Hi All,
Well after a chocker block week, I’ve finally had a chance to write a formal 1st Assistant Director document so here goes. This information will apply more to the crew of Mumbo Jumbo for obvious reasons however, all the information hereof apply to The Interview as well so Jenny, Joe and the crew be sure to read through this as we need to share the knowledge and support each other.
Firstly what I would like to do is to tell you all about what my job entails as a 1st Assistant Director, this way I will be doing three things.
1. I will need to research what it is to be a 1st Assistant Director in order to tell you what I am supposed to do, therefore broadening my own knowledge in this area making me more effective.
2. I will be letting you know what it is that I am supposed to do and therefore you will know what your responsibilities and obligations are to me (which I am sure will broaden as we move along).
3. I am taking the time to let you know about my role as a sign of grace so that you will also be kind enough to tell me more about your own roles. As 1st AD I NEED TO KNOW WHAT ALL OF YOU DO in order to best direct you NOW and on the DAY OF THE SHOOT.
NOTE: When you provide me with a description of your role and what your thoughts are could you also post these on this blog and keep adding to it as we move along so that way we ALL know what you do. This will also be useful for us later when we want to know more about these roles for other projects after the course.
So without further ado this is what my role entails:
As 1st Assistant Director it is my job to help the Director in the making of the film in the time allowed, dictated by the Producer/budget - but assisting the director in such a way as to allow them as much time as possible to concentrate on the creative process rather than on all the practical/organizational elements involved.
1st AD's have two main responsibilities:
Pre-production (the period before filming starts) where they prepare the 'schedule', (a filming timetable that shows which scene is to be shot on which day and what needs to pre-booked/hired to achieve that)
1. This involves working out what order the shoot is to be done in.
2. To prepare minutes and chair meetings.
3. Setup the shoot the day before.
4. Organise transport and logistics.
Production (during the shoot) where the main task is to ensure that the production sticks to the schedule.
1. Setup the routine and the rhythm of the day.
2. Let people know who’s available/needed on set or not needed (provide maps).
3. Know the shoots/staff strengths and weaknesses and work on them.
4. Block through and then setup scenes.
5. Rehearsal.
6. Make sure that the Dir of Photography; Cast and Sound are all ready.
The main task in Pre-production is to break down the script into a production schedule. This involves gathering info from the script and discussing the schedule with the Director to see which scenes they want to spend the most time on. The 1st AD has to then weigh up the Director's artistic ambitions against the constraints of budget and time.
The 1st A.D. will also be liaising with all other Heads of Department (Cameras, costume, make-up design etc) and gathering up as much info as possible that will have an effect on the schedule. They would also be working very closely with the Production Manager/Line Producer, whose focus is on the business, finance and employment issues associated with the film.
Scheduling also depends on the availability of actors and whether there are any child actors required (they can only work during certain times of the day depending on their age). Scheduling also depends on location restrictions, whether scenes take place during night or day, whether specially hired equipment is required or there are any stunts / vehicle movement / explosions / SFX / Animals / special Make-up for the actors, etc, etc.
The 1st AD ends up with a shooting schedule that tells all departments what is happening on any given day. They also manage the technical recess, keeping Heads of Dept's up-to-date with any changes in the shooting order and also collating new information from any new locations that will affect the schedule.
Problems can easily arise when, for example, the Director is pushing for shots and the schedule is 'slipping' - The 1st AD has to know how much 'space' to give and when to 'move on'. Much of the job is down to timing especially as stress levels tend to rise towards the end of the day. It's very hard, fast, pressurized work and the 1st AD must be able to remain calm, authoritative, and in control at all times. So I need you ALL to help me with this demanding role as much as you can.
IMPORTANT PLEASE READ: The ability that we all get on along is crucial as I will be required to work with all of you - and the so THE 1st AD MUST KNOW WHAT EVERYONE DOES.
I NEED to be informed of ALL meetings especially with key personnel for Mumbo Jumbo! We also need to be aware that there are two shorts being made here, so time needs to be equally split between the two teams, so if we’re going to have regular meetings two times a week we need to split them into two time slots especially when it comes to key personnel for each production.
