My journey as an Assistant Director by Jake France

Finding out my repsonabilities

jfrance2_ — 2024-04-30 19:36:02 UTC

On this week, I came in to this project not knowing anything about my role and what responsibilities came along with it. In this meeting Khieng told me the fundamentals that I had in store for me being an Assistant Director. This involved creating documentations for pre-production and keeping up to date with everything that is going on just in case.

Analyzing the script and Breaking it down

jfrance2_ — 2024-04-30 19:36:42 UTC

Overview of Pre-production

jfrance2_ — 2024-04-30 19:53:22 UTC

On this week we evaluated on what task were completed and what needs to be done before the scheduled shooting date, the pre production phase didn't have a lot for me to be able to do as my role shines more in the production phase however I made sure to keep updated with what I was going to be doing in the production phase so I could be prepared for filming.

Unfortunate Timing

jfrance2_ — 2024-04-30 19:53:46 UTC

During this week meeting I was able to attend due to an appointment, I informed the director, producer and the other AD that I would be attending but if they needed anything from me to contribute to help out I would be able to during this week.

Keeping myself Informed

jfrance2_ — 2024-04-30 19:54:02 UTC

I asked the other AD and production manager to keep me informed on anything that would be relevant for me to know so for the next meeting I would be able to keep up to date with everything that is going on.

Week One

jfrance2_ — 2024-05-01 14:12:08 UTC

During this week on Monday, We had a practice run through of what would be happening for the next day, this involved seeing what worked and didn't work, during this day I observed what problems could occur such as spacial and what would need to be removed from the space to create a clear area that would enable us to film without any obstructions

Week Two

jfrance2_ — 2024-05-01 14:12:15 UTC

Week Two involved the house scene and the park scenes, this meant that I needed to be ready for long hours, any potential mishaps, there wasn't any practice for these locations so we needed to make sure that it was going to run smoothly especially the house scene as we didn't have the budget for a pick up.

Script Breakdown

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The role responsibility

jfrance2_ — 2024-05-01 14:39:04 UTC

The role involved a lot of dedication, you would have to work closely with the director and the other AD (Assistant Director) to format a plan, so that the production could run smoothly and be on schedule. The documentation for pre-production that was set for both of the AD's was to format a plan for shooting, to allocate days which was best suited for locations that were in the script, which leads me on to the next document, the script breakdown which involves an analysis on the script picking out key element's. The last documentation that was set was the call sheets which involved calling people in on certain days to perform there roles.

The analysis of the script

jfrance2_ — 2024-05-01 14:42:06 UTC

During this week, I took the responsibility of going through the script and finding any elements that are within the script that are vital to the director Khieng overall vision. The importance of carrying the breakdown is that it can support other crew members to be able to be as efficient and accurate as they can be.

The areas I broke the script into - Cast Members

jfrance2_ — 2024-05-01 14:44:58 UTC

With the script I colour coded the specific areas that I broke the script into, this was the cast members, this involved going through what cast was needed during each scene, this would support the actors themselves as they could be informed on what scenes to focus on and this supported us as AD's as we could format the calling sheets to be as accurate to what scene's were being recorded on each day

The areas I broke the script into - Location

jfrance2_ — 2024-05-01 14:48:56 UTC

Location was important as we needed to know the type of location which was needed and the type of description to meet as an requirement, this involved in taking parts from the description of the scene setting and highlighting any key parts of the scene that was required

The areas I broke the script into - Costume

jfrance2_ — 2024-05-01 14:49:28 UTC

The costume was important as we needed to find out the descriptions of what the characters would wear and how they need to be set out in the film, during the breakdown there was a lot of creative freedom to have as the office scene cast had a smart casual code, and the park scene preachers cast had the same which allowed the costume department to experiment with styles in the other scenes and to use colour more freely as the costume style was only mentioned.

The areas I broke the script into - Sound

jfrance2_ — 2024-05-01 14:55:59 UTC

During looking at the script it was really rare that a sound would appear in the script so what I did was kept a close eye on what would appear in the script that could make a sound, this was such as the fridge opening and closing, a drink being poured. It was sounds such as theses that needed to be kept a note on as they're always important on setting out the scene and making it immersive.

