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the blaine brothersfamilyagentangelsproducerscastcrewdirector of photographycatering departmenteditorcomposerassistant directorsdominic o'riordanian eastonjules beckerjames dalrymplekatie cariad lloydsuzy mottramsound recordistcamera operatorsteadicamcamera assistantsgafferart directorcostume designermake-up & hairstills photographersproduction assistantsanimal wranglersneg cutting35mm transferwe like...our story so farmobile cinemanews |
Charlie Productions : Assistant DirectorsAs we haven't come up through film school or by working on film sets, the role of the assistant director(s) was a mystery until quite late on. Not that we hadn't had assistant directors all the way through - Chris had made a hash of it on "Cold/Cinema" and from then on Katie Lloyd got lumbered with what we thought a 1stAD should do - but the actual mechanics of what each one should do took some time for us to gather. The 1st AD runs the set. They are either a shouter or a stroker. We tend to work with strokers, if only because Ben likes getting stroked and Chris likes shouting. They cajole the crew into working even harder and longer whilst making sure everything - actors, equipment, lunch, props, costume, make-up etc etc is in place and ON TIME. Making sure things are running on or under time is the most important job a 1st can do for us - if we don't need to look at the clock then we can continue trying to think of the best way to make the film. Apparently the 1st AD is supposed to say "Action!" (the run call going 1stAD: "Sound!" Soundie: "Speed!"; 1stAD: "Camera!" Clapper: "Slate Number Shot Number Any Other Important Information!" Camera Operator: "Speed!"; 1stAD: "Mark It!" Clapper then clacks the board together and gets out of the way; 1stAD: "ACTION!" or at least I think that's right) because they know what needs to be said at what time and don't need to concentrate on the actors' performances. Apparently on some sets they even shout "Cut!" but luckily for us our Firsts usually let us shout the fun bits. The 2nd AD is the halfway stage between the 1st and the 3rd. The 3rd spends their time looking after the actors, making sure they get to the set on time and making sure they feel well-looked after. The 2nd flits between set and green room/trailer, making sure it's all going smoothly and filling in for the 1st as and when that's needed. The assisting ladder is not necessarily the route for an aspiring director to take. The skills gained are organisation and leadership, but there is less time for learning about telling stories... Charlie Productions believe passionately in doing things and always trying to stop in
time for tea.
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