Random Thought Before Bed: Yet Another Film Production Vocabulary Lesson
When I began this series of film production vocabulary lessons, I didn’t realize how difficult it would be to come up with subjects to cover. Unfortunately, you can’t force inspiration (which is what killed Scorsese Sundays and Cinemagic). Luckily, while I was lying in bed, caught somewhere between exhaustion and insomnia, an idea crept into my brain—something that would have been obvious had I not spent the past few years so thoroughly immersed in the industry’s lingo.
I was familiar with the term "Assistant Director” even before I’d started working on movie sets, but I had no idea what it actually meant. Now, with some experience under my belt, I know that you’ll usually find at least three ADs on any given project:
The First AD creates the shooting schedule, which includes such documents as the One-Liner (a breakdown of the scenes to be filmed each day) and the Day Out of Days (a breakdown of when each actor will be working). On set, he/she ensures that the work is completed in a timely fashion, making adjustments as needed (due to, for example, severe weather, sudden changes in location availability, or unanticipated illnesses/injuries).
The Key Second AD communicates the schedule to the rest of the crew, primarily through the creation and distribution of the daily Call Sheet (which lists what scenes will be shot, where the sets are located, when the transportation department should pick up each cast member, etc).
The Second Second AD is responsible for placing the extras/background actors according to the director’s wishes. You know those scenes where a gruff detective chases a suspect through a bustling train station, or a wrongfully accused spy evades capture by blending in with the crowd? They’re the Second Second’s handiwork.
Obviously, I’ve simplified things for the sake of brevity (in particular, the First AD will often delegate the supervision of on-set logistics to the Second Second). I may create a more comprehensive guide of AD duties at a later date, but for now, I hope this summarized version will suffice.