First Assistant Director: The Breakdown

There are some jobs for which there is no specific preparation. First Assistant Director is one of them. However, the job does come with a certain number of misconceptions. In this article, I will try to shed some light on the job, as well as dispel some myths.

When a first AD is hired, his first job is to do a breakdown of the script, and as soon as possible, provide a shooting schedule. This is done by reading the script, breaking it down into scenes, and then preparing a schedule. In "the old days" (before computers), each scene would have vital information written on a strip, and the strip would be placed on a strip board. This process is not unlike posting a schedule with index cards.

The strip board remains today, but the work is most often entered in a program called Movie Magic. Computers are great. Software is great. Make no mistake, though, the process of creating a schedule is still about the skill and experience of the person putting it together. A computer can't tell you how long a scene will take, or how many pages can be shot in a day.

How many pages can be shot in a day? It's an irrelevant and misleading question. While the final schedule will reflect page count, the good AD is thinking set-ups. Let me explain.

A well-drafted shooting script will run a minute a page. This varies, but lets use it as a starting point. You will read in some places that an average shooting schedule for an independent film is three pages per day. What matters is what is on those three pages.

Let us say that there is a five-page scene that features two characters sitting in a corner booth in a restaurant talking. What could the coverage be? Maybe a wide shot, then single shots on each character, and then, maybe, close-ups. In any case, this scene would not require a lot of re-lights, and would move pretty quickly.

Now, imagine the same scene in a crowded bar, with lots of extras, and people interrupting them. Even if it is still five pages, it will take longer to shoot. The area lit is larger, and each element adds time. This last part is worth discussing.

A great man once said "to err is human." He was right. Each element that involves a human executing it adds the possibility of human error. The simplest example is the dolly move.

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