Film 101: Who run the world? Assistant directors
They're in charge of keeping everything on schedule, so don't ask them to fetch you a coffee
Of everything we've covered so far on Film 101, there's no job title more puzzling than assistant director. They're not the same as a second unit director. (For more on that one, please review last week's lesson.) They're not the assistant to the director, either — and they're definitely not going to fetch you a damned kombucha.
Just to make things more confusing, movies often have multiple assistant directors — four or more of them — each with their own specific responsibilities. But every A.D. has this in common: they're working to keep everything orderly and on schedule. It's a stressful job, and the subject of today's lesson in Film 101. Watch!
Previously covered on Film 101:
Film 101: The second unit director
Film 101: The steadicam operator
Film 101: The boom mic operator
Watch The Filmmakers this Saturday at 8:30 p.m. (9 NT) on CBC Television, or stream it at cbc.ca/watch. After the episode, stick around to see this week's feature presentation, Atanarjuat (The Fast Runner).