The areas I broke the script into - Lighting

jfrance2_ — 2024-05-01 15:01:49 UTC

Lighting was something that didn't appear much in the script at all, from what I managed to gather is the time of day that each scene was being set, this was important as the shots needed to be accurate to what was in the script and this depended on what the weather would be like on the exterior shots in the park as the sun was an important element of making it feel like a sunny day.

The areas I broke the script into - Props

jfrance2_ — 2024-05-01 15:02:14 UTC

Props are important for setting a scene and without them, cast members may not have anything to interact with, this involved me going through and highlighting anything prop like that is mentioned, any props that is interacted with in action sections and anything that set's the scene, this involved analyzing the script for any world building that is crucial, but for anything else that could support the scene.

Week One - Day One

jfrance2_ — 2024-05-01 15:43:29 UTC

My role, what I did during the practice day was to learn about my role in a practical setting, this involved me formatting the clapperboard and learning how to set it up for each shot, how to use an PA on set and what they needed to do to have make sure things are running smoothly. During this day I found out I need to keep a good eye on what shot we needed to take and to note them, making sure that we stayed on schedule, making sure that people have breaks and keeping the director informed on what's happening. Making sure the room didn't get hot during takes.

Week One - Day Two

jfrance2_ — 2024-05-01 15:50:24 UTC

During this day, It was the actual thing so I needed to keep a professional manner, this involved making sure there was quite on set, crew were fulfilling there roles, moral was high, actors were getting costume ready and make up ready for the shots, that the sound was tested before initial shots, the lighting was informed on what type of lighting will be needed when and where, the temperature of the room was not too warm to keep people energy more high, to check the type of shot with camera crew, so the right shot was being marked, there was many elements that I needed to consider on this day and be observant on what is happening and if people needed support that I would be there to answer any questions that they needed to be informed about.

Call Sheet Day One

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Call Sheet Day Two

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Call Sheet Day Three

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Call Sheet Day Four

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Call Sheet Day Five

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Week Two - Day One

jfrance2_ — 2024-05-01 16:01:06 UTC

Day one of week two was the house scene, this location was important, due to the timing restriction, we had the location for a limited time, so things needed to run smoothly, on this day I made sure that people that people belongings were kept far away in a location that we wasn't filming in, so they didn't interfere with production, making sure that the house was kept in the same condition as we left it. Making sure to keep as accurate to the shot list and that it was being marked correctly, having people carry out tasks and making sure that everyone on set had something to do.

Week Two - Day Two

jfrance2_ — 2024-05-01 16:17:25 UTC

Day one of filming outside in peel park, during this time is was really cold and I was the second AD during this day so I was in charge of the actors, unfortunately our actress for the day was unwell, so I was in charge on making sure the two actors were prepared for there scenes, this was a short shooting day and considering it was cut short I made sure that support was happening with anyone who needed it, this involved helping sound with holding the boom pole, supporting crew to stop outside distributions that could effect the production. My role on the day was to keep everyone in check so that the Director, the first AD and crew could focus on producing the film.

Week Two - Day Three - THE WRAP

jfrance2_ — 2024-05-01 16:17:35 UTC

Day Three of filming on peel park, this was a huge day, as our last day it was expected to be the most challenging one, the cast and crew was separate more to day so it was important for communication more than ever, walkies talkies was our way of communicating for long distances, this enabled to save time as we weren't constantly walking to find out information, this enabled us to give directions both ways and to figure out what was happening, during this shoot it involved a lot of location changing so I needed to inform crew that we needed to move equipment, I made sure the production co-coordinator was informed of any new shots, what the shot description was of those shots and just checking that they know the shot and what take it was to create an accurate keeping, I made sure to inform sound and lighting if they were needed for shots this depended on the shot list for sound and the weather for lighting. Towards the end I got to experience more of a 2nd AD role as I thought we should swap for the scenes that we missed the previous day so that involved me making sure the actor was going on cue and resetting the actor for the shot when needed.

Equipment List

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Shot List

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Shooting Schedule

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Script V2

jfrance2_ — 2024-05-01 16:52:25 UTC

Post Production - My role was over

jfrance2_ — 2024-05-01 17:06:38 UTC

During this time I had nothing left for me to fulfill so overall, for the role of AD, what I took away is that it was a fun experience, with not knowing what the role of an AD entailed for me at the start for me to want to do it more, I enjoyed learning about it every step of the way.