From the course: DIY Filmmaking Tips Weekly

Unlock this course with a free trial

Join today to access over 22,500 courses taught by industry experts.

What’s an assistant director?

What’s an assistant director?

From the course: DIY Filmmaking Tips Weekly

Start my 1-month free trial Buy for my team

What’s an assistant director?

“

- And cut. All right, onto the next shot. Now, where's my assistant director? (dog whimpers) (upbeat music) Assistant directors 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. 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, or AD for short, such as first and second ADs. But for the sake of you indie filmmakers, you probably only have one. So, let's cover what a first AD does and why you need them. First ADs are responsible for communication on set, especially when it comes to order of operation calls, like quiet on set, roll…

Contents