this role. I don't want to overstep my mark by being too involved and as a relative junior to this I don't have a huge overview of what the role completely involves other than keeping the production on time etc...

Any advice would be really appreciated.

Cheers!

Wilbo

 

[Kim Welch]

Hi Wilbo,

I have only been an observer during production on sets in Hollywood and the East Coast. With that in mind and a little research I put this together. I hope it helps. To me the most important thing is to keep in mind that your job is full on assisting the Director and doing things that need to be done so that the Director can direct. You need to be positive, authoritative and a team-leader and motivator. Have exceptional organizational and time-management skills. Be an excellent communicator and a problem solver. Be able to prioritize tasks and in my opinion you need to have a passion for the work.

Firsts are coordinating all production activity, supervising the cast and crew, and they are in charge of a department of other Assistant Directors and Runners. During production, you must ensure that everyone is on standby and ready for the Director's cue for action. You are working with the cast and crew, the production office, and providing regular progress reports about the shoot. Firsts are also responsible for health and safety on set or location, and eliminate or minimize safety hazards.

The job as most in filmmaking requires freaking excellent planning skills. You will be breaking down the script into a shot-by-shot storyboard, shoot order, and how long each scene will take to shoot. Before the shoot, the Firsts' main task is to create the shooting schedule, working with the Director and you must be aware of budget, cast availability and script coverage. You should be overseeing the hiring, locations, props and equipment and checking weather reports.

You need to keep shooting on schedule and moving forward, you need to make announcements and give directions to co-ordinate the cast and crew. All the first I have watched are LOUD AND CLEAR with a positive attitude. They also control discipline on the set, supervise the other Assistant Directors and oversee the preparation of the daily 'call sheet'