assistant director

The role of an Assistant Director on a film includes tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, and maintaining order on the set. They also have to take care of the health and safety of the crew. The role of an Assistant to the Director is often confused with Assistant Director but the responsibilities are entirely different. The Assistant to the Director manages all of the Director's in development, pre-production, while on set, through post-production and is often involved in both personal management as well as creative aspects of the production process. Historically, Assistant to Director was a stepping stone to directing work; Alfred Hitchcock was an AD, as was James McTeigue. This transition into film directing is no longer common in feature films. It is more common now for an Assistant to the Director to transition to a production management or producer role than to directing. In America, an Assistant to the Director is not a unionized role, but Assistant Directors of every level require membership to the Director's Guild of America. The DGA strictly monitors and regulates employment frequency and duration, salary, and promotions of Directors and are usually completely different from the requirements of filmmaking and should not be confused.