What Is an Assistant Director? A Breakdown of Their Job and Duties on Set

What does an assistant director do, and what about the first AD and second-second? Let’s dive in.

Film sets are full of jobs for people. No matter the size of the project, there is always a buzz when you get on set. Everyone there is working together to bring a vision to life. There are lots of famous above-the-line jobs, but we’re trying to give you the information about the jobs that usually get forgotten.

No film could happen on time or on budget without the assistant director. They are the MVP of the set and responsible for so many important things. Today, I want to go over the job of the assistant director, the first AD, second AD, and I want to go over the titles they supervise. We’ll define each position, cover the assistant director’s salary, jobs, and any questions you might have.

So let’s call the roll and get going.

What is an assistant director job and their duties?

Being a director means managing an entire set. That’s a huge undertaking. So you know you need a little help… perhaps an assistant to help you build your vision and keep things happening the way you want. Enter the assistant director.

John Frankenheimer once said, “The first assistant director is just so important that the choice of that person is critical to the movie.” See more at NoFilmSchool.


About Author

Leave A Reply