The Assistant Director
April 21/22 (Sat/Sun) - 10am-6pm
Jason Shipley & Rob Cotterill - Advanced Assistant Director
Assistant Directors (known in the industry as ADs) support directors by organizing and planning everything on a film set. The role is usually divided into 1st, 2nd and 3rd ADs. This advanced workshop will focus on the roles of the 1st and 2nd AD.The First Assistant Director’s main role is to take care of the practical management on set so that the director is free to concentrate on the creative process. This means during pre-production, working in conjunction with the Production Manager to break down the script, prepare a shooting schedule, and oversee the hire of locations, props and equipment. During production the First Assistant Director makes sure the production stays on schedule, supervises the rest of the AD team, coordinates all production activity, and directs background action on set.
The Second Assistant Director’s main role is to assist the 1st AD by managing the administrative duties of the A.D. department. This is accomplished by preparing the daily call sheets, preparing end of day paperwork, distributing scripts and script changes, acting as the link between the set and the production office, and facilitating transportation of equipment and personnel.
People who take the Assistant Director advanced workshop will emerge with the following skill sets:
FIRST ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
• Preparing a script breakdown and stripboard
• Identifying key factors that influence the order of shooting
• Preparing a shooting schedule for a project
• Identifying key strategies in maintaining a functioning shooting set
• Supervising the 2nd and 3rd AD’s
• Directing background action on set
• Effectively working with the director
SECOND ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
• Identifying all administrative duties for which the position is responsible
• Preparing call sheets
• Preparing end of day paperwork for the Production Manager
• Identifying key strategies in working effectively with the 1st AD and Production office
Prerequisite: None
Background on the Instructors
Jason Shipley has worked as a 1st and 2nd Assistant Director since 1996. His 1st AD credits include Feature Films such as "Alexander Sextus Part I: The Conclave," "A Stone's Throw," "A Bug and a Bag of Weed," and "Three Needles"; TV Series' such as "Trailer Park Boys," "Adventures of the Aftermath Crew," and "Foodessence"; and countless music videos and TV Commericals. Jason has also worked as a 2nd AD on Features, TV Movies, and Series' such as "Outlander," "The Event," "Relative Chaos," "Fatal Desire," "The Hunt for the BTK Killer," "Ambulance Girl," "Sleep Murder," and "Lexx."
Rob Cotterill has worked as an AD since 1998. His 2nd AD credits include Features such as "Stuck," "A Stone's Throw," Trailer Park Boys: The Big Dirty," and "The Conclave"; TV Movies including "October 1970," " Canada-Russia '72," "Stone Cold," and "Trudeau II"; and TV Series' including "Trailer Park Boys", "North/ South," and "Political Animals." Rob has also served as a 1st AD on TV's "Trailer Park Boys."
Although they currently reside in Halifax, both Shipley and Cotterill are proud of the fact that they originally hail from New Brunswick.