TO BOTH TEAM’s I am able to meet during the week as per the following times:
Mondays 6.30 - 7pm onwards
Tuesdays 8pm onwards
Wednesdays NOT FREE
Thursdays 6.30 - 7pm onwards
Friday 6.30 - 7pm onwards
Weekends After Class
(PRODUCTION):
Conor (Producer) + Lyndsey (Co-Producer)
Conor, Lyndsey and I as Producers and 1st AD we need to organise these meetings as a team and get the ball rolling as to what were going to do in terms of scheduling and production and to discuss peoples roles in detail etc. I would like to do this on Thursday. We will also need to setup a BUDGET for all the props which we will ALL have to chip in for.
(DIRECTION):
Pauline (Director)
Cedric (1st Assistant Director)
Pauline, thanks for coming over Tuesday night and going through the different shots that you had in mind. As I mentioned I think that the short ‘Jelly Baby’ has some brilliant shots that we can use, such the 60’s colour palette, the couch shot, the TV shot, the eye through the fingers and the use of panning which we thought could be achieved with the use of a skateboard. I have also spoken to Cahal DOP and he has a few ideas that I have listed below.
(PHOTOGRAPHY & The Camera crew):
Cathal (Director Of Photography)
Ken (DOP ASSISTANT)
John (CAMERA OP)
Seamus/Riana (CAMERA ASSISTANT)
Jenny (STILLS)
I think that the 60's retro look and soft pallets of the below short films would work well. In the apartment there are lots of blues and greens so maybe this colour co-ordination might be the way to go. Jelly Baby Video
I’m not talking about the colours necessarily, but the look and feel of them both, though I don’t know how possible this would be with digital. Pauline also has the same visual style in mind such as in these photos that she forwarded me http://www.sag.se/foto/elinabrotherus/elina3.html
Here is something else that I found for you to get an idea of the black and white part of the short http://www.monroegallery.com/display.cfm?id=65
After bouncing around some thoughts Cathal had some great ideas that we could use, below is an extract of his email: Firstly I do think we should use muted, pale drowned out colours and that Gaspars clothes should blend in with the background. For the Black and white sequences I think we should dim the background lights and crank up the front light, almost acting like a spotlight maybe? It would be awesome to have the sequence look something like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilYnB9u72yg Notice the use of darkness around the character, especially in the background [This can also be seen in the hall scene near the end of Jelly Baby].
As for the cinematography, for the colour sequences I think we should use still frames, fixed non motion shots or steadicam. The camera and Gaspar would be very centred. For example if Gaspar were sitting on a couch, he would sit directly in the centre with the camera placed in the centre with a total front view of the couch, much like Kubricks use of centralised cameras: [Yes this is what I had in mind]. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IayHnA0cGuc Notice how everything is in perfect line with the camera.
Also in the sequences we could some strange oblique angles. Keeping the camera still of course but with strange shots such as the sink shots in Pi. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhFpvWi9Q74 I love the cinematography in that film and I think it would suit the monotony of Gaspar’s routine. It would also help limit the audience in exactly what they can see, making Gaspar all the more distant and reclusive. [Aronofsky is one of my favourite Directors, I quite like this teeth brushing scene and the way he looks up from a hunched position over the sink].
When we gets to the black and white sequences we can change it up. Instead of using the steadicam we can use loose, over the shoulder shots. Extreme close ups to add to Gaspar’s sense of panic and fear. Quick editing, fast movement, bright lights. [I feel that we are all on the same page here with the look and feel which is fantastic]
PRODUCTION TEAM:
Riana (PRODUCTION DESIGN)
Melanie (PRODUCTION DESIGN ASSISTANT)
Simone (STORYBOARD ARTIST)
Jay (CONTINUITY)
Production team please take a look at the links above to get a feel of what we have been discussing in regards to the look and feel of the film in order to get an idea of what you should be thinking about in production. We can be clever and think of ways that we don’t need to have all these things for example having cardboard cut outs of the spines of black books, coupled with a few real ones.
