ASSISTANT
DIRECTOR
What exactly does an Assistant Director do?
An assistant Director’s life is not as glamorous as people would
like to believe. In fact it’s not glamorous at all. A good assistant director is not someone who comes up with the best ideas, or is the most creative, although perhaps it should be. Most directors, depending on who you are working for want their assistants to be great executioners, not great thinkers. You are not supposed to invent the wheel; you’re simply to make sure that the wheel is turning. As close as possible to how the director imagined it. In fact for the most part the assistant director’s job is to ensure that everyday works exactly the same for which he/she has to do the same series of tasks over and over in exactly the same way.
So when you arrive on set, you must handover the script sheets of the day to the actors, ensure their wardrobe and make up has reached them before the Director arrives. It involves a whole series of routine, mindless jobs that make a film set run on time. A good AD is able to execute his routine, with mindless precision in the most stressful and excruciating conditions.
A good AD is loyal and dedicated and consistent and willing to do everything EVERYTHING that might be required of her/him. Throughout the day, people will be telling AD’s to hurry things up for time is the most expensive thing on a set. The AD has to be able to deal with the franticness and yet be calm and clear in his own mind, despite the chaos. AD’s work in coordinated packs, and the better the teamwork, the better the set. AD’s have got to be able to work well with others.
When I worked as an assistant director, one of my goals was just to be irreplaceable. I wanted everyone to feel that they couldn’t get along without me. So I got myself involved in everything; editing, music, casting, script revisions, print outs, rehearsals, music recordings, everything and anything I could lay my hands on I did.
While doing all of this work, needless to say, I learnt everything possible about the job. I was 200 percent focused on the work in front of me, I learnt a great deal about actors, performances, rehearsals as I watched people in front of me. Above everything I was always there, on the spot, behind every production, somewhere or other in every play, ready for anything, slam-bang, never down.
Does being an AD mean that you will be a good Director? If you do not have any connections in the industry, I would recommend being an AD. It is an entry point into the industry, and it allows you to learn the craft under someone in a safe environment. This industry is heavily based on relationships, and so having someone to vouch for you is wonderful and can save you some of the struggle.
