From an Assistant Director’s standpoint:

We all start somewhere. And no matter how amazing your vision is, reality undoubtably slaps you in the face that first production meeting where you realize you can’t afford a 60 ft. jib arm for a sweeping establishing shot of your apartment building. It’s ok though, that panic you feel tightening in your chest is really just the nerves of a beginner, and these nerves will eventually lessen with time and practice.

There are some essential things Directors need to know (or they find out the hard way) before they step onto that first set. These lessons tend to come with experience, but in a world of youtube filmmakers and DSLRs, it’s better to list them out now to avoid painful mistakes later on during filmmaking. None of this is taken from any one experience I’ve gone through in my time of crew work, but rather a collective guide culled together from a lifetime’s experience. It is only meant to help you aspiring Directors out there in building the relationships and experiences you need now to be successful later on.

DO learn everything you can about production. I’m not talking about “directing” or shot composition, I’m talking about PRODUCTION. The mechanical machine that runs the set independent of you. Script breakdowns, scheduling, casting, crewing, contracts, legal issues, budget limitations… these are all things that affect you as a director. So learn them. You won’t need to know every detail, but having a basic sense of how the set is running based off your vision, that will save many headaches ahead of time. Never go onto set blind of the production side of things.

DON’T be uncompromising. There’s an old adage that a movie is made three ways before it hits the theaters. There’s the script, there’s what you shoot, and there’s the edit of what was shot. Some things you may have loved in the beginning will possibly not work out in the edit. Be willing to let go if it makes the movie better. If 15 people insinuate that the car crash scene makes no sense, maybe they’re onto something. Let it go.

With that in mind, however, DO be confident and enthusiastic as the head honcho. It’s your movie and crews respond well to positivity and confidence. I don’t mean arrogance and tongue-in-cheekiness. If you’re not genuinely excited to be making a movie, please find another job. If your presence brings crew morale down to a suicidal low, step off set for a moment and figure out what the hell you’re doing to us. We’re here to make your visions come alive and our emotions in regards to YOU as director go hand in hand with that. No one likes working for asshole bosses or directors who constantly doubt and put down their own ideas. It makes our jobs more difficult and stressful than they already are. Think of the best boss you’ve ever had and mimic them.

DON’T get frantic. This is a big no-no. If your assistant director is not worried about time, then you shouldn’t be either. It’s not your job to worry about those things. It’s your job to get the movie done. If you start getting frantic, the whole crew does as well, talent suffers, accidents happen, reshoots become likely, and budgets become tighter. Let your AD do the pushing, you just concern yourself with getting that actress to cry on cue.

And that leads to: DO trust your ADs. I can’t stress that enough. If you can’t trust them, you need to find ones you will trust. Unless you know the person is a friend of the producer’s who has never worked on a set before, you can pretty much guarantee that your AD will know what they are talking about. Hell, you should be the one PICKING your AD. But regardless, the AD is there to take your vision and break it down into the technical and move the technical along. That is solely what they do. If they’re saying the set up cannot be done before sundown without compromising several shots, they are not saying that to piss you off. Listen to them, at the very least. It’s not a position that amateurs stick around in.

DON’T treat the crew like your minions. They are not there to carry you on a chair and feed you grapes. If you’re lucky enough to be on a set that affords you a few Director’s Assistants, then great. But most indies do not have this position available and the production assistants are not there to pick up your dog’s medication from Petco.

DO treat your crew with respect. Hell, treat PRODUCTION with respect. Nothing good comes out of a director who berates a hard working, talented crew just because a cue was missed or a light looks weird in the monitor. Listen to the requests of the crew. If the sound guy is saying that chair you love so much makes too much noise during takes, put it away. If an actor is telling you to clear their eyeline during a take, don’t grumble about being the director. Move. This is your movie, why ruin it with disrespect?

DON’T shut your phone off during pre-production. Ever. Expect a barrage of phone calls at all points of the day. Accept it. Live in it. You are now the Cool Kid.

DO learn the production schedule. Or at the very least, look at the call sheet. Have an idea of the shooting order. Always keep a mini-sides or mini-schedule clipped or tucked somewhere on your person. This helps immensely.

DON’T be upset if a last minute change you wanted to make can’t come to fruition. There’s a process to scheduling that involves many phone calls, emails, blood, sweat, and tears. Sometimes we can get that bull to set at the last minute to be an awesome background item for the shot, but sometimes that bull is booked on other gigs and if it wasn’t booked in advance, you’re shit out of luck.

DO CREATE SHOTLISTS. Holy god. I will probably make a separate post about this. But honestly, you want to see a shoot go smoothly? Sit down with your DP and make a nice, detailed shotlist to guide through production. It’s not set in stone, but goddamn does it help. If you can’t do that, at the very least, walk through the scene ahead of time with your AD & DP. The AD can at least write down shot ideas and go from there.

DON’T FIX THINGS IN POST. Green screening is not the savior. Do as much practically as possible. Compositing is a lot more expensive and time consuming than it seems and having to shoot a plate of every scene will get you behind in schedule quicker than you can yell “BOOM SHADOW!”

DO learn film set terminology. Know what a “blocking rehearsal” is. Know what shot names are. Know that a buttplug is a junior to baby adapter for a light stand. No, really, it is.

DON’T cling to the bling. IE, don’t get caught up in non-essential details because they look cool. Indie films cannot usually afford a personalized director’s chair and in reality, the AD carries the bullhorn around. Don’t bring people to set to impress them with your directing skills. Impress them with a finished movie. Don’t spend time doing interviews for behind the scenes when you need to be shotlisting, blocking, or helping an actress get her lines ready. Basically, check your vanity at the door. Greater rewards come with having a solid finished movie. If you’re in this for the look of being a director, you’re about to have your ego smashed.

DO pre-production. No, seriously. Attend all the pre-pro meetings. Shotlist, storyboard, breakdown like crazy. Meet with your AD as much as you meet with your DP. You’ll thank me later.

DON’T make the crew wait on you to do something non-production related. Unless you’re 10-1 or it’s an emergency, you are also on the clock. Put away Farmville for a few minutes.

DO be as communicative as possible. We cannot read your mind. There is no union “Set Psychic” position (although, wouldn’t that be AWESOME?!). If your AD doesn’t know, then chances are that the production doesn’t know either. We have no problem with trying to give you as much as you want as timely and inexpensively as possible, but if you didn’t tell anyone that you wanted zebra print sheets because of some jungle analogy you’re trying to make, you can bet your ass there will not be a random set of zebra print sheets just hanging out in the prop staging area. Tell us what you want.

DON’T make your cast uncomfortable. If you’re unsure whether the lead will laugh at the dirty joke about the nun and the priest, then you should probably keep it to yourself. An unhappy cast makes the crew frantic. Method is one thing, but straight up making the cast not want to come to set is quite another. This includes making suggestive comments about the talents’ bodies. Just don’t.

DO understand set etiquette. Yes, you’re director. But don’t set your coffee on the taco cart, don’t touch the sound guy’s equipment without his permission, and please, for the love of all that is holy, lysol the portapotty after use.

DON’T continue in this role if these bullet points offend you. A good director is understanding of the production and forceful without being overbearing. But you are no god among men, so do not run your set that way. A little respect, courtesy, and communication goes a long long LONG way.

Happy filmmaking!