Things we will need to purchase / create are:
Reading Glasses:
Old Alarm Clock:
Radio:
TV + Remote: (I have this)
TV Reporter background panel
Old box with dust (or maybe an old retro suitcase which I have)
Children’s toys (We could get these at a second hand shop)
An ABC book (We could get this at a second hand shop)
Slippers
Socks (Identical) (I have these)
Underpants (Identical)
8 Identical Sets of clothes
Pyjamas
TV Reporter Jacket and Wig (I think I can get the wig)
Soap packets
Toothbrush Packets
New Toothpaste
Cling, sealed bags (I have these)
6 Identical white cups + Tea cups and Tea bags (I think I have all these)
Red pens + Box of red Pens : I have some that would work well and
Pauline believes she might know another place to get them cheaply.
Black Books x 12 (Also one normal and one jumbled)
Thesaurus & Dictionary
Dividers (I have these)
2 x Large Piles of Paper: We can collect paper from work. (I have these)
Magazine covers (Normal & Jumbled)
IN & OUT trays
Rubber Gloves (Not Pink, perhaps green)
Bottle Tops
(Conor mentioned that we could buy these online, though we should do this soon)
In terms of printing, Pauline’s father may be able to help with this.
Production is going to be a really big job so you need to let us know asap what you need help with. Pauline and I were thinking that to do hair and makeup on set will be impossible for Riana to do as she will be setting up props etc, so Simone and Melanie will need to perhaps do this. In terms of continuity this will need to be thought about.
SOUND:
Marco (SOUND RECORDING)
Joe (BOOM OP)
Also the soundscape for ‘Jellybaby’ (which I have forwarded to Marco) is exactly what we are thinking would suit Mumbo Jumbo, not the tone, just the use of related sounds to the movie such as a pen clicking, tea cups clanging, paper moving, Clock Ticking, Fridge Hum, Fly Buzzing etc. Then there are also other things to think about like the Voice Over’s (radio/telemarketer), radio crackling, TV static, phone ring, door knock etc .
Ana (CASTING) I hope that all the information that I sent you helped an I agree with Pauline that THE ATTIC studio are a good start (I didnt see anyone that jumped out at me the ones I thought were OK were Kevin Pg2, Brian Pg5, Noel Pg6 and Tim Pg8), next we need to get some fliers up so if you can write something up we can post them up on the weekend. Questions that you could ask possible actors before getting them in for an audition to save them and us time e.g. ease of commute? estimated travel in/out time? are they punctual and have they done similar work to this? [Thanks Simone]
ALSO:
- Legal docs, what's required? (e.g. actors forms)
- Does my house cover us insurance wise, and what about if we shoot outside filmbase.
- Equipment - how big? versatile? and restrictive will it be? back ups?
This is just a very quick rough list and as you can all see there is a lot of work to do pre-production wise that we need to start getting completed.
As you know the lock of dates are as follows:
SCRIPT - 4th March very latest
CASTING - 20th March
LOCATION - 3rd April
TECHNICAL REHEARSAL - 5th April
SHOOT - 17th, 18th, 19th April
IMPORTANT: We also need to write a list of things that could go wrong i.e. potential problems.
I know that this may sound cliché but we are all cogs in a larger wheel and if one of the cogs is missing then the rest of the wheel will fall apart. Not any one individual can do this project alone; it can only be done if we do this as a team. I am counting on you and you are counting on me. Let’s all be open and honest and up front with each other now and if you don’t like or understand something that I am doing then please tell me as you may see a better way of doing things than I might and vice versa. PLEASE REMEBER: I need a brief outline of your roles asap.
I will help you all as much as I can, but I can only be of assistance if you let me know what you need. I will also be asking you a lot of questions over the next few months about your roles. Lets work together and communicate as much as possible. I need you to all to help me and the best way to do this is to keep open all channels of communication open between each other at all times.
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