Thus my blog has suffered so I'm going to try and summarise what I have learnt in the past 6 weeks.
Number 1: TIME MANAGEMENT but I will get to that later.
In class I have learnt about blocking and the role of a 1st Assistant Director. We were lucking enough to have a guest lecturer, Mark DeFriest http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0214606/ , while our normal lecturer was away trying to sell a film at 37 South. Passion, Passion, Passion, Script, Script, Script, Mark couldn't stress the importance of these two things if you want to be a great Director. Without passion you won't succeed in this industry and it will always seem like a job rather than something you live for. You must read the script multiple times in order to really understand it and then be able to communicate that to the actors and get great performances from them. Without a great script you are almost doomed from the start, so make that your top priority and you will be on you way to creating something amazing.
Blocking and its importance.
First you start with the story, then character breakdowns, character wants, obstacles, time and money available for the project, the location, rehearsals and then blocking. Mark gave us a page of script and on the back was a mud map, shot list and story board. Once you read the script and do a mud map, shot list and story board, you then can mark up the script and make it easy for you self to know exactly which parts of the script are covered by each shot. It is simple but effective in understanding what you want from the script. This was a really important lesson for me and I think it will be a helpful tool for when I Direct the short drama this year.
1st AD
The 1st AD comes on board at the very start of pre-production and fully understand the Director's vision and how to achieve it. The 1st AD is in charge of the set, the schedule (actors availability, locations and problem solving), safety on set and safety briefings and people entering or leaving the set. An important part of running the set is communication; the 1st AD is in constant communication with everyone on set, making sure the schedule runs smoothly and is able to fix any problems that may occur. It is also the 1st's job to keep people away from the Director so they can concentrate on getting the best performance from the actors. Everyone goes to the 1st AD with any questions or problems and if necessary then the 1st will talk to the Director. It is a good idea for the 1st AD to pick up the Director and D.O.P and take them to the set so they can discuss anything they need to so they are prepared the minute they arrive.
Characteristics of a good 1st AD
- Approachable
- Organised/Time Management Skills
- Persuasive/Authoritative
- Trustworthy
- Communication and Problem Solving Skills
- Leadership/Confidence
- Strong Voice
- Good Listener
The 2nd AD is the go between for the talent and the 1st AD. The 2nd can let the 1st know how long an actor will be in hair and make up or let the actor know they are needed on set. The 2nd is usually based at unit and keeps in contact with the 1st using walkie talkies. The 2nd also receives call sheets from the production office and takes them to the 1st for approval and then returns them to the production office for them to send out.
The 1st AD should always be close to the Director and never leave set, this is something the 3rd AD will do for them. The 3rd AD is also in charge of background extras.
In week 5, I was on set for the Advanced Diploma film 'Through Alex, Darkly'. My role was to help as an art assistant which involved set dressing, taking photos of everything we moved so they could be put back in the right place and ironing sheets on the worlds tiniest ironing board. I really enjoyed my time on set and tried to learn as much as possible. We had a lot of down time during the shoot so I tried to help out where ever I could and ended up being a stand in. I really liked the experience so I volunteered to help out on another one of their shoots in the next couple of weeks.
I am glad we learnt about the 1st ADing when we did, as it helped me a lot when it came to be my turn. Last week we had our first shoot day for our Office of Road Safety short film 'The Ghost of an Unforeseen Future. I am the 1st AD and I was quite nervous because it is for a client outside of C.I.T and it was my job to keep things to schedule and run the set as smoothly as possible. We started out a bit slow but ended up on time because we scheduled plenty of time for each scene. I encountered a few problems along the way including an actress that wanted to quit and work on another project as we were about to start shooting. We decided it was best to let her go because she wasn't committed and it would show in her performance. It was easy to work around, we just cut those scenes and moved them to the next day we were shooting at the same location. We also had to accommodate the client and film a few different examples of the same shot so they could be happy with it. It too was a minor issue, it took a bit more time but it satisfied the client and that was important. I wanted to be a calm 1st AD and not yell at everyone to get them to do what was needed. I did get stressed out but kept it inside so that others wouldn't get stressed out also. I didn't yell at anyone but I feel that I need to project my voice a bit louder so that I am heard by everyone. I made sure to bring up the issues we had with the shoot during the debrief so that we could improve upon them for the next shoot.
Back to TIME MANAGEMENT. It is so important to prioritise your shcedule and make sure you know what you must get done for each project when it needs to be done. For me it is working out an order of what is due first and making that the priority and then moving on to the next deadline. It is tough juggling multiple projects and it can get extremely stressful but it is so worth it in the end when you see the final product.
I look forward to using everything we have learnt in the last year and putting it into practice in the next couple of weeks when it comes to Directing 'Trapped' one of the five end of year short films.
